音時雨 ～Regentropfen～

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