Clothes, Shoes & Spiders, Oh my!

I hate packing, I hate un-packing. I cannot tell you the recent hells I have been through, trying to decide what to take, what to leave behind, and what to toss (gasp!). If you could only see what I have already packed and how much stuff is still left...moving really makes you see how much 'stuff' you have accumulated. If I have learned anything from this for future, I will be attempting a solid purge every 6 months! I found some things that really made me question my sanity, wondering what I was going to do with them 'one day' and I also realized I don't let go of shoes. In all fairness, I did fill one garbage bag and someone else might be wearing my scuffed patent pumps. My mom came over yesterday and gave me a mom-look that said 'You realize you can't pack one whole suitcase of just shoes...'. In fact, I am sure she said something to that effect too.

In the midst of packing I have enjoyed a few nights out, all meals except a few breakfast eggs & oatmeal have been eaten at fine establishments and therefore until this weekend when a 5-hour clean was done, the house was un-lived in.
With all the dust from moving, comes a little spider (or 2) out of nowhere.

If only you could be there, although I don't wish that hysteria on anyone. The first spider was a sizeable mo-fo that decided to hang out in my bathtub. I woke one morning and my eyes went from barely open to full of potential tears. I am the inspiration for Arachnophobia, I swear. With no other options,  I grabbed a cup, filled it with water from the sink, since clearly I cannot do it from the tub, and get too close, and I splash that creeper who thought he was going to climb out and get to me. He didn't quite make it to the drain, so I did this again. Close enough. I turn on the hot water and allow it to run until I am sure he was unable to cling to anything inside the drain and come up while I lay sleeping that night. Phew!
That same night, I came home late, somewhat vino'd up, and walked into a dark house. I hit the lights, and all I can see is this spider on the floor in front of me. *Shudder*
Without even closing the front door, I lunge into the house, drop everything into the kitchen (far away from its evil clutches) and grab the central vac. I couldn't even bring myself to squish it first. Dripping with sweat, I suck that bugger up, and I continued to vacuum other random things to ensure it wasn't the last thing that went in. My awesome friends try telling me that spiders can live in the filter, and that they can reproduce in there. I just google'd that - and they definitely need a mate to have babies. I am pretty sure the ones that came after me were males anyway.

- F

Pink is the new Black

Another fantastic weekend under my belt, with some low-key, yet highly memorable friends and family time.

Time to reveal my alter-ego: Hair Force One.
I'm not even kidding. That's my Blo name. I am joining the ranks of few other savvy ladies, such as Queen Bee(Hive), James Blonde & Mane Chick.

When I tell people about Blo Blow Dry Bar, I get funny looks or guys start blushing. Let's get you some Blo Culture.

For those of you already in the know, you already know what kind of dangerous love affair this is.

Blo is North America's original blo dry bar. No cuts. No colour. We do what we do best...blo. The decor is super pinkified with sexy Mercedes-Benz silver & white accents.
Tons of cheeky phrases adorn our T-shirts and goodies, such as 'Just Blo Me' or 'You're not cheating on your hairdresser'. Girls come in to Wash, Blo & Go (while boys come in for super long head massages!). I think you get the point. If you don't go to http://www.blomedry.com/.

Ya, you are already thinking, 'why not offer other services, why not get a hairdresser to rent a chair, or do nails on the side?' No. Then it would not be a Blo dry bar, and it would defeat the purpose of quick, affordable hair, without needing an appointment most of the time. The older generation gives me these headaches all the time. The best is 'Who would pay for something like this?!' Girls, you tell 'em who.

The best part is: I get cat-walk quality hair everyday once Blo Miami opens up! You can too if you make the trek down ;)

Here is the new Blo Brickell. We will call this one the 'before' pic.


May the hairspray be with you,
- Hair Force One

"Miami? Ohh...South Beach!"

Home of the famous Diet, Art Deco, bikinis & the eponymous Kardashian shop, approximately 3.2 million people have asked me if I am moving to South Beach. I know that it has become synonymous with Miami, since that is the hot spot in the southern US.

I am actually moving to Brickell, which is downtown Miami. This is where the real people (you know in SoBe most people aren't) work, rest and play.

To demystify Brickell, it is a large downtown core, comprising of the financial district, mostly luxury condo buildings, and hip places to eat and hang out. It's like Toronto, but less tourist-y things to do. You need to go to the Everglades, Keys, or of course SoBe for that.

For more bed-side reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickell

Whenever you hear of celebrities living in Miami, they live in Brickell, or one of the adjacent islands, like Star Island, Hibiscus Island, etc... some notable celebs include Drake & other Young Money peeps, J-Lo, Pitbull (Mr. 305 Himself), Lenny Kravitz, Oprah and Enrique. If that isn't enough incentive to visit... I am about 12 minutes from South Beach!

Time to hit the gym...the girls in Miami all look like they belong on the beach! Eek!


Jogging in heels,

- F

Our new home is on the Miami River, strangely enough called Latitude On The River. I live on the 20th floor. That little gap you see is the pool/sundeck/hot tub/gym/party room section. =)

Almost time to blo....

After a wonderful and girlie weekend, filled with fellow Aries' bdays, long chats in the bathroom, and a new dance move (Fire Hydrant - instructional video to follow.. =P), it is now officially time to start this overdue blog.
I created this mainly to keep friends/fam in the loop of my adventure, since you all ask me the same questions, and to share the moments along the way!

So to recap: I am moving from Toronto (GTA) to Miami, to open up Blo Blow Dry Bar in downtown Miami.

The "To-do" list never ends...but I have always been like that (if anyone has ever had the chance to witness one of my 'lists', they can turn out to be novels).

Here's a taste:
- Get finances in order.
- E2 Treaty visa documents (aka Investor visa)
- Find a place to live (finally crossed off, and you will be happy to know I'm mostly settled).
- Get all my clothes, shoes, life there...work in progress.

I can't think of much more at this point, I have not slept since Thursday, and I hate Mondays. I'll just entertain you with pics for now...

This is our ride down....over 3 days to get there in a Uhaul, when normally it's 24 hours.

My Sleeping Beauty...Tyson. He missed most of the drive!



xo
Fatima