Harry Potter Exhibition

So, today was the greatest day of my life (Ok, one of them); the day I've been dreaming about since I was ten years old- I got to go to Hogwarts!

Actually, I went to the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, but it so felt like I was going to Hogwarts.

It was absolutely amazing. I've been waiting for this since I first heard there was going to be a HP Exhibition and hoped against hope it would come to Australia, and it did!

I can't believe it took me so long when it opened in November, but that's another story.

I went with my best friend Kristel, which was fitting as we bonded over our love of the Potter world during uni orientation day.

So, here are my thoughts:

1. I spent a lot of the time inwardly squealing that I was actually seeing everything I've seen on screen.
2. Those Mandrakes in CoS? They actually really do hurt your ears. Not enough to knock you out/kill you, but they seriously give you a headache.
3.  Emma Watson (Hermione) has some adorable shoes (DH part 1- the wedding scene) and I want them. Her dress in that scene and her Yule Ball dress are also absolutely gorgeous- even more so than on screen.
4. Kristel and I scored multiple goals each with the Quaffle!! We're not at all athletic- this is big news. Anyone looking for some new Chasers?
5. A few things in particular are even more beautiful and delicately designed that appear on screen- specifically Ravenclaw's lost diadem, and the Golden Snitch. So beautiful. 
6. I'm loathe to admit it because I hate her character, but there was a dress there that Helena Bonham-Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) wore in OotP, and it's actually really beautiful. As in, I would wear that and my mum would roll her eyes because it's all black. 
7. James Potter's wand has spider webs etched onto it! It was pretty awesome. And also, Sirius' wand is pretty cool. All of the wands are designed uniquely for the character and they are amazing. 
8. There's a few things I'm dying to go back and watch in the movies because I never noticed them before. E.g. the Quidditch board game "Snitch Snatcher" apparently played in the PoA film. 
9. Kristel and I may have spent every time we saw a costume trying to judge how tall we are against the actor. We gave up when we saw Robbie Coltrane's Hagrid costume. That thing is huge! (Also the chair in Hagrid's hut is super comfy). 
10. I still wouldn't go near the giant spider, even knowing it's fake. It was scarily life-like and very big.  
11. There was a funny moment (to me) when we were looking at the Divination props and there was a crystal ball on a table, along with the tea cup Harry looks into in PoA and sees the Grim in the tea leaves (the Grim shape is there). I said "Oh look, the Grim!" Kristel said "Where?" and looked into the crystal ball. LOL. 

You need to be a millionaire so you can get all the awesome stuff there. I bought a Sirius Black wanted poster, a chocolate frog (with Famous Witch and Wizarding Card), a "Muggle" mug (I thought that was cool),

and a Ravenclaw pen (worth the $30). They have all the houses there obviously. I was torn because the Gryffindor has a lion (my fav animal), the Slytherin pen is green (my fav colour), but Pottermore and every sorting quiz I've ever done placed me in Ravenclaw. So, I went Ravenclaw.

We got to touch the doors to the Great Hall and the Educational Decrees passed by Umbridge during her reign of terror in OotP, you can see the portraits up close (yes some of them move), and generally just explore the world I've been reading and dreaming about since I was 10 years old (11 years, FYI).

It's there until March 18, if you get a chance, I recommend seeing it. I won't get a chance, but I wish I could. 

You'll see things you'd forgotten about, and even things that actually never made it onto camera (like the letter Lily wrote to Sirius in DH! It's there, we saw it! It was made, just never made it into the movie... which sucks, because I love that part). 

The Philosopher's Stone, Hermione's time turner, Buckbeak, a baby thestral, Dementor's, giant chess pieces... so many amazing things.

I never realised until today how small Harry's bed in the Gryffindor dorm room actually is; or that the notice board in the common room is full of so many awesome, funny notices. 

It's really a truly magical experience (lame, I know- but it's true). 

Go see it!

Munchkin Pirates?

I've loved The Wizard of Oz since I was 5 years old. My video is so worn out that when Dorothy's in Kansas before the tornado comes, the picture goes in and out; so I had to buy the DVD a few years ago.

My favourite character was always the Scarecrow (so seeing Wicked made me very happy for that reason), but my favourite scene- even more than where Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, was the Ding Dong! The Witch is dead scene.

That's also my favourite song... just because it's fun and because we're new to Oz still in that moment, all the colour is amazing.

I've used bits from this scene in 2 different Fiyeraba's, Falling In and Taking Chances (OK, one is sequel to the other, but it's still a separate story!)

So, you can imagine my excitement when Rachel and Kurt sang this song on Glee. And maybe it was the arrangement, but I noticed something I'd never noticed before so had to go look up the original lyrics.

The part I want to draw your attention to is this:

"She's gone where the goblins go, Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out."

Specifically, I'm curious about the "Yo-ho" part. 


I only know one type of person who ever says "Yo-ho"

So, my question is (yes, this question was born whilst I was at work, and I am very tired and kinda hypo, but go with it).

Are Munchkins' pirates? Or did whoever write the lyrics just get stuck on what to rhyme "go" or "below" with?

Thoughts? 

This is the Moment

OK, so as pretty much everyone knows, I'm obsessed with Wicked. But that doesn't mean I don't love other musicals.

There was always a wide variety of music playing in our house growing up, and I remember when I was about 7, my mum was given this video which she watched a lot. 


It was called The Main Event, and it was the video of a concert put on together by 3 of Australia's biggest performers, Olivia Newton-John (Yes, Sandy from Grease and who was on Glee); John Farnham (don't think American's know who this, but he's an Australian legend); and Anthony Warlow, who is huge in the Aussie theatre world.

Anthony Warlow sang this song, which I'd never heard before 'This is the Moment'. It's only in recent years I learned this was from a musical (Jekyll and Hyde, which I haven't seen), but I love the song.

And then yesterday, I found this version of it, sang by Anthony Callea, runner up of Australian Idol in 2005 and original Boq in the Australian production of Wicked. 

So, this was what inspired my first Glee fic by the same name.

Also, if you don't know who John Farnham is and doubt my statement that he's an Australian music legend, this is proof.

This is video of Coldplay performing probably John Farham's most famous song You're the Voice, with John Farnham for a disaster fund (it was either the Victoria bushfires or the Queensland floods, I forget which). As seen, the crowd goes nuts and every Australian knows this song.

Happy New Year!

So, 2011 is over and 2012 is upon us. 2011 has been an amazing year for me, and there are so many memories and people who have made 2011 a year to remember!

Below is really just a summary of why 2011 was awesome.

1) Seeing Wicked for the 3rd time in Brisbane, QLD in March. Seeing the show in Brisbane was special because I saw it with my best friend from kindergarten, who was the person who introduced me to The Wizard of Oz when I was 5, and I fell in love with it.

Wicked in Brisbane- me with my friend Maree

2) Seeing Wicked for the 4th time in Perth, WA in August. Seeing it in Perth was amazing because I took my parents to see it, I made two new friends at the stage door (Hi, Kelly and Alana!), and of course, meeting the cast. It was so amazing to actually meet them... next time I'd like to not sound like an idiot, though ;)

Me with Jemma Rix (Elphaba) 

Me with David Harris (Fiyero)

Me with Lucy Durack (Glinda)

3) Graduating uni with my Graduate Diploma of Education and becoming qualified as a teacher. Teaching's all I've wanted to do since I was 7, so for it to come true is an amazing achievement. Getting a job already lined up for 2012 is even more incredible.

4) Making the most amazing friends, both at uni and through twitter. Apart from my beautiful church family, and a few special people I've met through my life (Deepika, Kristel, Jasmin and Christine <3); I've never had many real friends. And by that, I mean people who love you for who you are, people who have truly changed me and my life for good.
And then uni happened! I've made some beautiful friends who I hope to have in my life for many years to come.
I never expected to make those sorts of friends this year, and especially not through twitter! But I'm so grateful for all of them.

5) Turning 21. It's a huge milestone, and with the stressful year uni-wise 2011 was,  all I wanted was to have all my family and friends in the one room. And I got... most of the people there, so I'm pretty happy.
And dressing up as Elizabeth Bennett (the theme was England- you had to dress up as someone associated with England), was awesome. And my best friend Kristel made my dress for me, so it was extra special (and yes, my dress is green. Duh).

6) My writing. My writing is a huge part of who I am, and it's also the most private part of me- except maybe for my faith. I'm more comfortable sharing my writing with strangers than people, so if you know me and I share my writing with you, that's kinda huge. Not even my parents know I write.

Writing is also what keeps me sane. I wasn't expecting to have any time to write in 2011, but well... I've never been good at not writing for very long. Oops.

And in 2011 I've written some stories I'm very proud of, and met some beautiful people. Everyone who reviews anything I write on FF.net... I can't thank them enough for taking the time to read what I write and share their thoughts on it with me. I never expected to have that opportunity!

7) Twitter. I've already said I made some great friends through twitter, but I just have to say that getting tweets from celebrities... kinda helped make my year.
Celebrities (public figures, whatever you want to call them) have thousands of followers, and I can't even imagine how many tweets they must get daily from fans.

I've always been kind of... invisible. I've always been good at blending in and not drawing attention to myself, but that doesn't mean you don't want to be seen.
And to get tweets from celebrities I really admire, which means they've seen me and taken the time to reply... it means a lot to me.

In summary:
2011 was awesome, challenging, scary, and I learned so much about myself and what I'm capable of achieving.

2012 is going to be even bigger, and I hope just as amazing!