April came and went in a flash—between Holy Week and back-to-back holidays, the days just zipped by. Still, I managed to enjoy a few standout things that made the month brighter, more inspiring, and a lot more fun.

From a gripping new book release to unexpectedly great snacks, here are five of my favorite discoveries from April:

1. A New “Hunger” Emerges: Sunrise on the Reaping

Suzanne Collins took us back to the dystopian world of Panem with another Hunger Games prequel, this time focusing on fan favorite Haymitch Abernathy when he participated during his own brutal turn in the arena. With double the number of tributes and a haunting new perspective, this entry is just as intense and heartbreaking as the original trilogy while adding more depth to these characters we thought we already knew.

2. A Cool Hot Coffee Tumbler: Owala SmoothSip Slider

I love the Owala water bottles, which I think are the best on the market. The only downside with their usual Owala FreeSip bottles is that you can’t put hot liquid in them. Thankfully, the company released a version that is primarily made for hot drinks! Plus, there is a “slider” on the top that opens and seals the spout with ease, avoiding accidental spills and keeps the drink hot even longer.

3. Yo, Good: Yoyogi Yogurt

Technically, Yoyogi has been around since 2022 but a new stall opened right across from our office and I can hardly stop myself from grabbing a drink whenever I pass by. These yogurt drinks are the perfect blend of tangy and creamy, with fun flavor options to boot. Their fruit-based ones are great, but their Japanese-inspired drinks are especially worth trying—like the sky-blue Yoyogi Yoguruto topped with crunchy biscuits.

4. Quiz Night Masters: Trivia Down Tuesdays

Me and my geeky school friends love a bit of game night, and no one does Quiz Nights better than Trivia Down Tuesdays. Their hosted quiz nights are fun, challenging, and thrilling. Whatever your expertise, you’re sure to find it because they offer tons of options for topics – rom Pinoy pop culture and ‘00s music to niche topics like Taylor Swift or Game of Thrones. They host events almost daily around the metro, so chances are there’s one happening near you this week.

5. More Pastry Please: Bakery Felt

This bakery may have just missed out on our 5 Pastry Havens in Manila list, but it’s definitely still worth shouting out. Bakery Felt is known for their flaky, cream-filled buns in flavors that are anything but basic. They specialize in cream-filled buns made with flaky puff pastry,and have all kinds of fun and unique flavors such as a pastry made with fried saba and spiced coconut yema cream, or a dayap leche flan and calamansi cream combo, or my personal favorite, a peanut butter and strawberry jam-flavored bun bursting with strawberry cream. Give yourself a pick-me-up and try one (or more) of their delicious buns.

And those are my five memorable recommendations that I discovered in the month of April. We hope that you had pleasant and relaxing holidays this month, and you found something new to check out! ’ll be back soon with more recos as we head into May. Stay tuned for the next edition of PULSE Picks!