Jess — My friend Jess is an awesome, sassy, cupcake-baking powerhouse. I’m sleeping on her couch while I stay in Melbourne, for which I am eternally grateful. Yesterday she shipped out 800 cupcakes — that is not a typo — & still managed to be utterly hilarious & fabulous, even at the end of an extremely long couple of days. This morning she woke me up with a saucepan of warm salted caramel, & she just emailed to tell me that she had baked me a whole bunch of cupcakes for my masticating pleasure. You don’t get any better than that. I am going to miss her so much!

Sleeping on the plane — Honestly, there is almost nothing as satisfying as sleeping for 80% of your 20 hour (yes, 20 hour) plane ride. I mean, sure, you could work or watch movies or make conversation, but really, when it comes to your sanity, sleeping is totally the way to go. I was so exhausted by the time I got to JFK on Monday that I fell asleep before the plane even took off, & I slept for pretty much all of my 15 hour flight from LAX. My secret? Headphones + eye-mask + blanket over my head + pyjama pants + socks. Mmmm, cozylicious!

Wildilocks — My hairdressers, who I will be very, very sad to leave. I’m actually sitting in one of their chairs right now, taking advantage of their free wireless while we change my hair. Eeeeee, so excited! Pictures to come soon ;D Anyway, my point is, they are the best hairdressers I have ever had the pleasure of doing business with. They’re charming, hugely competent, experimental & fun, & it’s always a total joy to come here. If you need a hairdresser & you’re in Melbourne or Perth, you should totally check them out, & send them my love. I am going to miss Cass & Kat so much!

Coney Island — I went on Saturday & had such a good time! I rode the Cyclone which was utterly terrifying (I climbed out with shaky legs & have an awesome bruise on my elbow from holding on for dear life) & the Wonder Wheel (which has a fabulous view of the boardwalk), ate funnel cake & a hot dog, visited the New York Aquarium, took photobooth pictures, attended the Coney Island Circus Sideshow (with a genuine lobster boy!!!!!!!), & generally had an awesome time. So much fun. I’m so glad I went.

Independence — Being in New York City alone for 3 months really taught me a lot about my own level of competence & independence. This point was really driven home to me on Monday when I had to wrestle 2 enormous suitcases down 5 flights of stairs. It sounds like a little thing but it was difficult & kind of stressful & yet I still did it, all on my own, & with little to no fuss. I was proud of myself because it’s normally the kind of thing I would moan about & try to coerce someone else into doing for me, but when I was finished I felt an enormous sense of accomplishment. Then I remembered that I had been living in one of the most intimidating cities in the world by myself for months & felt even better. Haha!

Getting organised — Yesterday I sorted out everything I own in under four hours. Then I called a shipping company & organised for them to collect what was left. After that I booked a plane ticket. It felt good. I am a die-hard Virgo!

Simon — Yesterday, after 20 hours on a plane, I arrived at what used to be the iCiNG Bowl: the apartment I shared with Simon for a year. I was nervous about how things might go as I cleared out all my belongings, but to my utter delight (& relief), everything was great. We got along & he helped me out — from whoah to go in 4 hours! We went & had lunch, walked around, had dinner & listened to music. Then I left. There were tears, but man, it went about a billion times better than it could have… for which I am eternally grateful. I am going to miss him. He is a good person.

Honourary mentions: The smell of salted caramel; strangers who help me with my suitcases; sleeping on the plane with a blanket over my head like a babushka (hey, I thought it was hilarious!); being able to wear the snoods I bought when I was in the States (P.S. Melbourne is coooold); not feeling jet-lagged (bonus!); looking forward to seeing my friends in Wellington (yay yay yay!); Bermuda Shorts nailpolish by Essie; churros dipped in chocolate; burgers shared; lovely treats in the post; new hair glee; seeing my parents (can’t wait! Favourite people!); superb emails; plotting & planning… as always!

“The talent for being happy is appreciating & liking what you have, instead of what you don’t have.” — Woody Allen

Okay, my sweet treats! Share the love! I want to hear it! Warm up my chilly wintery heart with stories of happiness & excitement!