My blog started getting super dry and dull after I began posting more specialized learning content. Seriously, opening it just screamed ‘study time,’ which built up this mental block against writing. I’ve wanted to post other stuff for ages but never got around to it. Well, thanks to some recent events, I’m gonna give a non-tech post a shot.
「まだ雨はやまない」
On 2025-03-23, I grabbed my first physical album: Shigure Ui’s ‘まだ雨はやまない’. The album art, like a photo album, is just too cute!
But the purchase journey itself was a bit convoluted. I’ve bought too many things that looked cool at first glance but ended up being disappointing. Plus, budget constraints mean I always have to weigh decisions when buying non-essentials. So, getting an album from an artist I barely knew was definitely a risky move (it wasn’t cheap, doge).
I first spotted this album in a physical store back in January (2025). Thought, ’that’s adorable,’ and the seed to buy it was planted. I also learned about Shigure Ui. Then, on March 22nd, at an exhibition in Okinawa held on VRChat, I saw that Shigure Ui designed Hatsune Miku’s image for the event. Felt instantly familiar (and caught the March 23rd livestream).
初音ミクのライブを見た、可愛かった！
— yexca (@yexcano) March 24, 2025
I watched Hatsune Miku's live concert, so cute!
也是看上初音未来的直播了 pic.twitter.com/r1JeMpQ9UA
That got me thinking about the album again. That day, I looked her up, listened to a few tracks, and thought they were pretty good. But when I went to buy it on the 23rd, and actually got to the store, I hesitated. Once I had the album in hand, I started checking it out (I was super torn; usually if I’m buying something, I don’t research it beforehand – I want the surprise. If I research, I usually don’t buy). But I guess I still had that buying urge. I just looked at the tracklist, and since only one song seemed familiar, I popped into the manga store next door, grabbed a comic, and headed home. On the subway, I reflexively opened my music app. Suddenly, a song hit differently – it was amazing! I instinctively hit ‘favorite,’ but then saw the title and realized, ‘Wait, that’s from that album!’ I immediately U-turned, rushed back to the store, and snagged the album. (Rainy Lady is just that good!)
Ripping the Tracks
Honestly, I don’t really need to listen to physical albums. So, that leads to the main point of this post: getting the tracks off the album. I mainly followed this guide: https://www.bilibili.com/opus/925630344961458181
I initially planned to just write about my own process, as usual. But some new stuff came up, so I’ll just link to it.
「アルストロメリア」
Yesterday (25th), my plans to game with a friend got pushed because they wanted to go out. So, I figured, why not go out too? And just like that, I stumbled upon Kano’s album!!!
I grabbed it on the spot! My excitement was off the charts. My meager writing skills can’t even begin to express how thrilled I was. I’m super familiar with Kano, so no ripping needed for these tracks. Opening the album, heart pounding, and seeing that final smile? My soul was completely healed. What an awesome experience. Seriously, buying stuff you love is always a good move!
In this moment, only one phrase came to mind: ‘このような幸せ、あるでしょうか’ (Could there be any happiness like this in the world?)
Wrap-up
Honestly, writing this out, I can totally tell my content’s a bit thin and my expression isn’t top-notch. But whatever, getting super strict is just like writing rigorous technical articles, right? Sometimes, it’s cool to just chill and ramble a bit.