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Some writing teachers recommend copying, by hand, the works of great writers. The exercise is supposed to teach you something about the great writer’s technique. Here is the first page of Anton Chekhov’s story, The Lady with the Little Dog (in the Pevear-Volokhonsky translation).

Goodbye and thank you.

My Night at Maud’s

Love in the Afternoon

La Collectionneuse

Claire’s Knee

From 2006, Stephen Metcalf’s essay on the casual, moral genius of Eric Rohmer. “Eric Rohmer has become my favorite filmmaker in just the way that Eric Rohmer would prefer—without my even noticing. Can total unobtrusiveness be a style?”

They’re always bickering: Watson complains about Holmes’ mess and hygiene, Holmes tries to break up Watson’s relationship, they keep trying to stay away from each other but they are irresistibly drawn together. Plus they’re both so good-looking, there’s really no need to have a girl in the picture. If this were a beauty contest, Rachel McAdams would be a distant second runner-up.

As we said in high school: “Uuuyyyyy! Kiss! Keeessss!”

We also said we would marry Robert Downey, Jr, and we still say it. Marry, as in for keeps, not just for sneaking around.

Guy Ritchie’s take on Arthur Conan Doyle is silly and frantic, but entertaining enough. Guy has to learn some new tricks, though: he’s been making Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels throughout his career.

My rating: Tuna. It would be String, except that the pieces are too short for a cat to bother with.

Albert Camus was not on the French football team, but I would still pick him over Jean-Paul Sartre.

For years I’ve repeated the factoid that Albert Camus was the goalie of the Algerian football team. Oops, I was misinformed. Last week, on the occasion of Camus’ 50th death anniversary, the Telegraph set us straight on Albert Camus’ football prowess.

Today’s theme in the World Domination Tracker: Contemporary architecture.

Kelvin Samson is in Toronto, Canada.

“This was taken on the Skywalk from Union Station in Toronto. This is a walkway connecting the Union subway station to the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre. I always notice the unique architecture while walking. I use this as an excuse to bump into someone cute. Hahaha.”

Ritchie Nolasco is in Abu Dhabi.

“This is the Yas Hotel in Abu Dhabi where the recent F1 race was held. I thought I was jaded about crazy architecture in the Emirates, but this one still amazes me.”

Are you a Filipino living outside the Philippines? Send us a photo of your location to our World Domination Tracker. The address is koosi.obrien@gmail.com.

The annual procession of the Black Nazarene was held last Saturday January 9. Traditionally the procession begins at Quiapo Church, goes around the district, and returns to the church. There is always a huge crowd: tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of devotees (deboto) of the Black Nazarene turn up in fulfillment of their vows.

This year to relieve congestion the organizers and the City of Manila decided that the procession would start at Quirino Grandstand in Luneta and wend its way back to Quiapo. More space means more people: devotees started camping out at the grandstand days before the actual event. Say Luneta can accommodate two million people. Say they all want to join the procession all the way back to Quiapo…

These photos were taken by Uro de la Cruz, who reports that many “deboto” were “de-bote”. There was a lot of drinking going on at the procession; the crowd was enveloped in a fug of alcohol fumes.