Love is in the air. The sight of couples strolling in the mall, holding hands, bearing chocolates, flowers and what-nots is enough to make anyone blush.
Then there are the warm and fuzzy, albeit cheesy, Facebook and Twitter postings.
Here’s what some tweens and teens say when asked about the sweetest thing they’ve ever done for someone:
“My boyfriend and I have been together for a few months now, so there’s no denying that we continue to learn new things about each other. One of the things he loves most in this world is music, and I always make it a point to keep that love within him alive. I still surprise him every now and then with a CD to show my love and appreciation of his musical interests. The smile on his face never gets old.”—Viktoria Locson, 19, UP Los Baños
“Around two years ago, I arranged a very intricate birthday surprise for my crush. It involved distributing 18 roses to her different friends around campus, then having those friends prepare a short speech on what they loved most about the celebrator. My crush ended up being so touched by this, and a few weeks after, I soon found out that my feelings for her were requited. We have now been together for over a year.”—Park Palacios, 19, Ateneo de Manila University
“The sweetest thing I’ve done was use up my allowance to get whatever toys my friends wanted from the crane machine.”—Katherine Gohu, 19, Ateneo de Manila University
“The sweetest thing I’ve ever done for someone is draw something really nice for that person. It’s something rare that I do, and I really tried to make it nice.”—Dominique Zurbano, 16, St. Theresa’s College
“I gave my crush a big, cute purple stuffed toy exactly on Valentine’s Day last year.”—Joseph Acero, 17, La Salle Green Hills
“I bought a blank notebook, and made it into a planner. At the start of every month was the calendar. Then I wrote down each day and date—example, March 2, Sunday. I made sure the color for each month was different and that the spaces were even. I even put an exam score organizer, like for Q1, Q2, LT, QT, and the score. I put a planner bookmark and gave it to my friend as a Christmas gift.”—Anonymous, 19, UP Diliman
“When I was 7, my parents and I went on a tour in Szechuan. While riding the bus from Chengdu to the peak of the mountain, my parents got sick. My mom had piercing migraines and my dad had colds due to the high altitude. Back at the hotel, since my parents were too weak to accompany me to dinner, I decided to stay in our tiny room and nurse them to health, skipping a scrumptious meal and making do with a piece of bread. This, in my father’s memory, was the sweetest thing I’ve ever done for him and my mother.”—Maxine Yao, 16, British School Manila
“For me, I guess one of the sweetest things I’ve done for this someone was to let her go… in a situation where feelings aren’t reciprocated. Nevertheless, like all forms of sacrifice, the act of letting go is not easy, but it gives us a sense of fulfillment in a way that we are able to still ‘love’ that person, without confessing to her my feelings. After all, ‘love is a gift that you give, but something you don’t expect in return.’”—Vince Nieva, 16, La Salle Green Hills
“I arranged a surprise for my parents in an ice cream parlor on their anniversary. Blindfold, flowers, posters and all.”—Patricia Ngo, 16, Immaculate Conception Academy
“I prepared a hearty meal of chicken and asparagus not only for her but for the whole family as well! It was extremely draining but it was all worth it.”—Ric-Ric Alindayu, 16, La Salle Green Hills
“Superman! Yes, that’s what my dad called himself a few years back. He was always the strong one, the one who can go on and on without much sleep. But then again, all our actions will someday take their toll on our bodies, and we can’t always feel young and invincible. Apparently, he had a hard time admitting that to himself. He had a stroke and I know that I couldn’t do much other than go straight to him after school hours and try hard each day to see that old smile he once had. I just wanted to make him feel that he never deserves to feel lonely and that I want to pay him back for all the moments that he was there through my childhood. I guess sweetness doesn’t always have to come with great effort, actions and words. In my case, I was just by his side. I didn’t do or say much, but I know that he realized how much his little girl will always love him.”—Jennelyn Sabarez, 17, Immaculate Conception Academy