JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

Photo: Manila in the 1960s. Your detective has to work in Manila 2010.

London has Sherlock Holmes. Paris has Inspector Maigret. Bangkok has the half-farang Sonchai Jitpleecheep. New York has Nick and Nora Charles, Los Angeles Philip Marlowe. Vigata, Sicily has the world-weary foodie Inspector Montalbano. Vientiane, Laos has Dr. Siri Paiboun, Edinburgh Inspector Rebus, Rome Aurelio Zen.

Where is Manila’s famous detective?

“But crimes don’t get solved and anyway by the time the detective arrives at the crime scene the kibitzers have trampled on all the evidence and gathered up souvenirs” is not an answer.

We still want a brilliant detective to lead us through the fetid labyrinths of Manila and its environs.

Your assignment for LitWit Challenge 3.10: Create a great Manila detective in 1,000 words or less. This detective may be female or male, a member of the police force or a private investigator. The setting must be contemporary Manila. What we want is a character so sharply-defined, memorable, and evocative of our wild and crazy city that in the future when we hear the character’s name we immediately think of Manila.

We know 1,000 words isn’t enough for a convoluted mystery, so don’t worry about plot. We’re more interested in characterization. Just introduce the detective at the start of the mystery. They could arrive at the scene of the crime, report to the office of their superior, or meet a potential client. We have to know what they look and sound like, the general state of their personal lives, any personality quirks they might have. Obviously they have to be good at their job. A problem with authority is usually interesting, but not a requirement. A favorite expression (“Elementary, my dear Watson”) also helps.

The detective/s we choose in this challenge will star in LitWit Challenge 3.11.

The deadline: Monday, 18 October, at 11.59 pm. The prize:

The Weekly LitWit Challenge is brought to you by our friends at National Bookstore.

Get to work.

* * * * *

An entry has arrived! triphammer is the first.

Photo: Jake Letts’s reflection. Jake is our favorite model in this series because we can’t figure out what he’s thinking. True he may be thinking, “I must get out of here”, but he makes you wonder anyway.

Winners, actually, we have two. But first, a story from my childhood (groan).

When I was in grade school I hated the phrase, “Give chance to others.” It is a literal and awkward translation of “Bigyan natin ng pagkakataon ang iba.” It meant that even if you were the student most qualified for something, you had to give way to the next most qualified student because the school wanted to avoid any hint of favoritism. This also prevented you from having an excess of self-esteem (Too late for that, teacher) while promoting self-esteem in your peers. I decided that when I grew up (which mentally hasn’t happened yet) I would do nothing of the kind.

Which is why the winners of LitWit Challenge 3.9 are two contest regulars who have won half a dozen previous challenges between them. Momelia and dibee, congratulations on winning this one. dibee gets The Third Brother by Nick McDonell and Snark by David Denby. Momelia gets Twelve by Nick McDonell and Showbiz Lengua by Pete Lacaba. (You can trade prizes if you like.) You can pick up your prizes any time at National Bookstore in Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati.

The Weekly LitWit Challenge is brought to you by our friends at National Bookstore. Stay tuned for the next LitWit Challenge.

* * * * *

This week’s Jock With A Book is Oliver Saunders of the Philippine Volcanoes, the national men’s rugby team.*

Where’s the book?

We forgot it.

That we remembered to take the picture after our synapses were fried is a feat in itself.

We are expecting a new batch of Jock With A Book photos. You’ll love them. Meanwhile please bear with this one; I know you would’ve preferred someone reading the Pevear-Volokhonsky translation of War and Peace in hardcover.

*Maybe we should call this feature Rugby Player With A Book, but what if we manage to take shots of Federal Naderer reading?

* * * * *

Newsflash, I just got the photos of the next Jock With A Book. You need to start preparing your retinas, you don’t want them to combust.

Our friend Budjette is in Manchester for a few months and he just met the man.

That’s Mr. Moore on the left, and Budjette looking thrilled to pieces.

Couple of weeks ago, I read this announcement in Bleeding Cool that Alan Moore was giving a talk in Northampton for the benefit of the Fight for Sight Eye Research.

I quickly checked Google Maps and saw that Northampton was two hours away by train from Manchester. I didn’t care if it was four hours away by camel. It felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet one of my comic book idols.

Read the full report in the Trese blog.

Ricky pointed out these glasses in the Prada look book. Familiar?

My Brooklyn thrift shop glasses–similar shape, but less loopy. In the cycle of fashion, the dorky and uncool eventually becomes cool.

Here’s a column about an out-of-body experience, the geographically-challenged, Madame Bovary, being called Sir to my face, how we would kill at Quiz Night, stars of the 80s, and how sanity is overrated. Nighthawks at the Creperie in the Philippine Star.

A tale of hysterical wealth, incest, reputation-scrubbing and general scumbagginess. Featuring an onscreen cameo by Mel Gibson, who is absolutely sane and well-behaved next to these people.

That article by Tony Ortega in the Village Voice.

Our favorite funky little freak weighs in on the raging Reproductive Health Bill debate. Only he said it 20 years ago.

Art foretells the future. Listen.

What am I supposed to do when the President can’t get nothing passed…

So you can be the President
I’d rather be the Pope
(I’d rather be…so happy)
You can be the side effect
I’d rather be the dope

There’s a live performance of Pope by Prince on YouTube but it’s a slow version.