Frannywanny

What a great start of the week! Today, we hit another milestone as Frannywanny.com turns SIX ! Yes, dear readers, it has been 6 fun years of food and travel blogging and I guarantee you that there's no stopping! We all know what this also means. It's time to have some contest fun! Before I get to that though, allow me to put on my geeky glasses and to share some amazing numbers with you! Presenting Frannywanny.com in Numbers : Looking at these numbers still leaves me speechless. Six year ago, I began this blog simply because I love to write and I wanted to document my food adventures with Paul. Who would have thought that this blog has allowed me to try new things, visit a couple of awesome places and best of all, it has allowed me to meet new friends. I really am so thankful that despite being miles away from Manila, I can still strongly feel the love and support that you all have been sending my way. *big HUG everyone!* As my way of saying THANK YOU, here'...

The first time I came across the super cutesy blog called Googly Gooey s was about 2 years ago when they were one of the winners of the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards (NAPBAS) which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sadly, I wasn't able to physically be present during the awards night but I cheered with the entire blogosphere as a new batch of bloggers were given the recognition that they truly deserved that evening. Googly Gooeys won the Hidden Gem award and I'd say, I felt like I've truly stumbled upon a hidden gem when I first visited their blog. The more I read their entries, the more the pink and blue characters named Tipsy and Ponggo respectively became more and more endearing to me. Somehow though, I never really thought about how they would create each entry until that fateful afternoon when I walked into the Nuffnang Philippines' HQ and met the real-life Tipsy and Ponggo. Talk about being star-strucked! Tipsy a.k.a. Tippy was busy drawing on a cl...

Admit it, what are the first 3 things that you do when you wake up in the morning? Let me make a guess -- stretch , reach for your phone/tab and check Facebook . Correct? I'm pretty sure there are more than a hundred of you nodding in agreement right now. Don't be shy... I do that too. Welcome to the social media world . Where every special milestone in your life is being celebrated by hundreds or thousands of people that's connected to you Whatever platform it may be, everyone in your network gets to witness you falling in love, getting into a relationship, being engaged and getting married. Later on, these people will also be the "first" to have a glimpse of your babies too. Social media has proven how it can reconnect lives. I personally was able to touch base with friends whom I haven't spoken to in more than a decade. That I believe is the beauty of social media.  Here at Frannywanny.com ,  I want to offer you a wider experience beyond reading ...

Finally, the judges have spoken! After going through more than 32 valid entries and choosing my top 3 entries, the judges from our dear sponsor, Unionbank have finally chosen THE ONE ! CONGRATULATIONS TO..... Joy S. Cabaltera ! She's the lucky reader who will be receiving Php. 5,000 CASH from Unionbank ! :) Thank you everyone for joining my very first contest for 2012! Watch out for another exciting one coming very soon! Joy, please expect an email from me within the day.

My mom gave me a cake today and would you like to guess what it's for? No, I didn't get a promotion at work (how I wish I did though *ahem*). No, I didn't win the lottery... and No, no baby yet in my tummy! (However, I know every single member of my family is praying for this one to come hehe!) It's because she knows that Frannywanny.com is turning a year older and my ever-supportive mom just had to make sure we celebrate this milestone thus she came home with not a slice of cake, not even a cheap cake but a huge Tiramisu from Cafe Ysabel ! So after dinner, we cleared out the table and plates and out came the huge box containing this lovely cake. Of course, a few photo op was in order and Mom stuck 4 cute candles into my cake, lit it up and told me to blow. Poor Papa, he was so confuse as he knows it wasn't my birthday but he couldn't understand why there was a cake bought for me and why on earth am I blowing four candles out. Obviously, my Dad...

Nothing beats waking up to good news.. Thanks to Carlos who posted in Plurk that... Frannywanny.com once again made it as finalist for the Philippine Blog Awards 2010 - Food & Beverage blog category! I made it together with fellow Club members Carlos and Richard , good blogger friends Chrissy and Ferdz ! What a fun bunch! :) Yahooo! :) To my fellow bloggers, I'll see you all on Sunday! *hugs*

A few months ago, I was privileged enough to be invited by Neutrogena Philippines to be one of their brand ambassadors for their Fine Fairness line. For a day, I found myself sitting with girls who I admire not only for their beauty but for the things that they’ve achieved in their respective fields as well. I was in the midst of Patty Laurel, Isabel Roces, Georgia Schulze-del Rosario, Solenn Heusaff, and fellow bloggers Phoebe Ramos, Earth Rullan, and Jane Kingsu-Cheng. It was like a dream come true. I was beyond flattered. I recently wrote about what happened that day , it was filled with preparations in order for us to have a bright start to our 2011. A few days after, things took the wrong turn. With a heavy heart, I had to formally withdraw as Neutrogena Philippines’ brand ambassador due to certain rules that I have to obey. This involves the other part of my life – my professional career. I shall not dwell on the nitty-gritty of the rule but sadly, I had to bid my new f...

My dear readers, I can't believe another year has passed and I am now blowing out three candles on Frannywanny.com 's birthday cake! Looking back at the time when I started this blog, I simply just wanted an avenue to share my thoughts on the different dining experiences that Paul and I had plus a few photos, some of which were even taken using my mobile phone. Year after year, I have been blessed by meeting a couple of great blogger friends, restaurant-owners-who-eventually-became-our-good-friends and of course my treasured readers. Nothing warms my heart more by hearing all of your kind words and encouragement that makes blogging truly fun each and every day. Blogging has been and will continue to be my passion. A week is not complete without allowing my tiny fingers to type away as I share our latest food and travel finds. This blog has played a huge part of my life, it has seen me at my worst and definitely has been there at my best . As I enter my third year, I...

Today was a happy Monday! While going through my long list of things to do, I was surprised to come across an email alert telling me that my interview with AJ has been published at the Manila Bulletin 's Tech Section today. AJ is a columnist of the Manila Bulletin's popular section called Blog-o-Rama and I am privileged to be interviewed by her. While it might be to late for ya'll to grab a copy of the paper today, I'd like to share with you excerpts from the said interview here: Click here to read my full Blog-o-Rama feature! Note: It was also the first time I was officially referred to as Frances Haw-Ang. *woot* Q. If your blog were food, what would it be and why? A. Definitely colorful platter of sushi! It always has serving of fresh stories, a colorful array of experiences and it is something people will keep craving for :) Q. What was the best experience you've had as a blogger? A. Definitely getting to know my readers -- I started blogging thin...

A blogger is also a blog-hopper. I do this every single day where in I pop in and out of my fellow blogger's site updating myself on their food adventures, fashion and beauty finds and basically their day-to-day life. While most of the ones listed in my browser's bookmark tab consists that of fellow food and travel bloggers website, one continues to stand out as this is actually the only fashion blog that I regularly follow. Meet Jean and Rosz . I am a fan of accessories and I love browsing through photos of the hippest and cutest bracelets, necklaces and cocktail rings against their crisp white background. I love how they would post magazine photos of celebrities wearing the latest accessories and guess what, they actually have these available for sale! They boasts to be the first blog on trend spotting and I'd have to save they are pretty good at it. It surely is amazing that these two girls really have to nose and eyes for the latest trends. I actually had the pr...

Trust Nuffnang Philippines to create a wonderful experience for its members at all times. First was the amazing Singapore trip that Paul and I truly enjoyed. Then just recently, we were once again invited to have an intimate dinner with a couple of fellow bloggers to welcome their talented (and very young) founders, Tim Tiah and Cheo Ming Shen to the Philippines! It was hosted by Nuffnang Philippines' director Jay Singson and his lovely wife Joy. The venue was marvelous, I was amazed the moment I stepped inside their lovely home. It reminds me of those beautiful homes we feature in Real Living Magazine . The evening began with an exclusive pizza making class by Chef Heny Sison .I guess I was really chef-strucked as I used to watch her show a couple of years ago. I love pizza and I was really excited to learn how to make my very own homemade pizza! First, we began working with the dough. Who would have thought that you add beer to add more flavor to the pizza crust? Che...

Frannywanny.com has been in existence for almost three years. Throughout these three wonderful years, I've had the privilege to visited more than a hundred restaurants not only here in Metro Manila but in different local provinces and abroad. It was Paul 's idea to come up with a running list of restaurant that I have visited and blogged about. The thought of shuffling through my old blog entries and carefully categorizing them by major locations seemed tedious and definitely time-consuming at first. However, after giving it much thought, I've decided to accept this challenge knowing that the end result would make it easier for you, my readers, to navigate through this site. Finally, I've succeeded and I proudly present to you my growing... Restaurant List Enjoy! :) p.s. In the future, you may access this growing list through the link posted on my side bar *points to the right*

I'm a PatayGutom correspondent that is :) I love this key chain that greeted me good morning today! Thanks to Jehz and Winston for this lovely new trinket that is happily attached to my camera case.

Here's an early Christmas treat for me! Getting invited to guest blog once again for one of my favorite food blogs and being able to feature my latest addiction! What a wonderful treat indeed! It was during the last week of October when I received a message from my fellow blogger Franco of Table for Three, Please if I'm game to blog for them again. The theme was Taste Contradictions and I was asked to talk about that one food item that has a mix of flavors that I truly love. By the time I reached the end of his message, I already have 2-3 options in mind. Of course, there was the well-loved Tom Yum soup, my mom's favorite spicy tamarind or the highly indulgent Royce Chocolate Potato Chips. It was when I attended the Ultimate Taste Test that I found the perfect food item that I would like to write about -- my Singapore buddy, Erica Paredes' Happy Bacon! Taste Contradictions : Happy Bacon Thank you to Table for Three, Please for inviting me to guest blog! Till next t...

It was a black-tie event as mentioned in the invite. Decked in our evening dresses and suits, we all gathered at the lobby of The Link Hotel as the organizers from Nuffnang led us to one of the four buses waiting to transport us to the beautiful Pan Pacific Hotel . Upon arriving at the hotel ballroom lobby, we registered and mingled around while munching on platters of Pringles chips that came in three delicious flavors! Finally, the ballroom doors were opened and we proceeded towards our assigned tables. Everything was done in such an organized manner! I was really at awe upon knowing that the team who worked so hard to make this event a reality is composed of a group of twenty-something enthusiastic boys and girls! It really goes to show that age is not a measure of success rather its passion and determination that will get everyone going. Kudos to the Nuffnang team! Our Dinner Menu Finally, the program began and dinner was served. As we were enjoying our dinner, Amazing Race Asia...

Life has been good to me lately...it began with the celebration of my 2nd blog anniversary followed by the wonderful news that I am one of the finalist in the upcoming Philippine Blog Awards and just today, while browsing through the official website of the PBA, I was surprised to learn that I am also part of the list of the 2009 Bloggers' Choice Special Award !! First of all, to the one who nominated me... THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart :) Secondly, I won't let you down and so I would like to ask everyone to show some love and to please vote for me by simply following these two easy steps: 1) Create a short post to express that you're voting for Frannywanny.com . A simple : I vote for FRANNYWANNY (Bloggers' Choice Award - National), 2009 Philippine Blog Awards will do. 2) Fill up the form in this page and post the link to the entry above. Just some important reminders: a. Every blogger can only vote for one Bloggers’ Choice entry. Duplicate votes will be inv...

This morning, I opened my Plurk page and browsed through the unread messages that were posted by my fellow plurkers . One specific message caught my eye which led me to the official website of the Philippine Blog Awards . I can't believe it has been a year since the last awards night where Paul and I went to 1 Esplanade to applaud the winners and mingle with our fellow bloggers. Indeed, it was a fun night. I can't believe we're a week away from this year's awards night and boy am I excited! What makes this year's awards night more exciting is because of this latest development.... Frannywanny.com is one of the finalists under the Food and Beverage blog category Yahoooo!!! Another reason to celebrate! See you all on October 9 for the Philippine Blog Awards !!

August is a happy happy month! First, I finally turned a year old as publisher of my two beloved magazine titles . Second, it's Papa's birth month and we're so excited to give him our birthday surprise (which I will disclose in a couple of weeks) . Lastly, I was chosen as Nuffnang's Featured Blogger for the month of August and I am truly in cloud nine :) Yipeeee!! I pray and hope that this will be the start of bigger and better things to come! :)