Party in paradise

Two Saturdays ago marked a milestone for the newest luxury nightspot in Makati, Paradis Manila, as it hosted “Paradise Ibiza” featuring DJ Les Schmitz. Paradis is the renovated former nightspot Palladium at the basement of New World Makati Hotel.

 Les Schmitz is a progressive and tech house DJ and has played in several well-known clubs in Ibiza over the years. He has been constantly gaining more and more fans every summer as resident DJ in the club Amnesia. His sets are full of energy and vibe, reflective of his exposure in the global summer party capital.

The crowd, which was a mix of foreign and local party owls, went gaga listening to his house mixes, perfect for raising the party atmosphere over the top. As bottles of champagne were served, the non-stop party mixes kept the crowd glued to the dance floor until dawn.

Witness the rise of “Inferno” Halloween party tomorrow with French DJ/producer Alchemic Storm. Exciting prizes also await those who come in their most creative costumes.

 (For upcoming events, visit Paradis Manila on Facebook and @Paradismanila on Instagram. For reservations, call 0917-8604929 or 0917-5813572.)

Winning the battle

A nationwide search was launched early this year by global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to recognize 10 young asthmatic achievers who proved outstanding in their respective fields.

Each awardee has an inspiring story to share like Christian Lacza, the grand-prize winner in the youth category. He remembers his hospital visits more than the times he got the chance to play with other kids due to his severe asthma. But instead of letting asthma interfere with his life, he pushed himself to be a holistic learner — excelling in academics, student leadership and in various competitions. Among his awards were the 2014 Kabayan Ten Outstanding Public School Students and 2014 Ten Outstanding Youth Leaders of Navotas City and he is also the youngest recipient of the Orator of the Year Award in Navotas National High School.

The runners up in the youth category are 15-year-old student and dancer Christina Chua, taekwondo twins Andre Rafael and Anton Joachim Montero, consistent student scholar Kenneth Angelo Bagay and Dave Andre Labaton, who is also a taekwondo medalist.

For Teesha Banta, grand winner of the adult category, asthma came at a most challenging time — when she was trying to balance her academics and extracurricular activities in med school. She even had to temporarily stop med school because bed rest was advised. But it did not stop her from taking a part-time job as a high school Science teacher.

Banta, a 23-year-old student from St. Luke’s College of Medicine, was a full scholar in her first two years of med school and graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines Los Baños with a degree in BS Biology (Wildlife Biology major). She plans to specialize in Pediatric Pulmonology so she could treat asthmatic children.

Other winners in the adult category are UP student Ianna Engaño, an athlete, musician and artist; Yasmin Versoza, a firefighter and member of the Marikina City Fire Truck crew; Christianne de Vera, a triathlete; and Yliah Nina Bosch, a registered nurse who is working as an Emergency Nurse Responder at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

GSK medical director Dr. Gio Barangan said, “We decided to target this particular age group because Asthma is a common chronic disease of childhood leading to reduced activity, school absences, ER visits and hospitalization.  It is also during this stage that young people are in the process of developing the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to achieve their goals in life. As such, we want to let them know that asthma should not deter them from realizing their full potential.”

The winners received the following prizes:  Huawei P7 smartphone; P5,000 worth of gift certificates from Folded & Hung and P25,000 worth of Sodexo gift certificates.

Barangan added, “Kim (Chiu), Arnel (Pineda) and Michael (Martinez) are asthmatics who have proven not only to themselves but to the entire world that they can take control of their condition and never let their asthma stop them from following their dreams and achieving success in their very competitive careers.”

(For more information, visit www.facebook.com/WinAgainstAsthma.)

The Ascott lifestyle in the south

The Ascott Limited, the world’s largest international serviced residence owner-operator, continues to increase its presence in the Philippines with the structural completion of its first serviced residence in Alabang and its sixth property in the Philippines —Somerset Alabang Manila. LBL Prime Properties Inc. forged a contract with Ascott to manage the serviced residence.   

 Set to open in 2016, the 150-unit development will be the first Ascott serviced residence in the south, located in Filinvest, Alabang, a burgeoning business district in Metro Manila. The serviced residence will offer business and leisure travelers a choice of studios, one-, two- or three-bedroom apartments featuring contemporary interiors with all the conveniences of home. Guests will also get to enjoy the recreational areas — swimming pool, fitness center and Residents’ Lounge. The property will also have function rooms, meeting rooms and serviced offices ideal for business travelers.

Somerset Alabang Manila is nestled within Filinvest City, an integrated development comprising office, retail, residential and leisure components. It’s also proximate to restaurants, shopping malls, supermarkets, sports and recreational venues and even a hospital with a lifestyle medical center. The property is highly accessible from the airport and to industrial parks in Laguna, Cavite and Batangas as it’s just right off the exit of South Luzon Expressway.

Somerset Alabang Manila is managed by The Ascott Limited, a member of CapitaLand. The company operates three award-winning brands: Ascott, Citadines and Somerset.

(For more information, visit www.somerset.com or e-mail [email protected].) (Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)