音時雨 ～Regentropfen～

"Akatsuki" is such an exciting song! I've been looping it over these days and figured out its main melody -- I'm so used to Akiko's modulation but still happy with that it's mostly in the 2-flat g minor (with the rest with 6 sharps, the same as COSMOFLIPS!).
-- I clarify I suddenly liked this song so much isn't because I'm playing too much KanColle!

As I suddenly got a strong impulse to learn Norsk, I would like to at least swallow the most important points in German. Really I was nearly "permanently" pausing it for years, but I decided to resume taking this chance with interest in Norsk, and must believe this time I can make it through.

However, flipping over die Vokabeln in my Deutsch book, I DON'T EVEN BELIEVE I KNOW SO MANY WORDS IN ENGLISH!!! lol

Yet, perhaps the biggest happiness recently in my warm-up overview, I eventually am able to spell "secretary" or "Sekretär"!! -- to make it simple, let me only use English here.
- Secretary = 秘書 = (literally) Secret + Write;
- Secretary -> "secret"."ary";
- so, the connection is obvious!
↑ and meanwhile I also got the idea why most programming languages use ";" as a separator. °ω°

I mentioned I was going to somewhere hot last time, but fortunately, it wasn't that hot as I thought. The rather dry weather was the life saver. If it was humid I'd definitely die in the air of over 30 °C!

Overall it was great (would be even better if I didn't keep falling asleep during the compacted "lectures"). Although listening to others' focuses can indeed open your view, the best experience has to be talking to people who know what you're doing. So that I did gain quite a lot, thanks the guy whose name I failed to catch at the very moment, but I'll figure out later.. ^^;

The happiest moment was to know my poster got an award! While I have to say it here (as I assure none of my fellows knows the existence of this place), I really didn't put much effort to make it. I got the overall framework in a few minutes, organised detailed contents over one evening, then took more or less 3 hours to draw the figures, spent 1 hour and half to get this or that fixed in someone's favour, and finally wrapped up everything, exported into PDF, dumped it to Staples in front of my apartment, rolled up and never ever thought about it again until the very day. Frankly, I never cared.
But I was pleased of course~ :3

おばまけ
Beautiful sunset on our way home, taken at the highway near Lethbridge.

Even though once there's something I want to write down I shall do it immediately before the exact mood drifts away, recently I kept being distracted and couldn't make it.
この点だけにおいてちゃんと謝るわ。 m(_ _)m

I bought my first French Press 2 weeks ago -- without knowing how it's called at that point -- and have been using it every day, for making my green tea.
Of course I know it's supposed for coffee! And indeed I've also done so too!
But the transparent green colour Looks better visually apparently.

So let me say it's an Asian mood with a blend of some French touch~

Speaking of a French sense...
I've claimed lots of ideas regarding to "Chromatique Magicians" back to the end of last year, when I finished "Petits Threes". I figured I wouldn't make it until after February, but never knew it's eventually out in the middle of May! What a slow pace I was in!
Thanks to it, now I finally created the folder "2016". ~_~

As I just said, Chromatique Magicians

Of special attention, this is my first piece done with Clip Studio Paint Pro! （*´▽｀*）

I attempted to use pure French for the title, simply because I like the spelling of "chromatique" over "chromatic"... BUT I don't know how todo it and I don't trust Google translation. I decided to blend this French spelling only.

The initial inspiration was Yuki Kajiura's "magician" from her "Kara no Kyoukai" OST, which is also my favourite piece among the whole series. Perhaps I "dissected" it first, and tried to match my girls with instruments used there: cello, violin, flute, and piano, which naturally guided me on the characters involved: Luminora, Fidelia, Teresha, and Arietta. However, since "these four" are there, there's no reason to also include Mihane too as a "silent vocal", at least for this time only (I really imagine her voice to be . . .)

And as usual I seriously lost while doing the background -- 修行はまだまだ足りんなぁ～せいぜい頑張ろうね！

↑でもさぁ、隠しすぎだろうね、ライナーノーツにならないよね、これ…

Whatever, I've spent a whole evening of last day to redo my next draft, and during this day I've made some progress~

inspired (initial draft done in early February, revised in middle March, and finalised yesterday!) by "tsukikage ni shizumu" composed by my girls' Godmother~~

今回は、華やかに行こうと思って、着物の柄にいろいろ試したんだ。次は背景の検討、ですね。
ちなみに三つ編みは艦娘の能代ちゃんに参考しました！

When this is done, I shall remaster my "Izayoi" as a counterpoint, with the exciting Clip studio!

Tomorrow I'm going to somewhere hot, hope it can go well.

and recently while watching someone playing FF10, I suddenly want to do some Shadow Hearts!

A few years ago, I loved Bilson's performance of Mozart piano sonata immediately, without knowing it was played on a fortepiano instead of a modern piano (I still can't really tell the difference now though). Since then, in addition of my addiction to Sir Gardiner's Mozart performances, I was extremely pleased to discover their collaboration on Mozart piano concertos later. Some people don't like that they used a fortepiano, and said it sounds like a toy. However, I've listened to many versions including big names like Uchida Mitsuko, and still prefer this "less rich" fortepiano's tone the most.

And finally I added this into my physical copy collection. After almost 3 weeks of waiting, it arrived on Monday afternoon, and my disc drive began to spin like a centrifuge that evening.

(But I only ripped them, completely forgot the tagging (fortunately I have a script to batch read track list from existing cue files)! Σ( ﾟдﾟ)；

The only complaint I'd have to say is that the booklet has only one real photo. It would be greater if there're more.
→ Another fact of mine: I like middle aged men with big glasses!! （*´▽｀*）

On the same Monday, I went to Walmart and got an KOKIAngel-food pan. Although cakes from it are supposed to fluffy, my first try using it today didn't turn out that well. But actually, such a pan really helped to keep the surface flat, and thus I'm happy.

I mean, it's soft, but not as fluffy as I expected. Perhaps the reason was the amount of material. All recipes I found were using a 17 cm pan, while what I bought was about 24 cm -- the only kind Walmart has!
Next time I'll go up to 7 eggs. The crazy big world. u_u

On my way going to Walmart, I saw this was simply beautiful, like falling sakura.

But I'm pretty sure they're not sakura petals!

On the other hand, baking is definitely easier than making wagashi. I tried to make some daifuku today as well, but the resulted stuff never was even like a manju! orz

Fine. I swear I'll never try them again (but I do want to try making some youkan once I get a pressure cooker and some agar powder). To be honest, parsing gigabytes of plain text won't making me so disorganised.

At least, during programming, "die and rebirth" can be done over and over, but during wagashi-making, there's only one chance per set of prep.

In this sense, playing with "C-sharp" is also easier..

Meanwhile, I'm more confident on omu-rice though.

As long as you don't pick on the top egg cover!

今はいろいろ複雑なんです。だから、KOKIAさんのニューアルバムを買えなくて、聴くことすらできません。
→　だって、去年は「女の子でありますように」と願ったのに、結局何もかも私の側からすれ違いました。
いつもそうなのかな、なにか一生懸命思っても想っても、必ずほかの落ちになる。私の願いは、呪われたかもしれないですね。
志方あきこさんの「オトシモノ」がボーカル化されたのは叶ったけど‥

結論：1/2の確率なんて私は絶対に賭けたくはありません！

On last Wednesday, I went back to the just-moved-in new place. My room mate said her nyanko was lost. I hoped it won't be a bad incident happened right after the move-in. But I somehow felt everything would be just alright.

↓ and I was right:

She was hiding under the frame-only bed. Perfect height for her! xD

But indeed, she's strong. 3 days after, she's already sleeping in ease like this:

and on me.. (thus I couldn't move. xD;;)

and I believe I only have 3 stuffed toys..

When was M3? As less music was of my interest, the only source letting me being aware of it is (mainly) Haruka's twitter.

Annabel did have an album too, but sadly, it's completely out of my favourite style. -- I really wish binaria could have some actual audio releases, instead of a wooden-made-ish USB drive and other "solid" goods.

However, even though not being a shota-con, I have no complaints toward Haruka's Lanjerd series (although I stopped digging much into the story since its 2nd single). A film or 12-episode anime could be done (as the booklet is made in this way).

Yet, when I saw the last page of its booklet... Akiko, and now Haruka... 何じゃみんな中二病や、としか思わなかった…
↑ But, this is how a story is made, isn't it? -- In terms of this, I'm the same.
Glad to see a happy end. (o・ω・o)

The happiest moment to me isn't going to KOKIA or even the Vienna New Year's concert, but is to hold a cat tight and let her purring in my arms -- Cats are so elegant that I can never refuse! （*´▽｀*）

→ Xperia Arc's another magic: turning a cat into a ghost.

This cat, at least from my shot, looks unhappy, and its pupil and iris are all together black, making it like a lingering ghost in a haunted house apartment. But it may (yet very possibly) due to my miserable camera sensor, as in that day, I didn't bring my real camera with me, and from that far, there's no other way but to force zoom in for a close-up shot..

I sent these pictures to my friend during the night, and she said she's scared -- even though they themselves are in a quite bright afternoon!

The whole March and April are crammed up, that I couldn't find a chunk of time to do any "serious colour harmonisation" while enjoying the new buddy ClipStudio.
Regardless, I've got one unfinished at a progress of 3/5, and one pencil draft, plus this (again) unfinished doodle.

Anyway, the experience with ClipStudio is excellent (but drawing on a Surface is too smooth to get used to quickly)!

To keep myself sane, I avoided "caTra" and switched to loop Mozart's piano concertos over the past 2 weeks, but very often, when I try to sing a piece of melody, Akiko's "PF alpha" will be one of the top options.
So like what I decided last time, I eventually spent this weekend to figure out the musical pattern of the first track of caTra.

My goal was simple, to obtain a playable sheet music for this unique petite toccata. I'm glad she sang them in note names, which making the "dissection" much easier (in this case, it's also much faster to just write down in the numbered notation).
↓ Although in the second half, it was all like these crazy progressions.

So far, the machine produced organ version, although emotion-less, sounds good. Just like how one plays Bach's toccatas.
To me, even Sound Horizon's "Baroque" isn't really that Baroque, but Akiko's this "PF alpha" (my personalised nickname for the long title) has gone across the borderline of my standard for the Baroque style. :3

I'm fairly aware of that it's impossible to actually produce those 32nd's, but I think I can make something for the rest parts.
-- Not that good, but it's indeed fun!
While processing the 30 seconds, I gradually understood and began to feel how a mutagen changes genetic sequences in living cells. xD;

Too bad this song isn't in d minor (it begins with 1 flat = F major though)..

In spite of that it's still "Hyakki Yakou -ato no matsuri arrange-" looping in my portable player, inside of my brain it's all occupied by "the do-sol-mi-sol that drives you nuts". -- I tried to repeat it (literally just speaking, not even singing in their real pitches), and miserably after 15 times my tongue went into spasm. -- I seriously admire how Akiko got this idea and made it true.
I mean, just to trace each note she sings can drive me nuts!

To change the aspect, it's also really annoying that the main album and the animate-limited bonus album are sold separately, and the special edition too. I understand why it's called special edition, but why so many different editions and all have different tracks/contents? << at the end it's hard to decide as I'm not that willing to buy all of them -- unless that's a full 72min album. << my otaku soul has forced myself to get the biohazard first aid spray bottle plus a few games and a 9-CD setso I confess here my actual situation didn't allow me to buy any of this. -__-'' At least I'm not really regretting as I still think it's not as awesome as "wokashi". << Yet I didn't get "wokashi" special edition either, for the sake of the animate-limited album!

Listening to "ヒト型式ＰＦ試奏例β", it's getting more and more like the Baroque era -- I heard pipe organ, the instrument that I wished to play the whole song solo!!
"エルーシア～Instrumental～". Sadly, still isn't that impressive. But I like the ending part, which naturally transits into the next one.
"螺旋の涙～Piano featuring arrange～". Even though it's featuring piano, all my attention is on the cello. I especially love the tremolo around 1'27''. But for the entire arrangement, I can follow the cello without being distracted by the accompanying piano. SO EROI! THAT I CAN'T STOP EXCLAIMING HOW EROI IT IS!!
"ロスタ". For the last song, for how long we haven't heard she singing in a rather "normal" language? Is that a sequel to "wokashi"?? xD

I think I'm over-excited. I need to cool myself down a little bit by listening to another "eroi" piece: "Dumky"~

はい、お待たせいたしました、カトラでございます！

Experienced the late coming "wokashi", I'm never surprised by that caTra is delayed for a month(, and even laughed out when I saw this deja vu).

http://shikata-akiko.com/product/catra/

Somehow, the actual songs are just like what I expected after seeing the cover image. I know it's almost impossible for me to take more explanation.

To be honest, the regular booklet is totally helpless, as this entire CD is not sung in regular language. Fortunately, it has a second booklet to reveal more secret inside.
→ something reminds me "the keeper's diary", but this one is more "serious", well written and without any "nostalgic" fragments.

Reading this doesn't tell me much more on the songs though (the way of expressing date and time can't stop me thinking Fatal Frame 2's stone-radio). It's a good spin-off. -- So caTra is been studied as a kind of lost technology. The story begins when a researcher is sent to study a tower of some kind of historic ruins.
All stories originate from a tower, look at Ar Tonelico, "Saihate no Tou" (album by Haruka's canoue unit), Legasista, etc...

Except the simple puzzle and a hidden arrangement of "Rasen no Namida", the actual "liner notes" are more of my interest.
But, don't only put bpm and time information, also let us know in what key each song is written!

I just can't write a real review seriously!
-- and there is indeed something more than simple quotation from the another booklet.

The true introduction. It made me laugh immediately. A capella sung in nothing but note names (someone, or when I have time, should transcribe it into a full score because I don't see any intention from Akiko to publish them as sheet music). Would be superb if being performed on a pipe organ!
So far I've mostly only listened to Noriko's crystal clear a capella. Akiko's is definitely of a different style, which brings my mind to nowhere but the Classical and Baroque eras -- especially the second half, when the tempo begins to raise (I tried to move my fingers, and a simple conclusion is, impossible.).
This song captured my heart and is my top one.

Concept: the most caTra-ish song.
The subtitle is "気が狂うまでドソミソ / The Do-sol-mi-sol that drives you nuts".. lol
Accidentals aren't sung the same as their corresponding naturals (a human being just can't do it under a high bpm).

"Elshia(?)" has a meaning of "Release", indicating that from the material to the spiritual world → Ar Tonelico 2!!! (# ﾟдﾟ)

To emphasise such between two worlds, and even errors during signal transmission, there're quite a lot of mismatched chords, that the mixing engineer even worried about it. But after learning everything is well plotted, he "happily" added more "dangerous" effects.

Once was planned to be included in "Haikyo and Rakuen", but was released in orgel version in "Petits Fours".
"Petit Fours" is almost my second Akiko album after "RAKA" 9 years ago! So I have special love to it. "Rasen no Namida" is for sure one of my favourite piece, and I always wished it could be longer (not so much desire as how I wanted vocal version of "otoshimono" though).
And here, an even more gorgeous vocal arrangement arrives!

Concept: Opera house with no or invisible audience; a lonely-playing antique gramophone behind the screen, under the spotlight.
The ending is arranged to introduce the next "kiokaito" (which means something outside of my recognition...).

In typical Akiko style that I can't have much "new" thoughts. .__.
But I like the middle part, when it gets more powerful.

Concept: the "reflection" of caTra. Memory from the past, energy of the nature. Near the end's out of memory energy -> end of playback... Reading more of the text just leads my mind to the dusk world, from Atelier series. orz

And I have no idea what the researcher is claiming during 1:18~1:38 -- 普通の言葉で喋てください！！（笑）

Nice Shiritori!
Seeing the title, I tried to continue it right away. Although I can't recall what words I used, I soon ended it up with a wording ending with "n".
This song was based on motif of the ocean, from an illustration by the same person who drew for caTra. While "Rasen no Namida" was the piece derived from the same illustration → they're paired songs.

I do prefer this version for no reason!

Accessible until May-10, 2016. A puzzle-solving is required (can't be more straightforward though).

It's obvious based on how much text I had, that "alfa" and "spiral" are my impressive favourites.

But is that only me who thinks "catra" and "rosta" are super suitable names for your cats?
-- but too late mine have already been named.. I'll use them for my future cats (right, my dream is to have 4 cats!)!