Solaire Resort & Casino: Dinner Buffet at Fresh

A good buffet can stir the heart as well as the stomach. That's what I think anyway. My heart skips a beat and does a hop, skip, and a jump at the very word "buffet" and I feel like a kid in a candy store. Solaire Resort & Casino's Fresh makes my heart to just that, my stomach goes into knots in anticipation of what awaits me, and I try to mentally and physically prepare myself not to go buck wild at all the different cuisines I would get to savor in one night.

The first thing I noticed about Fresh is how affordable the buffet is for such a posh place. Breakfast goes for P1,100, lunch is at P1,900, dinner goes up to P2,600 on weekends, and there's Sunday brunch which will set you back P2,400. This isn't bad at all when compared to hotel buffets of similar caliber.

And let me tell you, there is just so much win at Fresh.

Read more on Solaire Resort & Casino:
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Creative Cocktail Frenzy at Eclipse Lounge
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: The Decadence of Dragon Bar
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: A Relaxing Weekend Staycation
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Dim Sum Buffet at Red Lantern
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Discover Solaire Rewards
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Blogger Comedy Night

PODE!: Stop Feeling So Damn Tired

I've been feeling super lethargic lately mostly due from the unbearable heat which we call summer in this fair capital of Manila. If I could pay a yaya to lug an air conditioner around wherever I went, I'd probably do it - I'm desperate. I'm also feeling lethargic from burnout with work and my energy levels are just not where they're supposed to be.

So I realized this is probably not just happening to me, and although it really isn't about overcoming domestic entropy, this'll help you get shiz done. I like the idea of rebuilding how you feel from the inside out, and get that natural energy boost without the help of Michael V.'s heavily endorsed happy pill. What's the smartest, fastest way to do that? By giving your stress hormone, cortisol, a bit of love.

This series on Project: Overcome Domestic Entropy is all about cortisol. Be kind to cortisol and it will be kind to you. Support healthy cortisol levels and you support your entire system. Here's a list of the top three common offenders among young professionals, and tips for how to turn it around:

Solaire Resort & Casino: Discover Solaire Rewards

The casino game has definitely changed now that Solaire Resort & Casino has opened over at Entertainment City. Could this be the start of a Vegas-like Strip in the Philippines? If it is, I hope they bring in a Cirque du Soleil act soon! *Fingers and toes crossed*

Jericho and I wanted to check out the casino (I saw a Dark Knight slot machine on the way in and dearly wanted to give it a spin!) and went over to the Rewards Club counter to procure a card. I initially thought this worked as a prepaid card of some sort, but really what it is is a loyalty card that lets you collect points. The more you play, the more you earn, and you could use the points to purchase drinks, meals and the like.

Read more on Solaire Resort & Casino:
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Creative Cocktail Frenzy at Eclipse Lounge
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: The Decadence of Dragon Bar
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: A Relaxing Weekend Staycation
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Dinner Buffet at Fresh
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Dim Sum Buffet at Red Lantern
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Blogger Comedy Night

Solaire Resort & Casino: Blogger Comedy Night

I had been itching to take a peek inside Solaire Resort & Casino since it had officially opened in March and was lucky enough to warrant an invite from the good people at Solaire for a Blogger Comedy Night, which was as good an excuse as any to muck around the enormous hotel and casino!

The Blogger Night was quite the intimate event, with over 40 bloggers of different niches trickling in from all over Manila, curious to see what the evening held for them. As usual, I brought Jericho along to accompany me and take more marvelous photos as I seem to suck balls in that department.

Read more on Solaire Resort & Casino:
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Creative Cocktail Frenzy at Eclipse Lounge
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: The Decadence of Dragon Bar
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: A Relaxing Weekend Staycation
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Dinner Buffet at Fresh
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Discover Solaire Rewards
★ Solaire Resort & Casino: Dim Sum Buffet at Red Lantern

A Trip to Beautiful Mt. Pulag in Pictures

Good ol' Jericho went on his very first hiking trip to Mt. Pulag a few weeks back and came home with a ton of really nice photos for me to live vicariously thorough.

Although I don't quite envy his ability to not take a shower for over three days in this heat, the photos he took of the trip are pretty amazeballs! The stars peek out just beyond the tree line at night, and there a few photos overlooking the rolling clouds below the mountain, which are all breathtakingly beautiful.

There wasn't any rain or fog when he reached one of the highest peaks of Mt. Pulag, which they say is rare, so Jericho had a pretty clear view of everything from the mountaintop. Check out his pictures here and see if you can find his "You shall not pass!" photo:

Loudbasstard Launches at The Rocket Room

The good people at Loudbasstard have finally come to Manila for the soft launch of their awesome, awesome, awesome product! It was really nice of them to invite me, as I had been dying to go, and I brought a few friends along to check out the goods as well.

Based out of Cebu, the Loudbasstard team flew out to Manila to say hello and see how their bamboo and rattan sound amplifiers were faring in Manila. I guess the answer to that is stupendously well, judging by the turnout last night.

Summer Peace Festival in Mindanao

It's about high time we heard some good news coming from Mindanao.

With war, violence and corruption dominating coverage about Mindanao in the mainstream media (not to mention HBO's newest show, Vice), it’s no wonder the island seems off-limits to the average Filipino.
For decades, repeated appeals and numerous efforts to bring peace to the region have yielded little results.

In an effort to change the perception of the region and foster peace in the region, a group of young individuals with roots in Mindanao spearheads a week-long collaborative festival in Northern and Western Mindanao.

Check this out:

Beat the Summer Heat at da.u.de Tea Lounge

I'll admit it - I'm in love with da.u.de Tea Lounge. Everything about it is so modern, chic, and inviting - half the time I tend to forget that I'm in the middle of Bonifacio Global City. I feel like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City whenever I'm there, sipping on iced and spiked concoctions, or sipping tea with an accompaniment of madeleines with clotted cream and homemade marmalade, a good book or my laptop keeping me company.

da.u.de Tea Lounge recently introduced their summer drinks, and I was lucky enough to be there for the scoop. See what I did there? You will in a minute. 

RK Garden Chinese Seafood Restaurant Opens in Bel-Air

I was surprised that a new restaurant recently opened at Jupiter street - the place is packed with every kind of restaurant imaginable, I think. Ranging from popular fast food chains, hole-in-the-walls, as well as authentic Indian, Korean and Japanese joints. What I found it lacked was authentic Chinese restaurant, as most of them seemed to have congregated at the Pasay road strip.

I was delighted to find out that a new Chinese (yey!) restaurant had opened in Bel-Air, the RK Garden Chinese Seafood Restaurant, and brought trusty ol' Jericho to check it out with me. And wow, were we in for a gastronomic treat!

Do Your Part and Save Sally!

Image taken from autoplagiarist.blogspot.com

Saving Sally is a bittersweet love story dipped in a glaze of sci-fi and fantasy. It’s a familiar coming-of-age story told with super-stylized visuals. The project blends live action, 2d animation and an abundance of warm, fuzzy feelings to create a totally unique and loveable little film. Also, it stars Rhian Ramos and Enzo Marcos. So there.

The Loudbasstards Are Green, Too!

I've been doing a lot of mucking around on the innernet, mostly a lot of online window shopping. My favorite site right now is Amina Aranaz-Alunan's AVA.ph as most of the products and services sold on the site are so unique and are mostly made in the Philippines, which I think is just super cool (no group-buying whores here!). I especially like their art section - there are a few Kitkat Pecson pieces I hope would make it on my wall one day.

I've been looking for electronic speakers for my place, mulling over whether to buy the iPhone docks that Sony and Bose have - but having second thoughts about shelling out P3,500 - P5,000 for it - and then I came across Loudbasstard. A speaker dock made entirely from local bamboo (bambusa blumeana or bayog) that comes in different colors. It's a green alternative to your electric speaker and only costs P995.