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Welcome back to Hayley Lately. Each month, this is where I chat about my life and what I’ve been up to in Melbourne. Keep reading to discover the book I couldn’t put down, my new favourite show and the best Melbourne eats.
Life lately
You could say spring has officially arrived in Melbourne. I’m still periodically wearing jackets, but there have been some beautiful warm days. I bought some outdoor furniture for our balcony at the beginning of the month, and enjoyed sitting out there a few evenings to watch the sunset.
Unfortunately, last week my housemate and I found out our landlord is selling our apartment. But miraculously, in one week we applied for and got accepted on a brand new apartment less than a 10-minute walk up the road. We wanted to stay in the area so we couldn’t be happier. We’ll be moving in and settled by mid-November. Just in time to decorate for Christmas ;)
As for the rest of the month… the first weekend in October was a lot of fun. It started on Friday night at Nocturnal at the Melbourne Museum. I stayed after work and enjoyed free drinks while listening to Electric Fields and Ngaiire (so good). Then on Saturday I had brunch with friends before heading to a fun rooftop party on Sunday with workmates. This past Saturday I also went to the Cox Plate with family and saw Winx make history. I won a whole $20 too! Other than that, October has seen my work hours increase — just in time to pay for all those unfortunate moving expenses.
Eating lately
That brunch I mentioned above? We went to Fifty Acres in my neighbourhood and the breakfast was delicious. I also loved the space. On another weekend, I also had brunch at 1932 Cafe & Restaurant in the city. I actually wrote about the cafe in a Culture Trip post, so told my friend we had to check it out. It’s a cosy place inside the Manchester Unity Building, which is a beautifully restored art deco building I’ve walked past numerous times.
Reading lately
The month began with another great YA novel, What to Say Next. It’s about an unlikely friendship between two teenagers and I really liked it. I also finished the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. I think the second book was my favourite, but Rich People Problems was a great ending. My breaktime book at work was How to Walk Away, which is quite a good romance novel. Then I finished another trilogy with Always and Forever, Lara Jean. I loved this series and the ending.
Blogging lately
In case you missed it, I finally posted my packing list for Europe in the fall. I also wrote about the best Vancouver accommodation options for every budget. Next was a sponsored post I did in partnership with Celebrity Cruises, about how to have a budget-friendly cruise vacation. My final post of the month (and perhaps the biggest on the blog currently) was my 3-month North America itinerary. A casual four years after my trip, I wrote it all down.
Watching lately
Crazy Rich Asians was finally the Movie of the Week at HOYTS, so I took myself to the cinema on a Monday morning and I am so glad I did. What a fantastic film that made me cry probably more than it should have. The cast was perfect and the scenery made me want to return to Singapore immediately.
As for TV, I have become slightly invested in a couple of new TV shows. Firstly, there’s F.B.I, which is part of the Dick Wolf enterprise. That man is a TV genius. Then there’s Manifest, which has me intrigued. I’m curious to see where they take the series.
Writing lately
I didn’t get a lot of posts published the month on The Culture Trip. But I did like this piece on where to go on Australia based on your personality. Do you agree?
November is reserved for moving and then perhaps getting a little bit into the Christmas spirit 🎄
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