The Unnecessarily Catalogued Fulltext Open Access Diary of an (Acting) Librarian Chapter 1

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The Beginning of the End

Date: One day in my life
Weather: Sunny and great outside. Thunderstorms rolling inside

I know it. It’s karma. I know it right from the beginning.

Dad is an established Aussie TV reporter. And mum? Well she is a Hong Kong woman who plasters $100 notes on her face for facial. Me? A guy at a racial crossroad with nowhere to go.

Being a mixed kid is really a matter of luck. If you are in Hong Kong, no matter how you look they will still treat you with awe. But if you are in Australia but you look more like a Chinese than a true blue Aussie you are doomed! Curse to the dominant Asian genes.

I got an extremely European name – Davesto Bolingra – but that name doesn’t match with the face. I remember when I first started school, my kindergarten teacher called my name, I put up my hand and every kid was laughing at me thinking that I didn’t know my own name. Early years in primary and secondary school were similar, only that the magnitude of verbal abuses increased by year. “Don’t be ridiculous! You are Asian! Asians don’t have cool names like that!”

Anyway that’s history.

I always look up to my dad. He’s so cool on TV. He covers current affair stories that nobody cares but Aussies seem to love them. So I decided that I want to be an actor so that I can share the TV screen with dad. It will be so cool that every night after dad’s program, mum sees me on a soapie parroting lines and chasing hot blonde chicks on the beach. Ah hot blonde chicks! I always have a soft spot for them...

Anyway when I told mum my plan, she was freaked out thinking that I am going to ruin my life: “You luk like Tzainese! Nobody hireya Tzainese on TWee. You betta fine somefing usefow to study. So you can have poppa income!”

I went to library school after completing theatre school to please mum. Not because I liked it but because it required minimal effort to pass but still sounded professional. I also got meself an agent – a cool flamboyant straight guy who knows everyone in the industry. Also know as an old pal of dad’s. I jumped into the fantastic world of acting after graduate school and thought that I will never look back.

Turned out works are scarce and far between, and I continue to withdraw money from Bank of Parents. Then mum came to my room one day: “You need to find a poppa dzob so dat you are not dzus sitting he-ya when no one ars you to act”. What kind of mother will say that to her child? She should be supporting him and encouraging him!

The next week, through her friends at the uni, she found me a librarian job.

That’s when the reality kicked in. Me? A librarian? I stalked my school librarian just to find out where he lives so that I know where to get my overdue fines back! I certainly don’t want to turn into an old pathetic being like him!

My sister was excited though. She kept on asking: “Are you going to be one of the ‘beep beep guys’? Can I come to see you do the beeping?” I told her to piss off as usual. For fuck’s sake I finished graduate school. Beeping books at the desk? You must be joking me!

I tried to get out of it, but in Chinese manner, and to be honest, being short on cash and still living at home, you need to do what your mum told you. Or nobody will be cooking your meals, do your laundry or iron your clothes. But deep inside, my heart is bleeding so much that I think I’m going to die before tomorrow comes.

I hope tomorrow will never come! This is the record of my life before I got crushed to death by falling books.