Cool change

I complained that the weather wasn't up to its usual cool self last month. That we had rain, even warm weather during the holidays, which sort of dampened, pardon the pun, the Christmas spirit. I was hoping that the weather would get cooler, even for a while, just for us to have a taste of it before the normally terrible, hot months of March, April and May which in the last years seem to be getting hotter and hotter. Well, be careful what you wish for, they say.

In the past week, Metro Manila has been experiencing record low temperatures. The last lowest temperature to be recorded in the metro was 15.8 degrees Celsius last Sunday morning. I can't even remember when that last happened. And I can't even remember actually wearing a jacket as soon as I got up in the morning, with the sun well on its way up. Coffee just seems to taste so good lately. Aside from the pick-up, it offers much-appreciated warmth all over.

Baguio, of course, is also experiencing record low temperatures, well into the single digits. Ex-pats find themselves in familiar, nostalgic weather as they trek towards the popular summer capital. I guess the new expressways are earning their keep. Chimneys have come alive, with smoke wafting into the cool, nippy air. The smell of cool pine permeating throughout the city. Absolutely wonderful!

Of course, this cool weather we are experiencing is not unique. The polar vortex that has enveloped the eastern seaboard of the United States is also keeping our brothers overseas under wraps. Multiple layers, that is. That YouTube video where boiling water turns to crystals as soon as it is flung into the air is actually amusing, while scary at the same time.

I'm not complaining about the weather, but I am concerned about those who are not used to it, and may neither have the necessary clothing nor shelter to keep warm. It may be a challenge to them to keep warm, especially in the wee hours of the morning when the mercury really drops. Insulation is practically non-existent in a house made with thin layers of wood. If you have one to begin with.

PAGASA officials predict that the cool weather will continue until March. Let's hope so. The weather is generally comfortable. It's the climate people look for when they go to the malls. And for some reason, it also helps with the disposition of people. Cooler heads literally seem to prevail nowadays. So yes, the drop in temperatures is very welcome. At least until we are once again stuck into the oven we all call home.