It has the trimmings of a storyline in a series of appealing telenovelas like Jewel in the Park and Only You. It's the real-life story of one of the few living descendants of the Korean royalty.

You find figments of royalty life in our cover story based on a New York interview - by a Bacolod resident who now resides in Canada - with Princess Yi Haegyong. The princess, now 75 years old, belongs to the 28th generation of descendants of Emperor Kojong. She is a niece of Emperor Sunjong, the last sovereign of Korea.

In another shore, we have the pristine picture of Redang, an island in Malaysia which is getting its fair share in the tourism market. Redang and its neighboring islands are tagged as an Asian paradise in the South China Sea region. The main attractions are the serene setting and solitude of tropical isles.

The islands are known for scuba diving, snorkeling, marine explorations and other forms of nature trips with comfortable, world-class facilities available for a wide-range of travelers' pocketbooks.

And speaking of islands, nearby Siquijor is the home of an environmental advocates' group, which celebrated its first anniversary last week. The group finds its home in Centro Areteolang, an emerging artists' village in the upland community of Olang in the town of Maria.

The Olang weekend was one filled with music, fun and camaraderie as well as of renewing of the resolve to continue protect Nature and environment in what was called by foreigners centuries ago as "The Island of Fire", because of the existence of fireflies that dotted the Siquijor landscape at night.

This time, it's another fire and zeal that burns within the hearts of these advocates. And they hope this commitment and public awareness spread widest at the soonest possible time.