The Cat House on The Kings

This is an amazing place (and an amazing lady!).

This place houses hundreds of cats (and dogs). No cage, no kill. They just wander around safe and happy.

A friend on plurk shared the video.. Here it is..

I made a donation to them! I mean, this place deserves attention and donation! So, donate to them (there are other ways to contribute) and take care for the cute kitties!

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence for The Leap Years… Not.

Actually I’ve been meaning to post this even before I watched The Leap Years (which is so sappy I don’t want to further review it).

As many other people, I was very interested in the trailer’s background music.

I first heard it on a bus, when the trailer is playing on that super disturbing TV Mobile. My first thought “Wah Singaporean so cool ah can make a song so good!”. And the trailer is not bad. It’s good. The beautiful scenes.. So photographic. I especially like the end part. You know, when the paper plane is thrown? The piano sound is just perfect!

I then found out from Rinaz that the song is actually a song composed by a Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto titled “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence”. (In case you don’t know it, I have soft spot for Japanese composers. You know those Final Fantasy songs??? If you don’t know, never mind)

It didn’t take long for me to realize that.. They’re not the same!
You want to try? Just play the first seconds of the leap years trailer, until about 00:13 (that’s the solo piano), and then stop.
And then play this video, just the first seconds too..Approximately until about 00:13 too.

Not yet?
That one might not be too obvious.
Now, play the leap years trailer from 03:20 until approximately 03:40. That’s when the strings/violin gets the melody. Remember the melody.
Play the “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence” from approximately 01:30. It’s when the violin comes in too.
Different?
Of course!

I can’t understand it. Why on earth must they rip this song? It’s not even using the song, okay. If they’re using the song and they have copyright problem, that’s more understandable. But ripping the song?

It can’t be just an “inspired” song. The structure is too similar. Piano solo at the front, followed by the melody by strings? (well okay merry christmas mr lawrence actually had the melody on the piano first before moving on to string. the leap years trailer song skipped this and changed it with some drum beats while people are talking in the trailer)
And especially this piano riff at The Leap Year’s trailer 04:10 and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence at 04:08 (heh the timestamp is even almost the same)
No, it can’t be just inspired! It’s almost exactly the same. Especially the end part. Remember the part I said, when the paper airplane was thrown? That piano tunes. Is it a coincidence that both the composers (or rather one composer and one ripper) had the same idea about the piano tunes? Nah. I don’t think so.

I just.. I can’t understand it. Did you guys listen to Corrine May’s songs in the movie? They were awesome. So soothing, calm.. Really, they were good. I’m sure Corrine is capable of composing a good, catchy song for the trailer too. So.. Why can’t they just Corrine’s songs? Why? Why must rip Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence?

And maybe they just made a song similar to Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence to avoid copyright problems? Boy did the song get my attention! And I’m sure many other people too. I swear, my reason to watch The Leap Years was the trailer’s song. Ok I’m shallow, but, I don’t know, I think when you already have a boyfriend you tend to become more rational and realize that those romantic stuff are really not the things that matter. Hahaha.

Oh by the way, as I said, the film is good. Visually. The scenes are beautifully captured. As for the story.. I say, just let it exist in fairytale land.

*still can’t understand why they rip the song instead of make a brand new song*
*sigh*

btw, here’s a bonus. The trailer of the film Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. Looks quite interesting. (and of course interesting trailer background music =P)

—————-
Now playing: Adele – Tired
via FoxyTunes

Whose Youtube is it anyway?

Anyone in ping.sg might still remember the game “Whose ping is it anyway?” on the April Fool’s.

I found something similar.

Except now we have to guess which Youtube’s video the comment was posted at. And it’s called “You What?”

heh. Worth a try.

Link

World’s Oldest Recording

Found via MSNBC.

Experts say they already found world’s oldest recording. It was made on 1860 – 17 years before the ground-breaking Edison’s phonograph.

You can check the recording on their website. You must download the mp3 file or else play it on the browser.

To me it sounds a tad creepy…..

Peculiarity

Ever since the start of this new academic year, SMU students have been screaming out loud that they don’t have a place to study. Please lah. We have hundreds of Group Study Rooms along with hundreds of Seminar Rooms and Classrooms and we can’t book any??? The best we can do is to book one week ahead.

Some say it’s because of the dragon baby boom… (meaning, there are many 1988-born people, who are dragons in chinese zodiac, in school now)

So they turn into some other places to study or hold a meeting. The most frequently used is maybe the Student Lounge, which is often wrongly dubbed as “IS Lounge” since it’s placed in SIS (School of Information Systems).

Some are stuck in open area with some tables and some chairs… Well practically anywhere that has table/chair.

However, few days ago I found something really peculiar..

I found a group meeting in… A storeroom! The Arts and Cultural Centre’s Storeroom. Like, seriously? Storeroom?

At first I thought it was a meeting regarding the ACC.. TUrned out it was not..

Well I’m not that evil to post the photos.. Even though my friend did get the photos of them.

Maybe next time I shall hold my meeting in a toilet. Maybe a disabled toilet since it has bigger space?

Sigh.

I think I caught a plagiator..

And in case he took down his post.. I took screenshots..

(you can see the remaining screenshots on my flickr page. I’m too lazy to put it all up =P)

Well, just take a look at this post by funtotem and this webpage..

Found some similarities? Hmm..

I’ve found many websites copying each other.. Or rather sharing what they think is interesting from other blogs.. But they always cite sources.

And this one.. Proudly claiming that the comments are his own…

Seriously!

Cute Korean Dolls

Saw these cute dolls at a Korean food stall somewhere near Orchard.

They’re wearing the traditional costumes. So cute…

The dolls will continuously bend their bodies forward, as in bidding you welcome.

Very cute, right?

But looking at their faces.. Hmm..

Same feminine faces… So is this a lesbian couple?

Hmm. Is lesbian in Korea allowed?

Is it really worth it?

If you live in Singapore or visit Singapore regularly on holidays, you must be familiar with the beautiful christmas decoration along roads in Singapore.

However, do you know how the decorations are being put?

Spotted at Bras Basah Road (just across my school)

Yes, it’s a one-man-show. Putting all these sparkling decorations in place.

Safety harness, you ask? Let’s take a look closer… (pardon the blurry zoom. was using my phone’s camera)

Hmm… Nada. Nothing at all.

And that “lift” thingy kept rocking… I wonder if somehow it just… falls down?

Asking one person without safety harness to put all these pretty decorations (make sure you see it at night) seems like a cheap and an expensive way at the same time.

Oh well.. Next time when you pass by Bras Basah Road and be awed by the beauty of the string of lights…. Remember that it’s put up on a price of risking somebody’s life.