This is my first Love List in quite some time, and I am switching things up. You may have remembered that there used to be a Weekly Love List, but I will be changing this to a Monthly Love List. The things that make the Monthly Love List will be my absolute favourites. My favourite foods, tv shows or movies, beauty products or procedures, and of course, Harry’s favourites, as well. I would love to hear from you in the Comments whether you have tried any of these. Leave me your thoughts.

tripit app

When I travel, I like to pack in as many activities as possible. I love to try out the top restaurants and delicacies, visit the big landmarks, go on tours and experience everything the city has to offer. That means having to deal with a lot of booking emails, text messages, confirmation numbers and tour operators. That is where Tripit comes in. Tripit is a travel organisation platform that keeps all your bookings in the one place. It builds your itinerary for you in an easy to read and follow format that is available on all your devices.

I have been using Tripit consistently since 2012 and have never looked back. You can keep a track of your travel documents, as well as bookings for all forms of transportation, hotels and lodging, restaurant reservations, tours, concerts, and safety ratings of your locations. This will keep a track of confirmation numbers, contact numbers, and directions. All of this is available in the free version of the platform, but there is also a Pro version that you can subscribe to for $77.99 per year. The Pro version provides you with more up to the minute alerts on the status of flights and provides alternatives if your booking is delayed or cancelled. It can even analyse the seats of plane you’re booked on to and whether a better seat is available. When I was travelling overseas for multiple trips per year, I had subscribed to the Pro version and found it really helpful. On one of my trips, I had been bumped from a flight. Tripit immediately showed me all the alternatives I could book, and I was back on track in no time.

And for the stat nerds out there, it keeps a track of all of your travel numbers. Since I’ve been using Tripit, I have travelled for a total of 318 days over 36 trips, to 93 cities in 21 countries. You can look back at the previous trips you’ve taken and reminisce about all the details of your past adventures.

Tripit is available as a website and an app (both iOS and Android).

aria restaurant sydney

When you book in to a fine dining restaurant around Sydney Harbour, you arrive with very high expectations, almost unfairly so. I have been a fan of Matt Moran’s Aria restaurant brand for a while. I visited the Brisbane location back about 10 years ago and was very impressed. It stuck out in my mind as one of the best dining experiences I’d ever had. So when I decided to visit the Sydney restaurant, I wasn’t sure whether it could match what it had served up in the past. But I am pleased to say that not only did Aria Sydney live up to my expectations, it surpassed them.

Everything was incredible! From the moment I arrived to the moment I left, I was made to feel very welcomed and valued. There is no denying this is a fancy restaurant, but at no point did it feel pretentious. Every staff member I encountered was at the top of their game. I was dining alone, and the staff found the right combination of being friendly, accommodating, polite and respectful, while giving me space to not feel awkward.

If you look at the menus for these fine dining restaurants, the ingredients that they incorporate into dishes can sound really intimidating. But, you’ve got to trust that the designer of the menu knows what they’re doing. The sommelier included. I had given him a description of what I was looking for, a bright, light red wine that would match a fish and beef dish. He recommended the Alkina Grenache, which could not have been more perfect. As for the food, I went with the pre-theatre menu. I ordered the K’gari spanner crab, the angus fillet and the banana soufflé. Along with the main dishes, you are also graced with a gorgeous mini loaf and amuse bouche to start, a palate cleanser just before dessert, and a selection of petit fours to end with. Everything was delicious, the flavours and textures were on point, serving sizes were perfect. Nothing was out of place.

The location and views from this restaurant are world class. It is also at a great vantage point for people-watching, and the interesting driving manoeuvres of those trying to park and/or drop passengers off at the end of Macquarie Street. The meal is on the more expensive side, but considering how wonderful it was, I was more than happy to pay it. In fact, I would have been willing to spend even more.

Would I recommend Aria? Without a doubt! If you are looking for a night out in one of the World’s most iconic locations, you would find it hard to outdo the experience of Aria.

permanent hair straightening – the straightening room, narrabeen

If you’ve read any of my previous Love Lists, you will have seen that I had been on a bit of a hair journey in 2024. My hair has always been a source of frustration. The strands of my hair are pretty fine and wavy, and are very susceptible to the effects of humidity. Unless I want to slick my hair down with hair spray, I am usually rocking a really fluffy ‘do. I would blow dry or straighten my hair, and on a humid day, it would look like I hadn’t done anything. If I had ever just let my hair air dry, I would look very messy and end the day with very knotty hair.

Not anymore.

After a recommendation from my hairdresser, I underwent permanent hair straightening at The Straightening Room, right here on the Northern Beaches (they have another two locations in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area). The Straightening Room offer both permanent and semi-permanent services, but I went with the permanent hair straightening option. The process involves having a cream applied to your hair, similar to when you get your hair coloured. This sits on your hair for about an hour, then it is rinsed off, and then your hair is straightened with a straightening iron, it is rinsed again, and then blow dried. And after several hours, you are left with perfectly straight hair. Click here for a list of ingredients that they use. The treatment is expected to last for at least six months. The permanent treatment more or less grows out, rather than fades.

I am absolutely thrilled with the results. Since having the service done, I have not had to blow dry or straighten my hair once. It truly is the wash and go experience I never thought I would have. There is virtually no frizz, very few fly aways, and shiny, smooth, soft hair. You can see in the photos below the difference this treatment has made to my hair (excuse the jump scare ‘Before’ photo). It’s so much easier to manage. The downside of this treatment is, of course, the expense. For short hair, the treatment cost $600, but you are charged by the length of hair. The other downside is the smell. It’s not too unpleasant, but the smell is slightly reminiscent of tequila.

I would definitely get this service done again.

duolingo

Being able to speak multiple languages is something that I’ve always considered a superpower, something that I greatly admire in others. I learnt French at school, but after all these years, I’m pretty rusty. I will soon be travelling to some Spanish speaking locations, and I wanted to feel a little bit more comfortable, and maybe less like an ignorant tourist. I decided to download Duolingo to learn a little bit of Spanish, and it has been a fun ride.

Duolingo is an online language platform, designed to make learning a language easy and fun. There are over 40 languages to choose from, and you can stick to the one language or learn multiple at the same time. Duolingo gamifies language learning, and you can earn points and badges, work through challenges either by yourself or against other users, and undertake personalised learning courses based on how you’re tracking. You can make friends with fellow learners and really become a part of the Duolingo community. I have made two friends, Dennis and Umut, and we participate in weekly challenges, where we work together to crack challenges. You can use Duolingo for free, with limited functionality, but for the best results you do need to pay. There are two levels of paid subscription, Super Duolingo, at $9 a month, or $110 per year, which gives you an ad-free, more personalised experience. Or you could choose a more realistic, roleplaying experience, with the Max Duolingo subscription, at $30 a month or $270 a year. You can access Duolingo through your web browser or through the app, which is available for iOS and Android.

I have been using the Super Duolingo since March and have picked up enough Spanish to be able to have a very simple conversation. I don’t know whether this will ever help me speak fluently, but I have learnt a lot in a small amount of time. The games are addictive and fun, and it’s a great way to engage the brain in a really useful way. Hopefully I will able to speak more like a local than before. I will report back on how well this served me.

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