About Sefie

Sefie is a very busy third year Science student at Monash University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Statistics. How boring.

I work part-time at Monash's Information Technology Services (ITS) as a "HelpDesk Assistant", and occasionally, I teach basic computer skills ("this is a mouse, this is a keyboard...") to international students with the Monash English Language Learning Centre.

I've been into anime since early 1999, when Neon Genesis Evangelion was first screened on SBS. Since then, I've been fairly indiscriminate in what anime I watch, except I don't really like mecha anime. CLAMP's Angelic Layer would be as close to an exception to the rule as you could get. My all time favourite anime/manga would be Rurouni Kenshin, with Angelic Layer and Yami no Matsuei coming as close second and third. Yes, I love bishounen and yaoi anime. What self-respecting female anime fan wouldn't? ^_~

Misi-chan showed me what looks to be a hilarious series, Fruits Basket. At the moment, I'm trying to catch up on Mahoromatic - the newest series from Gainax. Thanks to Piro from MegaTokyo for recommending it, however passively.

I collect manga... though I've only started learning Japanese this year. So far I have about 10 volumes of Rurouni Kenshin, one of Inu-Yasha (thanks, Misi-chan... What the heck am I supposed to do with it? o.O;; I don't even like Takahashi Rumiko's artwork...), all five volumes of Angelic Layer, Clamp Gakuen Tokkei Dukalyon volume 2 and the five volumes of Chobits that have been published so far. I have just one piece of advice for anyone trying to learn/supplement studying Japanese with anime and manga... Icchan-san is very hard to understand!!!!

I got into video games around Christmas 2000, when my brother and I got a PSOne and Final Fantasy 8. I'm shamelessly in love with Squaresoft games, and am at the moment am supposed to be playing FF6. It came with a bonus preview disk of FF10, and since I'm aiming to fill a shelf with all the FFs that are released for PS, I had to get it.

In arcades I play Dance Dance Revolution (3rd or 5th Remix, whichever's there. Apparently Monash Caulfield Campus has a 6th Remix machine, but since the only song worth playing on it is Sobakasu - the first Ruroken opening theme - I don't usually bother), Tekken Tag (Tekken 3 if there's no other alternative), and Point Blank. My usual Tag team is Jun Kazama/Hwoarang or Jin Kazama/Hwoarang. I 0wnz these DDR songs:

Yeah, yeah, so I actually suck at DDR. >.>;;

Out of the anime/video game world, I'm into fantasy more than sci fi, with my favourite authors being Mercedes Lackey, David and Leigh Eddings and Piers Anthony. A very old favourite is Joe Dever's Lone Wolf series of novels and gamebooks. At the moment, I'm reading Katherine Kerr's Deverry series. My not-so-serious ambition is to get good enough at drawing that I can write a manga version of Mercedes Lackey's The Last Herald Mage trilogy.

RUKU-SAMA

I'm very much in love with my boyfriend, Ruku-sama. He's the absolutely the most wonderful person I've ever met, and is everything I've ever wanted in a person. He's recently into anime, plays heaps of games (especially now he's bought a PS2 O.O!), plays the guitar, is the perfect height for leaning on, and has gorgeously intense blue eyes. He's also intelligent, funny, sensitive, thoughtful, generous, and a total romantic at heart. He's also completely MINE, so no, you can't steal him, no matter how nummy you think he is. :P

Eventually Ruku-sama will get his own page... I promise!!

Days Ruku-sama and I have been together:
422

Aikido!

Aikido is a Japanese martial art that focuses on redirecting an opponent's energy, or leading their intentions into where you want it to go. The martial aim of aikido is to control an aggressor without hurting them, or being aggressive yourself. As one of my teachers put it, "when you are presented with conflict, simply don't accept the fight". Most of the basic movements in aikido are circular, and involve "stepping off the line of attack". The creator of aikido, Ueshiba Morihei (called O-Sensei, great teacher), based aikido on principles of judo, karate, and some Zen ideas. Personally, I don't really see any religious aspects of aikido, but there are certainly a lot of spiritual ones! Aikido is all about timing, breathing, and believing in yourself and the technique.

Aikido does have some weapons work, but this is mostly for focusing and improving the bare handed techniques. However, at summer school, we did learn this really funky sword thing with 2 attackers (one in front, one behind)... Ruku-sama and I have our own jo (short staves) made of Tasmanian oak, and Japanese white oak bokken (sword).

< aikido links >