音時雨 ～Regentropfen～

I was going to write this post two weeks ago, but, in last week, I was bus making my new blog template, and in this week, I was busy making a powerpoint presentation for lab meeting... :down: However, now I'm back and wanna talk about all new music since my last post.

This album is very excellent, though I'm not a big fan of her non-doujin songs. I didn't like her "best collections", but those songs, in this album, sound so good! The most important difference between this recording and the original versions, may be the using of acoustic instruments. I'm bored with most of electronic instruments in current music; songs in this album can give you a different feeling. I do think Haruka's voice matches better with this kind of instruments.

I finally found this album in last week! :excited: It has two discs; the first one is a collection of Ancient Colours Infinity series, and the second one is a collection of other songs by bermei.inazawa. About the first one, I've talked a lot before; however, here, songs are made by another arrangement. They sound similar but they do have another fresh feeling to the listeners. About the second one, I only know the ones from Higurashi. So most of them are very new to me. I especially like the song by Annabel, btw~~ xD

Wow, KOKIA never mentioned this single in her blog (as far as I know)! And I was very surprised to see KOKIA's name being together with Saiyuuki. It's so hard to link these two names, no? :P
About the music, they're a bit different to KOKIA's typical style (in the first song). To be honest, I didn't see anything impressing in this single... (plus it has my "favorite" erhu... →_→) but I love Ura Kiyohide's arrangement (especially in the second song). It's a good relax to listen to this single.

I JUST RECEIVED MY COPY OF THIS ALBUM YESTERDAY!!! I'M SO HAPPY NOW~~~ :happy3:
I've already looped this album since for not less than 15 times within a few days. This album is just EXCELLENT! Not only that all songs are new, KOKIA also did a wonder job. Like what she said before, this album is like the sky, linking everyone together via the music.
Open the booklet, I smiled. Every page has a photo of the sky. Different sky, in red, in blue, with clouds, with sunlight, serene, or vivid. Her songs are the same, with emotion, power, warmth, gentleness, or love. Ohhh, I must write something for this album later. My favorite of this album should be "本当の音 (the real sound)". It touched me again~ T T/~~
I also ordered the DVD "moment no moment" and a book about her stage life (secrets[?]). Gosh, and thus I had to pay for the middleman's fee as well. Probably I won't buy any other CDs in the rest of this year, but... who knows what happens if KOKIA releases something again? XDD

New season is good. Now, the new waiting albums/singles are from Akiko Shikata, Noriko Mitose, and eufonius. Also, in the end of June, GARNET CROW is going to release a single.
It was raining in last week. Looking at the outside rainy view, listening to either the gentle KOKIA or the mysterious bermei.inazawa, I was very satisfied. :full:
Being surrounded by my favorite music, is such a piece of huge happiness~

I was planning to write this post yesterday, but I was too lazy tired to write anything. Too many things are to be written, but here in this post, I'll only write about the daily life of this week.

My boss said in last week's lab meeting: "and that will be a busy day, hope we can survive."
Actually, there was a lab from neighbour city would visit us on Monday, and in the afternoon, from my and their labs, two members would give a talk on a semi-remotely connected seminar. We were also going to have lunch together before the seminar, which was at 2. Yet, they may arrive at noon because that day was also a day to vote. Moreover, on Monday, one post-doc and two summer students were coming to my lab (my boss emailed me and wanted me to go to lab at 9, orz). So, new comers' arriving, a lab's visiting, seminar... who can't say that's not a busy day?

When the day came, everything was just like usual. It was not too bad, because I was not that late when I arrived at my lab (20 past 9 -_-). Nothing trouble happened on introducing the lab to our new people. My boss first had a long talk to the post-doc, then near noon, he wanted to talk to the new summer students. But how come he also wanted me to be there?! Though my current project is sorta involved in their project, is it necessary to let me listen to my boss's "basic biology lecture" that was begin from "what DNA is"? OTL

Anyway, just 10 minutes after his talk, the neighbour city lab came. So we were heading to the restaurant. Then, it was near 12 already. On the way, one of my lab members mentioned about the two summer students. "The two computer kids are really look like computer kids."
"Why look like?" I asked curiously.
"Well, as I know, all summer computer students were quiet. Like..." then he listed all summers he knew, and said how quiet they were.
At that point, he was right. The two summers were really quiet. That quietness while staying with them was not the same as staying in the room alone; you know someone else is here, but it's even quieter than only you being there. xDD

The seminar... like the presenter said, was cursed. In fact, she was supposed to talk in March, but the talk was delayed to this Monday, and was delayed again. Since this is a semi-remotely connected seminar, speakers from remote sites may not present due to this or that technical issues. Before the talk, our speaker tested the connection and it was fine. But when it was her turn to talk, everything was not working, and even the technician didn't know why. Firstly, we just wanted to fix this problem and let other speakers to talk ahead. Yet until the last one finished his talk, the problem was still here.
"Are you frustrated for being coming with us?" they asked the other speaker, who was coming from the neighbour city and was going to present on that seminar as well.
"Well, a little bit, but I did enjoy the lunch."
"However, we can present to each other."
Their boss' suggestion was the beginning of another nightmare... xDD;;

After our talking-to-each-other, it was 15 past 5... gosh, I was so sleepy (because I was trying to come to lab at 9 this morning... :P). According to my boss' plan, we wanted to go with everyone to a bar. Oh, no, I don't want that! You guys' busy day ended, but not mine! I was supposed to give a lab meeting to talk about a scientific paper, and I haven't looked at that! Go home, go home. Before I thought up a good excuse, another one in my lab already said he was going home. Good, at least I'm not the only one who don't want to go. xD

I don't know how everything went later. The busy Monday ended, yet it's not that terrible as what I thought. Hope in this month, everything can go well too.

Since last Thursday, there was a terrible odor lingering in biological science building. At first, I didn't know what that was and thought someone broken a bottle with some terribly smelt chemical. But at noon, I heard from others, that they found a dead rabbit in a vent of this building and this was the resource of the bad smell. Oh, how come a rabbit can go into the vent? Stupid rabbit, which was the comment from my lab. My boss, who is not a humor person, also said "horrible rabbit" during that day's lab meeting.

Although my boss isn't that humor, his thought was sometimes very funny. "At first, I even thought that was ... cheese." he said. ￢_￢
If so, how expensive cheese that would be! xDD

Like what I said in last post, new music season has come... and it's so surprising that I could get 3 of them in the very first day of M3-25 (thanks those people who liked to share)! Together with the IS OST that I just got, I'd like to talk about these new stuff in this post.

This OST, however, is just a regular work for anime, and it has no special points that I want to talk. I'm really a bit disappointed by it, yet as usual, I DID hear a lot excellent strings! xD

Annabel's voice is still that clear, I love it~ The first song, "ignis", is very powerful, "pulse" is very mysterious, and "innocent flame" is both powerful and mysterious, to me... XD
I like the strong drums, rhythm, they all have a good match to Annabel's deep voice, but seems the melody is not my favorite type. I think I will like this work because of her voice, and the entire ambience of the songs, but I may not loop it for too many times. :X

First, for those who don't know who CorLeonis is... CorLeonis is yanaginagi. :P
In my opinion, nagi's personal works are not as impressive as Annabel's personal works, and I do think Annabel + nagi's binaria is the best.
Well, about the album itself. It's calm, as the title says, and it will be a good choice to play it while staying alone during late nights. Some songs are even a bit "weird"... I mean they're so different from either jpop or other doujin music. They're just different, and thus the listeners are engulfed by their strong and special environment. By the way, I like the piano in track3 "Inori no Tou" very much!

Kyaaaaa~~ binaria is finally back!!! This maxi single is so beautiful~~~
XDDD;;
At first, before it's officially released, I was wondering, if they were going to sing in German. But now I know, I was wrong – only the title is in German! xD
I can feel that binaria is still binaria. Nothing changed in their music. I can feel their unique ambience. Their songs will have the best effect if being played during nights, cloudy/snowy/rainy days. Listeners' mind is in an endless fantastic world with their music, and never want to go out of the special space (like me).

I was attracted in the very beginning as soon as I played the first song "Nachtflug". Another new song in this maxi single is good, and the last song is a remixed version of an old work.
I like all these three songs, but I do love "Nachtflug" the most. The melody, the lyrics and the arrangement match perfectly, plus nagi and Annabel's superb duet, this song is making a quiet flowing world of sound. I myself have looped it without stop for 85 times (according to my last.fm record). So, here, my only suggestion is, to loop "Nachtflug" for not less than 50 times, and you'll be very happy and satisfied~ :3

In the end, hope I can get other new music in this season ASAP!

Good news was coming since a few days ago; seems a completely new season will come soon~
I mean,
Lots of new releases in the next a few months!!!

No.1 Infinite Stratos OST
Artist: Hikaru Nanase / 七瀬光

I have no idea about the anime itself, but I believe this will be a good work. I hope Hikaru uses lots of excellent strings there~

No.2 Chords＼bermei.inazawa collection
Artist: bermei.inazawa

You will be happy if you like Ancient Colors Infinity series. This album will include remix versions of ACI songs, as well as other works that bermei.inazawa was in. For me, my favorite is the first one, where Haruka Shimotsuki is in. She sounded so special than all her other doujin works, and very attractive melody of course! :3

↑ promotion video clip~

No.3 Annabel etc.
Artist: Annabel (probably with yanagi nagi...)
No more information about this entry, but I do know she will work on songs for Key's new game, and a few animes. Also, on M3-27, she's going to release something. BUT I REALLY KNOW NOTHING MORE BEYOND THIS!!! OTL

No.4 E.P.S -Eiko PRIMARY SELECTION-
Artist: Eiko Shimamiya / 島みやえい子
Waah~ Finally Eiko-sensei is back!!!!!!!!!!
I'm really looking forward her new songs included in this album~ -_,-

No.5 moment
Artist: KOKIA

Another good work. I've mentioned a few times ago. All songs are new works, and the more important thing is, this one is a real on-stage recording!
How it would be? Is that like another kind of live? I don't know, but fortunately, the special edition has a DVD, I hope it records every moment during the recording~<3
From her blog, I've known that the jacket was a photo she took on the day when she decided the tracklist. A clear blue sky, like the album itself; an album which you can feel like the sky, she described.

↑ video clip for "moment～今を生きる～"
Please note: this video is only available until June 30th, 2011!

No.6 two delayed releases
The first, Noriko's "cotton 2"
The second, Akiko's "白夢の繭 (shirayume no mayu)～Ricordando il passato～"
Both will be delayed, and will be released on June 8th.
P.S. still no exact release date for Akiko's "Istoria～Kalliope～" >_<
These are all news I know so far about new music releases. Hope I can get all of them ASAP (I believe I will enjoy them very much), so then I may talk more here.
Hmm, I did list all new works I'm waiting for, didn't I? xDD

Yesterday afternoon, I was doing my last work for my TA-ing of BIOL231, invigilating their final exam. It was 3 hours long, which was out of my expectation – as our course coordinator emailed us and said that was 2 hours longs. However, I didn't care too much about the extra hour, because I enjoyed it. Not only the last invigilation, but also the entire term.

Before I tried my first teaching, I was really, really nervous. I had no experience in teaching, and I could be diffident if I realise I'm not that well-prepared. Since I was a completely newbie, in the first a few weeks, I only did the minor position for being a TA – to help students and answer their questions. Even though, I didn't feel that was easy to do at all: the most important thing, you've to make sure you understand all things during the lab and what may go on if something happens. Well, I did get embarrassed sometimes because I was not able to answer their questions perfectly, plus that I'm not that careful sometimes (I can make mistakes even when I use a calculator...), I was always thinking that if I could be a good TA. Yet, fortunately, I was lucky to be sitting in the room, listening to some "professional" TA's pre-lab talks. Finally, it was my turn to do my first pre-lab talk.

Before that day, I was excited, and of course, nervous. I wish I could do my best, and as what I wished, the first talking was not that bad. I was very happy and felt very good for doing lots of rehearsal beforehand. I had never known that teaching has so much of fun! The more surprising thing is that you'll never know how good it is when your audience understand what you talked about. I became more and more confident, and did learn a lot about the art of teaching. Hmmm, I know, using the word "art" may be too extreme, but that's what I felt. Every week, I enjoyed my lab time, and I enjoyed to share my preparation to my students, hoping they could understand as much as possible (to understand by yourself and to teach others is completely different, you would know if you ever taught.)

To mark their assignments is a bit pain work, yet I could remind my own undergrad period. How could my TAs think about my assignment? Was mine very awkward like what I was marking? Was I always making exactly the same mistake? Was I trying my best yet couldn't pointing out the exact important point of those questions? I was happy if they did well, I felt disappointed if they failed to get a good mark. Sometimes, they're terribly adorable, and sometimes, they're awfully stupid; yet I still love them, they're my shadow! (And there is a good memory of one student, about streaking plate, though I'm not gonna mention more details about it, I'll never forget it~)

So, during their final exam, I could feel the warmth from them, even that's only a smile or a greeting, I knew at least I was useful to them, my first teaching term was not failed! I felt so before, and I was confirmed by their reflection – that's the real feeling of my heart. Never, never, I've never known that being a TA can achieve so much of satisfaction!

After the exam, another two TA invigilators and me were on our way back.
"We're officially done." one of them said.
Right, we're officially done.

From the very first preparation, pre-reading, try to remember my own experience a few years ago, to do the pre-lab talk, answer kinds of questions, grade their funny-yet-carefully-done assignments/exams, I eventually got myself enjoyed this work. I would never feel diffident in future, and I believe, I'll still gain more experience from this work.

Spring (it snowed recently though...) is coming, there will be less students on campus, however, after the summer, I wish I'll be back to the lab and do the pre-lab talk again. To be better and to achieve more, these are my power to continue being a TA. Although sometimes I'm careless, I have the confidence.

P.S. this is my first version and didn't read it again before posting; haven't written anything for two weeks, hope this post won't be too messy to read. :P

I was really out! I didn't know anything about Yuki Kajiura's new release "FICTION II", until this morning I saw from my google reader. :cry: Like what I've complained before, my fondness for Yuki Kajiura was decreasing seriously. Yet, I do like her album "FICTION", so I hoped this vol.2 would be better than her other recent works.

Before I began to listen to this album, I was also a bit afraid of what if I don't like it. Well, that emotion flied away as soon as I tried the first song.

"L.A."

I didn't know more information about "FICTION II". I thought it was similar to "FICTION", which contains both of new songs and old re-arranged songs. That's why I tried "L.A." at very first. I love Yuriko Kaida's voice, you know. :megane:

But immediately, I found something weird. This "L.A." sounds the same as the one in "EL CAZADOR OST"... how come? Aren't all songs supposed to be new or re-arranged? I was not 100% sure about it, anyway, I haven't played Yuki's works for such a long while, so I compared the original version and "this version". Hmm... the same... no matter how many times I tried to find something different, my trying was just in vain. Then, I compared other songs that have been released before. God, there are 5 out of 14 songs are completely repeats! Yuki, it's unfair to your "FICTION II"... :gloom:

So here, I'll post the cover (which is nice) and the tracklist (got from JVC):

Fortunately, those repeats are all my loves. :tea:

After confirmation of repeats, I tried the song after "L.A.", which was "March".

Oh My God!

That voice, Emily was back!!!!! Kyaaa~~ You know how much I love her voice? xDD More than any one from Kalafina, more than any from FJ series (except for Yuriko :P). Really! It seems every song she collaborated with Yuki was an epic one. Like those from ".hack", or "forest", or "everytime you kissed me". Yes, those songs do have similar style, but that is the style I can love forever.

After "March", I copied this album into my digital player and played it all day in lab. Then, I found the one I love the most. "my long forgotten cloistered sleep". Like what I said, all these songs sung by Emily are similar, but, I just love them. Who cares about the similarity? At least I won't. :bubble2:

While looping "my long forgotten cloistered sleep", I had never realised that I could be so concentrated to my RNA works. My efficiency reached the highest point this afternoon. That song was a bit sad yet had such a beautiful melody, plus the working screen I was facing to was in dark blue... what a superb match! (do I sound hyper-excited? Or maybe not, because I don't know what word I can use to describe my feeling at that time.)

For other new or re-arranged tracks, they were also good! The old songs are in my favorite list, and the new ones, though they lacks the very point I love, they were much, much better than her other recent works. Plus, is that only I felt "lotus" is like "aura"?? o_O

No, no, I'm not gonna write any review for her new album today!!! And that's all what I wanted to express. Just, I regained my fondness of Yuki Kajiura and her fantastic music, her nostalgic melody. Since this morning, without any premonition, the small piece of happiness fell in front of me.

Today, March 20th, I finally remembered to listen to Yuki Kajiura's newest (?) releases – forgive me, I really didn't pay more attention to her works since last year – "the Garden of sinners －劇場版「空の境界」音楽集－" and "The Works for Soundtrack". I played the two releases (5 CDs in all) in a row, and I was very dissatisfied. KnK was more like a "best collection" of all KnK tracks, with new titles and some minor rearrangements, and out of my expectation, there was no new KnK tracks. Her "works for soundtrack" were not impressive to me as well, although it contains some of her recent works (satoyama & 15-sai).

I was already very dissatisfied by previous KnK series; only few tracks really attracted me. I even felt some KnK tracks were like that of "Mai-Otome" orz... come on, how could you make so similar tracks??? T_T

I don't mind a composer has his/her own fixed style, really, if it can attract me. Yuki's style is changing, though it's not that obvious – her change in style is consistent. I liked her music since "noir", and as time went by, I followed her releases, ".//hack" series, "MADLAX", "See-Saw", "FictionJunction", "Kalafina" and a lot, a lot of others that I didn't mention here. I ever loved her so much, but my interest toward her music was decreasing, especially after Kalafina's second album "red moon". That album itself was... sort of average. I know, Yuki likes to use lots of electric elements in her music, but as Kalafina released more songs, her music (songs and soundtracks) are tending to be more "noisy". Since that time, I was thinking, "what happened to Yuki's music? I'm not impressed that much as how I ever felt before". I realised something eventually after played "Mai-Otome", "KnK", "Pandora Hearts" together. Yes, those soundtracks are nice, but they are not unique to each other, which is completely different from her old works, that you could distinct them just by the very first seconds of listening.

Depressing. I don't know how to describe my feeling, it's too hard and complicated. After realised the similarity, I listened to her music less and less. Each time, when I tried her newest release with a small excitement, everything ended in vain. That's not the style I ever loved. I'd better quit, just wanted this love to stay calmly in my memory.

This morning, when I was listening to the newest "KnK'" collection, I heard a piece of pretty familiar melody. The instrumental version of "fairytale", from KnK vol.6, track 1. I remembered how excited I was when first listened to it, because there is no individual instrumental version of that song. Before, I could always sing with the melody, but this morning, I couldn't.

I've forgotten how to sing that song, even the very first phrase.

Suddenly, I was very sad. How I loved that song before? How many times I've looped it before? And, how touched I was when I played it again right now? A tiny voice was echoing in my mind, reminding me my old adoration. "fairytale", I still love this song. I can still loop this song for tons of times, but, at the moment when I found I couldn't sing it, I understood, we are all being changed as time goes by, you'll never know what is going on in next minute.

――私たちみんな、変えていく。
we are all changing.