Well, at least someone at STCommunities had the decency to apologise.

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[updated] I feel like I've been robbed

Beware of posting on ST Communities.

For anyone who's ever written an essay or some kind of research paper, you'd know that the hardest part of it was the research. 

And when you submit or share a post with a certain user community, especially one as reputed as ST Communities by virtue of their association with Singapore's one and only official newspaper, you'd think that it would be a simple matter of having the post "accepted" or "rejected". 

Yesterday, I submitted a video and an accompanying blurb at 5.16pm (after it was uploaded on my own site). While I thought it was odd my post was neither published nor rejected when ordinarily it would be approved within 5 minutes of my submission, I didn't think too much of it. At least until they published the video at 9.01pm as their own ST "Share".

There's probably nothing wrong about what ST Communities has done in the legal sense, but there is something to be said about the integrity of a community which boasts that  "readers' posts have just as much weight as posts from our journalists" and as a "budding student...[I'd] be able to post and share [my] latest works." In this case, the subject of my latest work was taken and named as their own work.

The people managing ST Communities are probably paid to do their job. Yet, instead of doing what they were paid for, they've taken the only thing a poor "budding student" had: the credits to her work or at least some form of recognition for contributing to the post.

It was like being betrayed by someone whom I thought had the potential to be a good friend. It was like I had shown this potential good friend a research paper for submission and she had gone ahead to submit the exact same topic as her own. Because a work becomes whoever the audience thinks is theirs, ST Communities now "owns" this news from the audience's perspective.

Anyway, not wanting to jump to conclusions too quickly, I submitted a request for an explanation at 11.35pm last night. Up till now, there has been no reply. The Community has been actively posting news so I  take it that either my request has been ignored or they are pondering over how to reply me. Either way, if this was purely a misunderstanding of some sort, they probably would have replied me by now.

I'm not expecting anything from this post, but I really have been trawling the web for a good amount of time daily looking for subjects of interest to share with readers. And even though I know my readership is definitely not as high as ST Communities which carries the name of Straits Times, I felt the need to share this.

Let this serve as a cautionary tale for all budding writers who contribute to ST Communities in hope of getting some credit for it. 

You never know if your submission would appear - without your name just because the text has been altered. 

ST Communities - you have not lived up to your promises. Shame on you.

*Update January 3, 1.08pm:

ST Communities has just published my post anyway as a "previous story." 

What is publishing the story now, one day late and only after this post, supposed to accomplish though? 

Why even send me publish notifications for this same article 3 times within 20 minutes? 3 frantic, guilty clicks? 

Thanks but no thanks.

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How about applying to Monsters University School of Liberal Arts & Monstrosities?

Forget the NUS-Yale Liberal Arts College, let's apply to the Monsters University School of Liberal Arts & Monstrosities instead. Or if that doesn't catch your fancy, how about the acclaimed School of Scaring?

As a university student, I'd say that this recruitment video gives both my school and Hogwarts a run for their money. And as a marketing campaign, this video along with the official Monsters University Website are a postive creative genius!

That's how realistic (as it gets) the MU website is.

There's even some doctoral research on whether two heads are better than one.

The HD movie stills released by Disney Pixar really does bring back memories of those good times in University eh?

As a prequel to Monsters Inc, Monsters University showcases how Mike and Sulley became best friends.

I'm sure Pixar wouldn't miss out on a chance to capitalise on the endless designs of monsters in on a college campus. Expect a colourful and vibrant treat in Monsters University.

Love how the Monsters' Inc series brings back the nostalgia of childhood and school for its audience (":

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Have yourselves a Gangsta' January

Is it just me, or is there an exceptionally large number of Gangster films opening in Singapore over the next two weeks?

Just couldn't help noticing how similar the posters looked (bar the release dates):

And here:

When it comes to gangster movies, I guess there are only so many ways to design a mob movie poster. 

(Guns & Character Montages)

Let's hope Gangsta' January serves up something different in every movie.

Before I forget, here's another Gangsta' movie due for release on 10 Jan 13 (Shaw), involving a younger crowd in Mongkok who generally look less polished than its fellow gangstas above.

Short synopsis of every movie:

Gangster Squad

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and-if he has his way-every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop...except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen's world apart. -- (C) Warner Bros

Killing Them Softly  

"Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse." - Rotten Tomatoes

The Last Tycoon

In 1917, Cheng (Chow Yun-fat) was an innocent man worked in a grocery store. But a fateful night had changed Cheng's life forever, as he literally walked right in the affair between his lady boss and the chief of police. To hide this secret, the chief decided to throw Cheng into prison. Desolated, Cheng met a cellmate Mao, who happened to have an escape plan. The duo broke out. Cheng found a job as a bouncer in the casino owned by powerful inspector Jin (Sammo). As Jin indulged himself in debauchery all day long, Cheng began to climb up the underworld ladder step by step. As Cheng became one of most powerful mob bosses in Shanghai in late 1930s, fame took its toll when he found himself stuck between the looming Japanese army and the scheming local secret service. - Golden Screens Cinema

Young And Dangerous: Reloaded

Imaginatively titled "Young And Dangerous: Reloaded", the remake will feature a new generation of muscle bound actors who promise to deliver plenty of bloody violence, foul language, and raunchy sex scenes. The original "Young And Dangerous" was based on a comic book, and chronicled the adventures of a young group of triads in Mongkok. Actor Ekin Cheng portrayed the iconic leader of the pack known as Chan Ho Nam, who will now be played by Him Law. His co-stars will include Oscar Leung (Chicken), Sammy Shum (Ugly Kwan), Jazz Lam, Paul Wong (Big Brother B), Dominic Ho, Philip Ng, Winnie Leung, Hu Ran, and Jacqueline Chong. The film will be directed by up-and-coming director Daniel Chan. - InSing

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Trailer: Warm Bodies & Exclusive first 4 minutes

I am a self-proclaimed fan of all things zombies and apocalyptic. I've devoured numerous episodes of The Walking Dead (pardon the imagery), eagerly bought premiere tickets to Resident Evil movies despite the bad reviews, sat through Zombieland and am eagerly awaiting all the zombie/apocalyptic films to be released in 2013. I am such a sucker for triumph of the human spirit against zombies. 

But I absolutely draw the line at "Warm Bodies."  

The basic synopsis is as such: R, a teenage zombie in a post-apocalyptic world, devours a guy's brains and subsequently falls in love with the guy's girlfriend, Julie. The two develop a special relationship and goes through supposedly funny and romantic events together subsequently. 

My verdict as of now? NAUSEATING. Think Twilight, minus the attractive vampires, plus disgusting rotting zombies. An absolute freaking NO. I feel nauseated watching the trailer. I don't care if he starts to think or act like a human; zombies are walking, rotting corpses which smell and eat living beings, or in this case, themselves. Can you ever kiss or hug a rotting human-like zombie? If it were me, I'd never be able to let go of the eternal fear of him biting me. See trailer below for a taste of Warm Bodies (sorry, couldn't resist another pun).

Warm Bodies Official Trailer

Don't take my word for it though. 

According to Wiki:

The Guardian called it, "Ruefully humorous, knowingly cinematic in scope." The Seattle Times said, "Absurd as its premise could be called, "Warm Bodies" works on lots of levels," and called it "Gruesome yet poetic."

Watch the first four minutes to judge for yourself. And while you're watching it, imagine hugging this particular lovable zombie to sleep at night. 

First 4 minutes of the film

Verdict as of now? 

GIVE ME BACK MY MINDLESS HUMAN-EATING ZOMBIES.

To be released 14 March 2013.

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Handy SG Movie Guide for 2013

2013 is approaching and what better way to be forward looking than to list down the release dates all the blockbusters we've been anticipating? Here's a handy guide for everyone to refer to over 2013 ;)

Download a better resolution pdf list here: SG Movie Release Dates 2013

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