Bobis, Merlinda. “Fruit Stall,” White Turtle. DLSU, 1999.

Fruit Stall
By Merlinda Bobis

I am forty. Divorced. No children. I own a fruit stall in Kings Cross. And I am Filipina, but this is my secret. People ask, are you Spanish? Mexican? Italian? A big man, brushing his hairy arm against my waist, whispers in his beer-breath, aha, Latina! Cringing, I say, si, si, si to him, and to all of them. I am Filipina, but this is my secret.

I dyed my hair brown. It goes well with this pale skin from my Spanish grandfather whom I never saw. He owned the hacienda where my grandmother served as housemaid. They sent her away when she grew a melon under her skirt.

Melons have their secret, too. No one knows how many seeds hide in their rose-flesh. Or who planted them there. Mother used to say, it is God, it is God who plants all things. I don’t believe her now.

“Is this sweet?”

“Very sweet. And few seeds.” I pretend to know a secret.

But he’s not interested. This man frowning at the melon sounds like a customer back home. He touches the fruit doubtingly, tentatively. His hand is smooth and white against the green rind.

“Want a taste?” I offer the last slice from a box labeled “For Tasting”. I pretend I am a fruitseller at home where we let the buyer sample the merchandise before any business takes place.

Sample the merchandise. This is how the men, who go to my country to find themselves a nice, little brown girl, put in. they’re great, these rice-ies. Give them a bowl of rice and they can fuck all night! An American serviceman said this once, grabbing me by my waist. I was twelve then, I remember I went home crying.

He gets it cheaply. He walks away with the melon now, the man with the smooth, white hand. More like the hands of my grandfather. Mine are white, too, but hard and rough.

So father said, papayas are good for your skin. Mash them well with your hands tonight, so they get soft and smooth when Jake arrives. Remember to be nice to him, ha? And fix that face – Dios mio, will you stop sniveling? Jake, the old Australian, whom my father had met in the city, became my husband. It must have been the papayas.

They’re too small here and not as sweet. See these here? Too expensive, but not as good as the papayas back home. The tourists go gaga over our papayas there. They are sun-ripe, tree-ripe, we say. And cheap. Have dollar, no problem.

“How much for this?” Her hand on the papaya is very tanned, with fine golden hair. She’s wearing a T-shirt with a coconut print. She looks happy. Good holiday. I want to ask, did you go to my country? But I keep my secret safe.

She frowns though, when I tell her the price. You see, papayas are expensive here. Go to my country. We sell then cheaply. I bite my tongue
“And a kilo of grapes as well, please.”

My youngest brother ate himself sick with the grapes which Jake brought from Australia to our village. It was the first time my brothers tasted grapes. It was the first time our neighbors tasted grapes. Jake was very pleased with himself. He promised more grapes. A week before the wedding, my father strutted about, imagining himself the father-in-law of a grape-king. When I came here, I found out grapes are very cheap, especially in late summer.

It was getting cold when I arrived. Autumn is cold for me. Winter is freezing. Hardly any grapes by then. Jake said we were too greedy – why are you always sending something home? He must have suspected I sneaked in some grapes in my letters. He opened them. He frowned at my dialect on paper. What stories are you telling them, huh?

I can tell many stories about sweaty white hands running all over me in front of other men nodding over their beer. Guess where she’s from? Oh no, I didn’t get myself an Asian with small tits. This is no Asian. Look at her melons. And they taste like plums – don’t they, luv? He laughed until he was beetroot-red, while hi8s fingers fumbled at my buttons, much to joy of his clapping and stamping mates. My ex-husband was a fruitseller. I learned my trade from him, and I learned to say, si, I am Spanish. Or, Mexican by birth, Señorita. Or, Italian, Signore.

He reminded me of the pet monkey we had when I was young. My father gave it away, because it would wake up the whole house in the middle of the night with its crazed monkey-sounds. Jake did the same, chattering away about his great big white banana getting bigger and harder – turn over. On your belly, quick. He was very quick. Then he snored his way through a land of fruit. I imagined it had overripe smell that made me sick. After a while, I learned how to doze off dry-eyed and dream of fruit-flies tracking down the smell, feeding on the smell, until each one dropped dead from too much sweetness.

I keep my stall clean and insect free. White people are particular about what they put in their bellies. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t say this is bad. I only say they’re lucky, they have the choice to be particular. That’s what I like it here. Actually, I liked it more after the divorce papers were signed. Oh, yes, I love it now I do not wish to go home any more. Who would want to see a divorced woman there anyway? My mother with her strange God? My grape-less father? Never mind. I can have more than grapes here. I also have mangoes, pineapples, avocados, even guavas around me. I smell home each day.

“Kumusta.”

The woman with the red headband must have smelled what I smell. She smiles with the greeting I know so well. The blond man beside her is smiling, too, at her expectant face.

“Kumusta.” She is in earnest.

He shifts his gaze at me.

“You mean, como esta?” I pretend to look confused. “Of course, of course – muy bien.”

“Told ya, yer wrong, hon.” He strokes her hair.

“But – “ she searches my unsmiling face – “you’re not Filipina?”

“You’re Filipina.” I stared back.

“Yes, oh, yes,” she nods vigorously. “Arrived two months ago with my husband here – your mangoes, very expensive –“

“From Queensland, that’s why,” I shrug.

“May I?” She lifts a mango and smells it hungrily.

“Geez, isn’t she pretty?” The husband runs his fingers through her hair again. The red head band gets caught in his large, white hand.

“This one, please.” She lays the prized fruit on the weighing tray and quickly rearranges her band.

“Only one? Let’s have a kilo – nah, two kilos, if you want, hon.” He winks at me, before proceeding to stroke her hair again. “Ain’t I lucky?”

“Where I lived, we have a yard of mangoes.”

I go for mangoes, too. Jake said we were not only grape-starved, but mango-greedy as well. I told him I wouldn’t be asking for green mangoes if I were back home. He didn’t understand what I meant until I started having fainting spells. He took me to the doctor “to fix me up”. He did not want brown kids. I never told anyone.

“Let me tell ya, the Filipino kumusta comes from the Spanish como esta. The Philippines was once under Spain, y’see,” the husband lectures me on my ancestry.

“Spain very far…” Her sweeping gesture leaves an unfinished arc in the air. “A long way?”

“The other side of the world, honey.” He brings her hand to her side, then draws her closer.

“Hard for you, yes - ?”

“One gets used to it – ten dollars for these, thanks.”

As they turn to go, I notice the blowfly, a big black seed dotting the last slice of melon for tasting. Must have been here for ages! All because of that bloddy chatter – I roll a newspaper and get a good grip, Ay, my knuckles had never looked so white.

EXTRA CREDITS for finals!

Here’s another chance for you to earn extra credits!
Watch any of the following productions at the Cultural Center of the Philippines:

Die Fledermaus , an Operetta (see details by clicking this link: http://www.clickthecity.com/event/detail.asp?evid=18975 )

Niel de Mesa’s “I Laugh You”
“Mga Obra ni Maestra” (Philippines’ 1st Animé play)

I am giving away extra credit of 20 points for class participation if you are going to see this one. There are only 3 requirements before you earn the contingency credits: 1. Inform me of the date when you are watching it (that means you are responsible in taking care of securing your own ticket booking.) 2. Watch it with your parents/guardians (This saves me the hassle of getting a parental consent. You may also consider this an opportunity to bond with them.) 3. Show me any proof that you saw it, otherwise, be prepared to answer my Q&A regarding the play. Your parents might want to read a review of the play before taking you. I post the article below sourced from clickthecity so you can read the other information about it.:

Koiné One Acts’ award winning play on courtship will be onstage at the CCP for Valentines! Niel de Mesa’s “I Laugh You” comedy and “Mga Obra ni Maestra” (Philippines’ 1st Animé play) will be onstage at the Huseng Batute on February 9 and 10.

Niel de Mesa’s Palanca award winning and critically acclaimed comedy, “I Laugh You” is back due to insistent public demand. A romantic farce about the psychological foibles of courtship, this “laugh-trip” play couples old Tagalog wordplay with speed dating. It will feature Koiné’s best actors; Eliza Agabin and Evert Gandarosa.

The one-act play will run in tandem with the revolutionary multimedia animé play, “Mga Obra ni Maestra”. Considered as one of the best plays of 2007 (PDI Dec 2007), this “Obra” earned standing ovations and accolades at the third Virgin Labfest which was held at the CCP last July 2007. The story revolves on three teens—with funky superpowers under the tutelage of the invincible Maestra. After receiving a text message that their nemesis, General Phorab, is on a rampage, the novice heroes eagerly muster their resolve to the society at large. The only “thing” discouraging them from doing so—are their parents. Will their stubborn resolve to save people suceed in the end or will the fear of being grounded overcome them? This play features the Koiné Elite Scholars; Nympha Gonzalez, Cashlyn Cuarez, and Abbey Gonzalez (cited as one of the best stage actresses of 2007). Both plays were designed by famed haute couturier, Edgar San Diego (President of FDAP). So bring your V-day dates or kids because there will definitely be something for everyone when Koiné comes back onstage this February.

Call 4337886 or (0917)972-6514 to reserve Koiné’s limited seats. Reserved seating only. You can vist Koiné One Acts at www.amazingkoineshows.com or email them at ktfi2001@yahoo.com. Tickets paid before January 15, 2008 can avail of our Php150 per ticket “early bird” promo price. Reserved and tickets bought at the CCP FOH / Box Office after January 15, 2007 will already be Php280 each. (NB: PLEASE ASK FOR STUDENT PRICE. DAPAT MAS MURA. 50% OFF siguro)

Discovering Love and the Filipino: A Kind of Burning by Ophelia Dimalanta

it is perhaps because
one way or the other
we keep this distance
closeness will tug as apart
in many directions
in absolute din
how we love the same
trivial pursuits and
insignificant gewgaws
spoken or inert
claw at the same straws
pore over the same jigsaws
trying to make heads or tails
you take the edges
i take the center
keeping fancy guard
loving beyond what is there
you sling at the stars
i bedeck the weeds
straining in song or
profanities towards some
fabled meeting apart
from what dreams read
and suns dismantle
we have been all the hapless
lovers in this wayward world
in almost all kinds of ways
except we never really meet
but for this kind of burning.

Love sometimes thrives more in distance, rather than in closeness--- in projections, fantasies, images produced by the mind to make up for the lack of contact. Ironically, an abundance of contact, that destroys this preconceived images, can hamper the love based on these images.

Love thrives on the fight to be close but when the two lovers have achieved this closeness, the fight can turn towards the opposite direction.

http://www.ljfind.com/post/122464347/

Discovering Love and The Filipino: Bonsai by Edith L. Tiempo

I post here Edith Tiempo's poem immediately followed by Linda Sue Grime's reading of it. Like I said, some selections that should have been taken up in our last few meetings should just be taken up in brief. Instead of scheduling a make up class due to the class disruptions brought about by extra curricular activities such as the HRM event (SCOR-4H5?), Outreach activities(1POL), parties, etc, it would now be our responsibility to catch up (especially those clases affected.) I post the texts, my researches, old lectures and readings. You read, assimilate and understand and prepare for the major quiz and major exam :)

BONSAI

All that I love
I fold over once
And once again
And keep in a box
Or a slit in a hollow post
Or in my shoe.

All that I love?
Why, yes, but for the moment-
And for all time, both.
Something that folds and keeps easy,
Son's note or Dad's one gaudy tie,
A roto picture of a queen,
A blue Indian shawl, even
A money bill.

It's utter sublimation,
A feat, this heart's control
Moment to moment
To scale all love down
To a cupped hand's size

Till seashells are broken pieces
From God's own bright teeth,
And life and love are real
Things you can run and
Breathless hand over
To the merest child.

Edith L. Tiempo's poem, "Bonsai," consists of four verse paragraphs; the lines are short and unrimed. The poem dramatizes the speaker's method of controlling emotions.

First Verse Paragraph: “All that I love”
In the first verse paragraph, the speaker claims enigmatically that she folds up everything she loves and places it “in a box / Or a slit in a hollow post / Or in my shoe.” At first, the speaker’s claims seem a little silly; placing a little note that you love all folded up into a “hollow post” does not resonate, especially when in the next line she claims she might also place the item in her shoe.

Second Verse Paragraph: “All that I love?”
Interestingly, the speaker anticipates being questioned about her statement, “All that I love.” So she makes a little pretense at answering the question, resulting in a flip-flop; she says she keeps those little items that she loves in these unusual places only “for the moment.” No, not only for the moment, but “for all time.” No, not just for all time but “for the moment” and “for all time.”

Then the speaker lists a few things that represent “Something that folds and keeps easy”: “Son's note or Dad's one gaudy tie, / A roto picture of a queen, / A blue Indian shawl, even / A money bill.” These are some of the things that speaker claims she folds up and keep in a box, a hollow post, or her shoe. At this point, the reader is intrigued by such a claim. Why the emphasis on shrinking things? Why the necessity of folding a hording in small places?

Third Verse Paragraph: “It's utter sublimation”
In the third verse paragraph, the reader learns that the speaker likes to fold things up because she wants “To scale all love down / To a cupped hand's size.” She called her “folding” up of things she loves an act of “sublimation.” She has the need to purify and control her own emotions.

It is with this verse paragraph that the title, “Bonsai,” becomes clear: the speaker needs to contain her emotions in a way similar to the horticulturist who contains the tree that becomes a dwarf of itself.

Fourth Verse Paragraph: “Till seashells are broken pieces”
Those things that fold—notes, ties, shawls, money—merely represent valuable things that in turn represent the speaker’s emotions. Emotions can be wild and uncontrollable and lead one grossly astray, but if one can sublimate them, shrink them down, and control them as the gardener does the “Bonsai,” then the speaker can control her own life, and her life and love “[will become] real / Things [she] can run and / Breathless hand over /To the merest child.”

The speaker wants to be able to explain her life and love even to a very young child; thus, she folds up her life in poems and keeps them orderly, ready to “hand over.”

Looking at War and the Filipino

People in the War and Wilderness of Sweets by Gilda Cordero Fernando are stories set during World War II, but they are a far cry from the conventional war tale, which would emphasize scenes of battles, acts of heroism or cowardice and political choices.

These stories are about being at war, but they are not about fighting in it. They are about surviving in it.

Unlike the conventional war stories, People in the War and Wilderness of Sweets do not have anything to do with the combatants. There are no characters who are soldiers. The Japanese have but shadowy presence until the last part of the story, when they become simply nameless, insane butchers. The Americans do not even make an appearance. The political reasons for the war are never mentioned. The focus is on the travails of the civilian population.

The fact that the narrator is an adolescentmakes this plausible, enables the writer to concentrate on the story she wishes to tell.

How To Write a Critical Paper

THE ESSENCE OF CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT FOOD

Ask Four Basic Questions as You Read:
1) What is the book/story/poem/chapter about as a whole?
2) What is the author saying about the food in detail, and how is it said?
3) Is it true, in whole or in part?
4) What is the significance of the work?

THE ESSENCE OF CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT TRAVEL

Ask Four Basic Questions as You Read:
1) What is the book/story/poem/chapter about as a whole?
2) What is the author saying about travel in detail, and how is it said?
3) Is it true, in whole or in part?
4) What is the significance of the work?

ELEMENTS OF A CRITICAL PAPER
The following is a general structure to follow for the body of a critical paper. Be sure to include a suitable introduction and conclusion. Adapt it to specific assignments as appropriate.

PART ONE: DESCRIPTION
Classify the material according to kind and subject matter.
Very briefly, state what the whole of the material is about.
Define the problem or problems that the author/speaker is trying to solve.

PART TWO: INTERPRETATION
Find the important words (terms) in the book/message and determine the author’s meaning of these terms, with precision.
Identify the most important sentences (propositions) in the material, the ones that express the judgments on which the whole book/message rests. These are the foundational affirmations and denials of the author/speaker. They must be either premises or conclusions. State them in your own words.

Construct the author’s/speaker’s arguments, beginning with any assumptions and/or self-evident propositions. An argument is the author’s/speaker’s line of reasoning aimed at demonstrating the truth or falsehood of his or her claims, that is, the coherent series of reasons, statements, or facts that support or establish a point of view. If the arguments are not explicitly expressed in the material, you will need to construct them from sequences of sentences.

PART THREE: CRITICISM

General Pointers.
From this point on, you will have a chance to argue with the author/speaker and express yourself, but keep in mind the following general maxims of scholarly etiquette:

Do not say that you agree, disagree, or suspend judgment until you have adequately interpreted the work being criticized. Do not begin criticism until you are able to say, with reasonable certainty, “I understand,” i.e., I have done an adequate job with parts one and two. Complete the task of understanding before rushing in.

When you disagree, do so reasonably and not contentiously.

Demonstrate that you know the difference between knowledge and personal opinion by presenting good reasons for any critical judgments that you make.
Three conditions must be satisfied if controversy is to be well conducted:
Make an attempt at impartiality by reading/listening sympathetically.
Acknowledge any emotions that you bring to the dispute.
State your own assumptions explicitly.

Determine, wherever possible, the origins and the consequences of the author’s/speaker’s arguments.

Try to locate the origins of the author’s/speaker’s ideas in the larger picture of history. What movements, currents of thought, or other thinkers might have influenced him or her? Then carry the author’s/speaker’s ideas to their logical conclusions. To the best of your ability and given the academic background that you already possess, relate the author’s/speaker’s ideas to those of other authors with whom you are familiar.

Judge the soundness of the author’s/speaker’s arguments.
As called for, show where the author/speaker is uninformed. To support your remarks, you must be able to state the knowledge that the author/speaker lacks and show how it is relevant, i.e., how it affects the conclusions.

As called for, show where the author/speaker is misinformed, where assertions are made that are contrary to fact. This kind of defect should be pointed out only if it is relevant to the conclusions. To support your remark, you must be able to argue the truth or greater probability of a position contrary to the author’s.

As called for, show where the author/speaker is illogical, where there are fallacies in reasoning. In general fallacies are of two sorts. There is the non sequitur, which means that the conclusion simply does not follow for the reasons that are offered. Then there is the problem of inconsistency, which means that two things the author/speaker has tried to say are incompatible. To make either of these criticisms, you must be able to show the precise respect in which the author’s/speaker’s argument fails to be forcibly convincing. Be concerned with this defect only if major conclusions are affected by it.
In addition, show where the author/speaker fails to draw any conclusions that are implied by the evidence given or principles involved.
If you have not been able to show that the author/speaker is uninformed, misinformed or illogical on relevant matters, you simply cannot disagree. You must agree, at least in part, although you may suspend judgment on the whole. If you have been convinced, you should admit it. If, despite your failure to support one or more of these critical points, you still honestly feel unconvinced, perhaps you should not have said that you understood in the first place!

PART FOUR: (OPTIONAL) INTEGRATE THE ACADEMIC AND THE PERSONAL.
Engage the key idea(s) that are most provocative and alive for you. Consider how your experience is similar to or different from what you read. Identify any spiritual issues as they arose for you and your way of responding to or struggling with them. Describe which key ideas, if any, might be applied in your area of discipline.

http://www.trinitysem.edu/Student/LessonInstruction/CriticalPaper.html

Seminar Paper Reminders for my Political Science students

A seminar is a small group of students and teachers.

A seminar paper is a record of what you say to the group about a topic you have studied.

Preparing a seminar paper gives you practice in technical writing which will help you when you write your thesis.

Title
The title of your seminar paper should state your topic exactly in the smallest possible number of words.

Author's Name
Put your name (family name first), your ID number, the name of your department, and the name of the university under the title.

Abstract
The abstract should state the most important facts and ideas in your paper. It should be complete in itself. The abstract should state clearly:
· the problem studied,
· the method used,
· the main results,
· the main conclusions.

Do not put information in the abstract, which is not in the main text of your paper. Do not put references, figures, or tables in the abstract.

Text
The main text of your paper should be divided into sections, each with a separate heading.

The first section should be an introduction to your topic. This section should review the background of your topic and give an outline of the contents of your paper.

You should get the information for your paper from various sources, such as books, journals, lecture notes, etc. You must write the paper yourself using this information. You must not copy text written by other authors. Instead, select only the information you need and summarize this information in your own words.

The final section of your paper should summarize your conclusions.

References
You must give references to all the information that you obtain from books, papers in journals, and other sources. References may be made in the main text using index numbers in brackets.

Put a list of references, numbered as in the main text, at the end of your paper. The information you give in this list must be enough for readers to find the books and papers in a library or a data base.

For a journal paper give:
1. the names of the authors,
2. the year of publication,
3. the title of the paper,
4. the title of the journal,
5. the volume number of the journal,
6. the first and last page numbers of the paper.

For a book give:
1. the author,
2. the year of publication,
3. the title, and the edition number if there is one,
4. the name of the publisher,
5. the page numbers for your reference.

For an internet reference give:
1. the author of the web page,
2. the date of the web page,
3. the title of the web page,
4. the complete URL.

Every reference in your main text must appear in the list at the end of your paper, and every reference in the list must be mentioned in your main text.
Recommended Procedure for Writing a Paper
1. Write your title first. This will define your topic clearly and focus your mind on exactly what you want the paper to contain.
2. Search the literature and select the references on which the contents of your paper will be based. Write your list of references.
3. Make a list of your section headings and subheadings. This list will define the organization of the contents of your paper. The sections and subsections will contain not only material collected from other sources but also accounts of new work you have done: -- your observations, analysis of data, and conclusions.
4. Write the sections and subsections one by one in a simple clear style. Remember that the reader does not know in advance any of the details of the work you have done, so your account must be complete and easy to understand.
5. Write the abstract last by picking out the main points in your paper.

FORMAT
Font: Arial Unicode MS. Size 10
Spacing: Double spaced
No less than 5 pages
Paper: short bond


SUBMISSION
You will submit the paper on January 7. Please email me the file as in line text and as attachment by January 10, 2007. The title of the seminar paper should be on the subject line followed by your name (ex. Subject: Searching the Filipino Identity in F. Sionil Jose’s The God Stealer by Luis Asistio) No late papers will be accepted. The critical paper is 50 points and will be credited to your quizzes for the PRELIM.