It looks like Melbourne's infamous Carrot Man was spotted at South Melbourne Market over the weekend, if you don't know, get to know. The jury's out on if he's attention-seeking or heartwarming. Here's the latest from this hot Monday—stay cool.

The Headlines

• Drake has announced an extra date to his long-awaited Australian tour in Feb, and tickets are on sale at 12pm today. The added date at the Rod Laver Arena will be the 13th Feb—no better way to spend your Valentine's Day eve. With only the VIP tickets remaining for the existing dates at $850+, this could be your last chance to see Drake without breaking the bank.

• Melbourne has been crowned Australia’s Christmas lights capital. Six out of the 10 suburbs hailed for taking the business of lighting up their homes seriously are right here in Melbs. If you fancy a slice of home, find a friend with a car and make an evening out of driving around the very best tacky displays on offer. Top of the list is Parkdale, where the average house price is $1.5M—worth it for a nosey if nothing else.

• It's a daunting feeling to cook Christmas dinner, and if you're more of a beans-on-toast kind of chef than a full roast dinner chef, there are solutions out there to impress your guests. Broadsheet has found the best ways to outsource your meal for the big day in Melbourne, with finish-at-home turkey and impressive starters and desserts on offer—and orders are still open. You can even pass them off as your own cooking, we won't tell anyone.

Where to Eat and Drink

We're starting the week strong with a breakfast rec. Located in a heritage-listed building in the heart of the CBD, Higher Ground is an absolute feast for the senses. We're talking high ceilings, rustic chipped brick walls, and lush greenery throughout—stinks of a pic on the IG story. Open daily from 7am-5pm, it’s the ideal spot for a morning coffee, classy lunch, or late-afternoon cocktail. What's our order we hear you ask, go for the avocado pretzel or their famous blueberry and ricotta hotcake.

Where to Live

There's a two-week sublet going in this cosy South Yarra flat from early Jan if you’re looking for somewhere short-term. It comes kitted out with two UK housemates, an Xbox One, and, most importantly, AC. You may, however, have the responsibility of being a step-parent to a gorgeous monstera for a few weeks—apply at your own risk.

Core selling point: IGET bars permitted inside.

Where to Work

The Australian Open jobs really do just keep on coming, and today's is for kitchen stewards. For your backstage ticket to the AO, all you have to do is wash a few dishes and do a few bin runs—simple. It's perfect if you're in the trenches of unemployment or just looking to earn some extra cash over summer. Surely you'd be able to sneak out of the kitchen on your bin run to see some of the action—a staff lanyard could surely get you in anywhere.

Where to Go

A huge, immersive Yayoi Kusama exhibition opened this weekend at the National Gallery of Victoria down on Southbank. The instalment celebrates the eight-decade career of the Japanese artist and boasts paintings, sculptures, videos, fashion, and large-scale installations. Tickets start at $35, and it's running until April 2025, so you've got plenty of time to check it out if this week is too full of Christmas parties for you to fit it in.

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