MANILA, Philippines - The thing about summer is that it’s always bound to come. The indecisive tans and the romance, the cruise and the booze, the road trips and the pool dips — these are prerequisites that stick.
But the other thing about summer is that we’re all bound to let it go, along with the flavors and the favors of the couple or so months. And with only 34 days left on the calendar, we’re going to have to squeeze all the juice out of this season as soon as we can. That’s where we come in. Young Star picks out a couple of new things that are sure to sink into your summer skin — and since we’re already meddling, new activities you can tick off your list. — Karen Bolilia, Ralph Mendoza, and Raymond Ang
Listen
One thing’s for sure: You can’t go through summer soundtrack-less. Make sure you cop these tracks before you lose out to your hipster younger brother.
London-based noise rockers Yuck’s new single Chew is out, and it’s quite the grunge grower, reminiscent of The Smashing Pumpkins’ earlier work on “Siamese Dream.” Chew’s not as catchy as The Wall but it’ll grow on you as it did on me. Give the track a listen on soundcloud.com/yuck/chew.
American indie pop couple Beach House’s fourth studio album “Bloom,” meanwhile, has yet to hit online stores May 15 but like all ‘alt’ records, the leak is out and you’d be unchill not to source out this summer shoegazer online.
Shop
The advent of the consummate online shopping experience gains momentum with Zalora, with its free nationwide shopping and cash on delivery options. From swimsuits to home interiors, to large-scale retail brands like Folded and Hung to niche favorites like Proudrace, Zalora is inching its way to being the go-to online gateway for the Internet and fashion savvy.
Eat
When the weather’s this intense, it’s all about the comfort food and the cool drinks. The new Bonifacio High Street Central is all about the summer chillin’—comfort food by way of pizza joint Nolita, drinks courtesy of Jamba Juice. So far, we like the pizzas, onion rings, and the watermelon mojitos from Nolita, Bora belly be damned. And then there’s the oatmeal selection from Jamba, which seems tailor made for post-party hangover-busting.
Go
If the obscure and unusual’s your kind of thing, Manila Music Festival’s got your flavor. With bands like Razorback and Kjwan sharing billing with international acts like A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad, May 1 looks like D-Day for your neighborhood music snobs and purists. Log on to http://manilamusicfestival.com for more details.