When my mother returned to Manila from her visit to Toronto in the early 70s, she was asked of her impressions about the city, to which she gave the following observations: it is too cold and the city is a forest. My mom is gone now yet I think of her as I write this piece. Like her, I’m an urbanite. Born and raised in Manila where trees were a rarity when I was living there, I can only remember one big tree near our place – an Acacia tree. It was so old that people used it as a landmark when giving directions. →