It's that time of year again! That is, it's my birthday. Tomorrow, anyway. I sort of snuck up on me this year. I guess it's because I've been sick for three weeks out of the last four, and I just haven't been thinking about it. Maybe I'm too old to get excited about it anymore... That's kind of sad. The same thing's happened with Christmas.

Anyway, tomorrow I'll be the right age to be the main character of a JRPG/anime. Because everyone is seventeen in those. Everyone. I can think of at least... two. And they're from the same game. But I'm sure there's more. Maybe it's just an in joke with nycteris_m and I. This is similar to that time when I had my third shot of whatever it is that makes me immune to cervical cancer, and I amused myself by thinking that if this was a Final Fantasy game and somebody tried to, I don't know, cast cervical cancer on me, it wouldn't hurt me at all, and just come up with that diamond thing and 'IMMUNE' over the top of my head. But enough of that.

I need to get my act into gear and decide on courses for uni the year after next. I plan on applying this year and deferring so I can work (and hopefully travel a little!). Applications are due by the 30th of September, and I haven't been to any uni open days yet, because I've been sick. I'd love to go to the University of Melbourne, but I don't know if I'll get the ENTER score I need. They want an 85 at least. For a Bachelor of Arts. Blegh. That's what I get for wanting to go to a prestigious (gorgeous) university that everyone else also wants to go to. ENTER scores suck. ( VCE/VCAA ranting )

It ends up resulting in - if you go to an upper class school where all the students get good results, you get good results, pretty much no matter how you actually did. If you go to a crappy public school where the students all do badly, you get bad results, pretty much no matter how you actually did.

End of school-related rant.

It's come to my attention that there isn't enough fandom in this post.

I've started watching Naruto. I say 'started'. I'm up to Shippuuden. I got up to episode 145 in Naruto, and then discovered that the next eighty episodes are filler, and so I skipped them. I'm glad I did. I was itching to get to Shippuuden, and I think if I made myself sit through all those fillers I'd die a little inside, and probably give up on the show entirely. Anyway, Shippuuden is just the bees' knees. Lol. I get excited at just the thought that I get to watch it when I get home from school or wherever. It's a little bit sad, really.

( More on Naruto, a little bit of Code Geass, and a tiny bit of Bleach )

Manifest is going to be lots of fun! I hope. nycteris_m's friend's boyfriend was freaking out because we didn't pre-register, and he reckoned that they "turn away thousands of people every year!" I'm sceptical. This is Melbourne. We don't have that many geeks. I doubt thousands even show up. Oh well. I hope I get money for my birthday, because I haven't been able to work in ages, and I don't have any money to spend at the traders tables. That's pretty much all I go for. Although the cosplay comps are always fun. And the cosplay chess should be amusing. Somebody from melbournemaniac has a whole group of Hetalia cosplayers and they've snagged a whole side of the chess board, so that should be interesting.

I might post again tomorrow night with the birthday goings-on, but then again, maybe not, hehe.

Well, I'm glad that's over. Exams aren't much fun. It was good though, I found that exam pretty easy. Easier than last year's unit 3 exam, which we did as a practice exam. There were only a couple of questions I wasn't quite sure about it, but I'm confident I won't lose an outrageous amount of marks.

Tomorrow I have to sit the GAT though, which will probably be the most boring exam I'll ever take. It stands for General Aptitude Test for those of you who don't know. They use it to derive your exam marks if you're sick during the end of year exams. It's just general knowledge, sort of, so you can't study for it (not that that's a bad thing :P), but it is three hours long, which is a real drag. The essays that you have to write for it seem pretty lame. Last year's was about diamonds, and I think a couple of years ago it was about ducks. Ducks. Then again, if we get a topic like that, it might be really fun to write.

Also, I finished the first season of Code Geass. Was there always going to be a second season? Because if not... what a way to end it! Gees! Wouldn't want any form of closure or anything. :P

( Chrono Crusade spoilers )

There were some really gut-wrenching moments though. Ones that wouldn't have seemed as tragic if I didn't have such great affection for most of the characters.

( Code Geass season 1 spoilers )

I like Lelouch and Suzaku in different ways, though. I mean, despite his being a massive psycho at times, Lelouch is just kind of cool. He does really care about his friends. Suzaku included, really. Obviously, sometimes he gets pushed to the edge. In the end, I don't think he'd ever hurt any of them if he didn't have to in his moments of psycho-ness. On the other hand, I always find myself (while watching) calling Suzaku 'honey', 'darling', or 'sweetie', when I talk to him/feel sorry for him in my head (come on, who doesn't do that? Talk to characters while you're watching, that is) in a sort of motherly tone. I think it's because he's so lovely, you just want to give him a hug. Honestly, the stuff that boy goes through!

But yes, I enjoyed the first season thoroughly.

And I need a Code Geass icon.

ETA: The GAT went fine. We wrote about bees. :3

Studying for my Psych. exam tomorrow. What kind of a question is "Why is reception considered to be the 'first stage' in visual perception?" Umm. Because it is the first stage? There's no seeing to be had if light doesn't enter the eye.

Also, finished Chrono Crusade. That was the saddest ending I've seen in a very long time.

And Code Geass FTW, y/y? I'm just getting into it, even though I've known about it for ages. A very well done cosplay inspired me to check it out. That sort of... makes me happy in some way.

ETA: This Phoenix album is kind of strange. I think I like their later stuff better. For instance, I'm like in love with Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, particularly 'Lisztomania' and 'Girlfriend'.