JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

The Librarian by Arcimboldo

Which book would you live in?

Suppose there were an invention, like in The Kugelmass Episode, that could project you into any work of literature as a new character. What novel would you choose to live in?

The Kugelmass Episode by Woody Allen

Post your answers in Comments. The winner will be announced just before midnight tonight.

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The winner is allancarreon. (Yes, he does social media for the Library of Babel, but for once he is not disqualified. It’s a birthday contest, Zinfandel wins.) Congratulations, email saffron.safin@gmail.com to claim your prize.

An old movie theatre

Who will play you in your big-budget film biopic?

Physical resemblance not absolutely necessary. Gender, nationality and skin color immaterial. The actor doesn’t even have to be living. It’s a movie fantasy.

Post your answers in Comments by 11.59pm.

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The winner is MewMew. Congratulations. Please email saffron.safin@gmail.com to claim your prizes.

Malacañan Palace

Who should be President of the Philippines?

There are 100 million Filipinos, surely you could pick one to lead us.

We know which candidates we would never vote for, but which one will we support?

Post your answers in Comments by 11.59pm today, Wednesday the 24th of September. The winner will be announced around midnight, just before the next Question at Midnight is posted.

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The winner is Angus. Congratulations. Please email saffron.safin@gmail.com to claim your prizes.

For our 8th birthday, we’re picking your brains and giving away a bunch of prizes.

Every day from today, 24 September, to next Wednesday, 1 October, we’re going to post a Question at Midnight that we hope you will take the time to answer. Then we’ll pick one winner according to our very arbitrary criteria and changing moods and announce the winner just before midnight the following day. The daily winner will get these prizes:

A box of Villa del Conte artisanal chocolates, handmade in Padova, Italy. Each box contains an exquisite selection of Praline Balls, Praline Sticks, Ovicini, Domes, Truffles, and Neapolitans. Villa del Conte’s Praline Balls come in opulent flavors of cacao, caramel, coffee, macadamia, hazelnut cream and cereals, milk cream coconut chips, and white cream filling. Praline Sticks seduce your senses with banana, orange, strawberry, blueberry, mint, and watermelon cream fillings, in milk or dark chocolate. Ovicini, the sugar-coated dark chocolate eggs, are infused with rich hazelnut cream filling. Take home a sweet piece of Italy with Villa del Conte. Visit their stores at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Greenbelt 5, Alabang Town Center, Robinson’s Magnolia, and Resorts World Manila. For bulk orders of Villa del Conte chocolates, contact 893-2575 or 621-6101. To know more about Villa del Conte, go to www.villadelcontecioccolato.com.

This is what the praline ball milk chocolate with cacao filling looks like up close.

A selection of Dove’s excellent hair and skin care products.

And on the last day of our 8-day birthday treat, a certificate for 3 days and 2 nights’ stay for two at Sun Resorts in Boracay. (Airfare not included.)

There are now three Sun Resorts to choose from. The Sun Villa Beachfront is a charming 18-room boutique beachfront resort located along the middle of the White Beach. The Sun Villa Hilltop is an oasis of calm and serenity in a lush tropical garden setting. It has 12 rooms ideal for those who seek a more intimate location. And the Sun Garden Hilltop is a 14-room refuge nestled in a tropical garden on a hill. All rooms are air-conditioned, with private toilet and bath, hot and cold showers, free WiFi, cable TV, and other amenities.

For booking reservations or inquiries, call SunResorts Boracay, (+632) 893-7293/813-1338 (Manila) or (+036)288-5541/288-4410 (Boracay); email info@boracaysunresorts.com.ph or ssunvilla@yahoo.com.

All you have to do is answer our Question at Midnight. The first one is coming right up.

The winners of two tickets each to our Game of Thrones and Geekery talk at Ayala Museum on Saturday are Kaye (favorite fantasy books: the Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce) and theidolfan (The Phantom Tollbooth). You can collect your tickets at the reception desk of the Ayala Museum on Saturday, before our talk at 3pm.

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Let us know what your favorite fantasy novel is, when you first read it, and why you love it.

Word count: Knock yourself out. Be epic.

Criteria: Grammar and clarity. We think of ourselves as the Grammar Watch, defending The Wall against incoherence and unacceptable usage.

We are the red pencil in the darkness.
We are the watcher of the written word.
We are the fire that burns against ignorance and illiteracy,
the light that corrects syntax errors,
the horn that wakes those whose subjects and verbs do not agree,
the shield that guards grammar.

When an editor dies, we say, “And now her/his watch has ended.” As for the rest of the oath, we observe it at least as well as Jon Snow does.

Post your answer in Comments before noon on Wednesday, 3 September 2014. The winner will be announced the following day. The tickets can be claimed at the front desk of the Ayala Museum on the day of the lecture.

Indios in Paris, photo at the National Historical Commission

Some time ago, we wrote a column in which we pointed out that since our economy is doing better than Spain’s, it is time to buy Spain or at least hire domestic helpers who are Spanish. It would not make up for the abuses of the Spanish colonial regime, but it would be an arresting symbol, not to mention a hoot.

– Yñaki, dalhin mo dito ang tsinelas ko!
– Si, su majestad, heto na po an tsinelas, ano pa po an maipaqlilinqod qo?

The other day at lunch we noticed that our server was Portuguese, which means our idea is not just feasible, it is coming to pass. At the time the Philippines was “discovered” by Magellan, Spain and Portugal had “divided” the world amongst themselves.

This month’s LitWit Challenge: Write us a story, play or movie scene in which a Filipino employer interacts with Spanish domestic helper/s or yaya. No limits on length. Post your entry in Comments on or before 18 July 2014. The winner gets these books by the acclaimed Spanish author Javier Marias.

Read the review of his latest book, The Infatuations.

The LitWit Challenge is brought to you by National Bookstores.