It’s a little known fact that Tagaytay would not have been the tourist attraction of today had it not been for Taal’s fury displayed more than five times in our history. The tremors and subsequent explosions pushed the land upward even more and had created a lake we now view with awe and wonder. Molten rock and lava that were spewed for miles around contributed to the richness of its soil, allowing for lush growth.

It has always been a personal opinion that some of the greatest stories ever told have been about that strangely intoxicating “feeling” we call love. From the gospels of the Scriptures to even Bram Stoker’s Dracula, from Francisco Balagtas’ Florante at Laura to Haruki Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart, believe it or not, the drama, theatrics and ritual that go with love have permeated much of human literature to the point that it has, by and large, been quite a thorny, if not demanding, topic to launch upon. 

The coldest day of the year, I believe, has never been Christmas. Yes, despite the fake snow and styrofoam snowmen scattered everywhere, Christmas in the Philippines has been relatively warm, especially in the past few years. For me, the coldest day is that which happens as the melting ice in Siberia sends the chilly winds blowing in the direction of our islands during the first quarter of the year, just weeks before summer brings its scorching heat upon us. Usually, for some of us, temperatures are at their most biting every February 14--Valentine's Day.