The year that was 2016

2016: what a year right?!

It was a defining year for me in terms of career and the direction in which I wanted my life to go, and I wasn't going to write about it, but I feel that now we have started a new year it's necessary to look back in order to look forward.

So where was I at the beginning of 2016?

*cue ripple effect*

Pre- library life 

At the beginning of 2016, I was a travel agent. Sitting at my desk, in complete and total misery. I had finished my undergraduate in archaeology, and I had left the museum I was working at in order to pursue a different career (as there are limited jobs).  I decided to become a travel agent. I did all the training required and initially I loved it. By the time it got to January 2016 however, I wasn't happy in my job. Planning people's holidays was no smooth sailing! It had got to the point where I was  having constant panic attacks and I was crying all the time, and I realised that there was no way that anyone should have to put themselves through that kind of stress. So I did something really smart and quit on the spot*. 

As I had bills to pay I ended up finding work as a fundraiser through the Cancer Council, which was actually a positive experience where I could help those in need. This was great until it was my birthday and I was standing in the rain outside the museum, where I had worked before it all went super wrong.  I had always achieved at school, always done well and even had a degree and yet I had zero idea of what I actually wanted to do with my life. 

IT WAS ONLY JANUARY 29. 

Re-discovering the passion

At that precise moment I knew 2016 was going to be a bit of a struggle, but I also knew that things were going to change. And while I was standing in the rain outside the museum that day, I promised myself that I was going to change things, and I was going to do what I loved no matter how much work it took or how many years it took. What made me happy? What did I enjoy? I realised I just wanted to be somewhere quiet, and somewhere where I could help the community, and maybe somewhere I was supported in my passion for writing. Like the library. From the moment I made this decision to do what I loved things began to look up. I went back to the museum. I started my Masters Degree in June, and it actually changed my entire life. I have always wanted to be involved with books and libraries, and being on the path to this career has made me so happy.  I learnt so much, and its one of the reasons why I started this blog. I want to share my learning and library adventures! 

What I learned in 2016

There are so many things that I learned in 2016, I'd probably be here for hours if I was to list everything, but here are some. I learnt:

• It's never too late to start over
• If you want something, you have to go and get it and you have to work hard to achieve it 
• Having confidence (or at least pretending to)  takes you a long way
• The library is an amazing place, and there are so many different aspects to it 
• The library community and the librarians in it are very supportive and want students to achieve and succeed in their library communities
• Blogging is fun! 

2017 and beyond 

So what's in store for me in 2017? 

I think this year will be full of new experiences for me, and obviously a lot of learning. 

I would like to build on my confidence, and work to the best of my ability. 

I want to get my foot in that door and I want to succeed in this environment. 

I want to remain supportive to other students 

I want to be a role model and leader, and surprise myself with what I can do and achieve 

Most importantly, this year I know that I will not be sitting at a desk, miserable as hell. I will be happy, and doing what I love. 

And I think that's all I can ask of 2017, don't you think? 

Also, I am really excited for this happening this year! 

I look forward to sharing my 2017 library experiences with you, and I hope you will follow and share in the library love! 

*disclaimer: would not recommend this life choice* 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Theories that will make you want to read all Seven Harry Potter books again

I've now had the pleasure of watching Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them twice. And, let's be honest, I've also had the pleasure of watching this face for 2 hours and 13 minutes each time.

 (How can you not love it?) 

Asides from my humungous crush on Eddie Redmayne, I couldn't help noticing that I was asking myself a lot of questions about how this story fits into the Harry Potter series.  So I had a snoop around several fan-based communities and had some mad chats with my friends, and I've discovered that there are so many mindblowing theories out there that everyone should get on board with.

Ariana Dumbledore was an obscurial 

Obscurial: 

a young wizard or witch who developed a dark parasitical magical force, known as an Obscurus, as a result of their magic being suppressed through psychological or physical abuse. 

This one is a popular theory, and it was first raised to me by a friend.  Karli Raynor raises several good points about this theory, and provides some reference from the Harry Potter books for comparison between Ariana and Credence.

"When my sister was six years old, she was attacked, by three Muggle boys. They'd seen her practising magic, spying through the back garden hedge: She was a kid, she couldn't control it, no witch or wizard can at that age. What they saw, scared them, I expect. They forced their way through the hedge, and when she couldn't show them the trick, they got a bit carried away trying to stop the little freak doing it.

By reading this, we can see that both Ariana and Credence both live in a negative environment, and are scared of their own power inside of them. They are classed as 'freaks,' and are kept hidden away from the outside world. Keeping them locked up only seems to make things worse though, as we saw from Credence's final outburst. Cinema Blend relate this build up and ultimate deadly release of power to the death of Ariana Dumbeldores mother, who perished after an accident that occurred when only the two of them where at home, and Ariana was blamed.


Who was Credence related to? 

This is the one that got me thinking- who is Credence and where does he fit in? My initial theories were that he was somehow linked to Voldemort and the deathly hallows. BUT HOW?

A theory proposed by Truffaut- Wong is interesting- it proposes that Credence is in fact Tom Riddle Senior, and that Voldemort was born in the very same year that the film is set in, 1926. As no one knows where Credence ends up just yet, it can be proposed that he did end up in London.  Hughes discusses how Voldemort was conceived, which actually plays a bigger part than I thought. If Tom Riddle was conceived by love potion, was it a terrible side effect that resulted in him never being able to feel love? It is also known that Tom Riddle Senior was a muggle, which doesn't really fit with Credence being an obscurus.  

Jon Negroni's argument is also quite compelling, and this definitely makes me want to re-read the books! It proposes that as Tom riddle senior was born 1905, which would make him approximately 21 years old at the time of the movie- the same age as Tom Riddle Senior when Voldemort was conceived. It is not stated how old Credence is in the movie, so it plausible that he could be 21 in Fantastic Beasts. 


Was Jacob Wolski's memory really obliterated?

I was really excited when I read these theories- how great would it be if Jacob did remember everything?

Reddit user radioriots  does not believe Jacob's memory was really obliterated, and makes an amazing point. When Newt Scamander was discussing the swooping evil with Jacob earlier on in the film, he makes mention that the venom (which was used in the rain at the end for obliterating purposes) was only effective in erasing bad memories. . I believe that most of his memory was erased, until Queenie used her umbrella to preserve some. Wolski's facial expression when he sees Queenie at the end of the film seems to support this.

The Leaky Cauldron

What do you think?

Hi there!

Welcome to my new blog, which will consist of all things library. I am a library student at QUT in Brisbane, and I'm hoping to use this blog as a learning tool throughout my journey, and share some great reads in the meantime.  I have been blogging for the last 14 weeks and found it quite enjoyable, so I have decided to continue beyond the classroom and further develop my skills.

When I'm not working or studying, I'm reading- all the time! Seeing as it's the holidays, I will have some great reviews and book discussions coming soon. 

I also LOVE LOVE LOVE Harry Potter. 

If you have an equal or greater love for Harry and all magic created by JK Rowling,  please comment below and we can have some rad chats about Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them, as I have many theories and would love to hear what you think! 

I'm not sure where this blog is going at this point, but stick with me and hopefully you can learn new things about the library, and get some good ideas for your next read.