Frannywanny

Let me tell you a secret. Ready?  Okay, here goes....  I really love it whenever good friends from Manila would come visit and make time to share a meal with us. ♥  I know how traveling can be quite hectic so Paul and I really do appreciate it whenever our friends would go through the trouble of messaging us just to say that they're coming and they would really set aside some of their precious time to see us when they could probably spend this shopping away in Orchard. It really tells us a lot about the friends whom we have to treasure for life. Take for example my good friend M. He has been one of my closest friends since high school and we would talk almost every night all throughout our high school / college years and even after that. I know the story of his love life by heart and he has been a witness to mine. He's the kind of friend whom I know I can always count on anytime. For example, during my debut party, he even bought me my favorite fish sandwi...

Nowadays, I do look forward to quiet weekends. Gone are the days wherein my schedule is packed with errands, meet-ups, eat outs and more. Since I've moved here, my life is pretty much on a steady pace. From what used to be like a fast car zooming at 250kph, my weekends now feel like a smooth ride down an easy breezy road. Somehow, I like it that way. On one of those lazy Saturdays, I set a brunch meet-up with my good friend A who's back in Singapore for the F1 race. It's really cool that A and I still get to keep in touch even more now that we're both miles away from home. Thanks to the power of social media, we somehow get to be updated with each other's lives or at least our whereabouts from time to time. Also, I really enjoy going out for brunch with A and her beloved J. They're such fun couple who's game to try new places and since I was dead set in avoiding the CBD and touristy areas that weekend since I'm pretty sure traffic will be awful, I sug...

Last weekend, our dear friends C and I finally tied the knot. Paul and I were feeling a bit glum that we were not present to witness this beautiful union. As such, I kept myself updated by viewing all their lovely photos on Instagram. *sigh* Then, I had an idea. We should surprise them and welcome them back to Singapore as the new Mr. and Mrs. J! Now the question is…HOW??? I paced around the house trying to come up with an idea on what we can do that will surely surprise them. Remember that I recently made C a birthday banner so I needed to do something else. Then I thought of checking the Canon Singapore page out. *Ding!!!* Welcome to the Canon Creative Park ! I clapped my hands in glee and jumped around the house (okay fine..it’s more like prance around) as if I found a goldmine…well it sure does feel like it. Okay, now what to do? *rubbing her hands together* I just love how the website has ready templates and instructions for you to do your arts and craft projects. It ...

People would tease me that I have an attention span of a goldfish or that my memory is sometimes as bad as Dory's in Finding Nemo. Tell me your name today and there's a chance that I might be calling you something else tomorrow. My former colleague Jamie can attest to this, I was calling her Joyce for about a month or two! I hate it, actually. How I wish I have a better memory! Oh well... The ironies in life. As bad as my memory is at present, ask me anything about my childhood and I can give you a blow-by-blow account of it. My class section names from Kinder to High School, my alma mater hymm, who sat beside me on my first day in college and even the trips that my family has made. There's also one thing that I will never forget -- the first friend that I've made in my life. Meet Angela or Gelato (Gelats) as I love to call her. We met on our first day in nursery and somehow we remained friends 28 years after. After attending nursery together, we moved on to the sam...

My good friend Bianca is getting married tomorrow. While I'm extremely happy that Bianx and Pao are finally  tying the knot, I can't help but feel a bit of sadness that I won't be physically there to witness this momentous moment in their lives. Oh to be 1,400++ miles away from home. *sigh* Anyway, allow me to dedicate this entry to Bianca as I tell you about our recent dinner together at Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant -- our last before she officially becomes Mrs. M. Bianx, Kat and I are a trio. We all used to work for the Green Siren a couple of years back and have moved on to new companies since. Both Kat and Bianx were from the same department and our office cubicles were not exactly close to each other. What made us bond was our shared love for... FOOD. It all began with a series of emails sent back and forth until we agreed to meet up for lunch and that lunch led to another lunch...after which, we also had dinner and more dinners thereafter. It has been 5 years si...

*SPONSORED POST* I just came home from a fun evening spent with my barkada. I’ve known these girls for more than 15 years at the very least. In fact, T and I have been friends since we were in kindergarten! That’s how long we’ve known each other and it’s truly amazing to see how our bond continues to grow and strengthen through the years. In fact, they’re like family to me. Thus, it was definitely a no-brainer that I immediately chose all three of them to be part of my bridal entourage when Paul and I tied the knot two years ago. This is because I simply wanted them to play a meaningful role in such a momentous occasion in my life. 3 of the 4 Musketeers : Best Friends for LIFE After high school, we each went to different universities and later on took different but quite similar career paths. Despite our hectic schedules, its amazing that we continue to stay connected thanks to the power of the internet and mobile communications . Just recently, when Typhoon Sandy hit New Jersey...

My mom's friend once said: "Give out food and more food will come to you...give out money and more money will come back to you." She was so right. Food has been my way of sharing the love with my friends, family and colleagues and I've been blessed with abundant food coming back my way every single day. Who's complaining? My tummy has been very very happy! Yesterday has been another stressful work day for me. As I spent really long hours at work to the point that Paul had to literally pull me out to have a good and filling dinner. I continued working at a milk tea shop while waiting for my sister's call for us to pick her up. Then, I came home to... ...a box of delicious Date and Nut Torte sent by one of the sweetest couples Paul and I have the privilege of knowing and being friends with. Thank you A & I! You guys rock!

It's Lent and the Philippines is now having a 5-day long break allowing us to reflect, repent and to remember what He has done for us. For me, I'm spending this 5 days to do all those and to relax, tp catch up with friends and to prepare for my upcoming trip as well. Today, I had lunch with a couple of good friends from high school. Since my good friends Angie and Dave are expecting their little bundle joy soon and Ge was advised by the doctor to just stay indoors; thus, we decided to have a simple potluck lunch at their lovely home instead of eating outside. I observe Lent as I stay away from meat until Easter. Luckily, all the dishes that we had today were meat-free allowing me to enjoy every single one! Let me share with you what me and my friends brought to lunch today: Even if she said she won't be cooking anything; Ge, who can double as Martha Stewart, couldn't help but prepare this yummy Spinach Dip with Crostinis. She also had a plate of Asparagu...

16 years. That's how long most of us have known each other. It all began on the 1st day of class in 1996 (yes kids..no loud gasp please..Auntie Franny is not THAT old) when we all went back to school after summer break. It was our first year in high school then. It's part of the system that we all get reshuffled right after 7th grade. I guess the reason behind this is to give us more chance to get to know one another more. Much to our dismay then, this system worked out pretty well as we graduated High School knowing almost everyone in our batch of 240++ students. High School really was FUN. It was the time where we were still so carefree, all filled with hope and optimism and we didn't have much to worry about day in and out. I enjoyed playing matchmakers to friends during our Prom and Ball seasons and everyday I look forward to just three things: Recess, Lunch and Dismissal (ok, fine, maybe I also love Cooking Class and Club days too) . It was during these years that...

A few months ago, Paul and I met up with long time friends Sophie , Jean and Karl for our much-awaited dinner. This plan has been pushed back so many times that we were all so excited that the day has finally come that we will be able to catch up and see each other again. The venue was set at Quezon City and going through my Restaurant List, I suggested that we try Pino Resto Bar which shares the same building with its healthier vegan version, Pipino Vegetarian Restaurant . I was able to try Pipino's Mac and Cheese during the Yummy Eats event last May. In fact, it was the only thing I ate after running around the venue, making sure everything goes as planned all day. I wasn't really planning to eat had it not been for Paul who pulled me to stop and firmly told me to eat after 10 attempts or so. When I had my first bite of Pipino's Mac and Cheese, I was hooked! It was delicious, no signs of it being a purely vegan dish and it was very addicting in fact. Too addicting...

I can't believe it's finally December ! It just seems like yesterday when Paul and I celebrated our first Christmas as a married couple and in 24 days we'll be celebrating it again for the 2nd time! Time surely flies extra fast when you're having fun and I am sure having a blast this 2011! Imagine being able to attend the weddings of two of my closest friends, spending more time not only with my family but with my in laws, taking out of town trips and a million food trips with friends and a whole lot more! Mommy and I can't help but get emotional whenever we see our house well-lit with Christmas lights which were carefully installed by my Dad. Three years ago, we were still unsure if Papa can fully recover from his brain surgery as he was still undergoing motor and speech therapy and was 100% dependent on his personal nurse. Today, he can move around, talk, listen and eat on his own. Best of all, he would even walk all the way to Greenhills just to get his regular...

Lately, everyone has been crazy about Groupons which is actually a new term for group buying coupons. More and more groupon sites have been sprouting here and there offering various price-off packages for food, travel, beauty and more. Of course, being the food lovers that we are, Richard and I are always on the look out for food groupons. One latest deal that we availed of was the Timeless 4-Course Dinner for 2 at Ilustrado Restaurant from Deal Grocer . The package is said to be worth P2,500 but we only got it for Php. 1,250 or exactly 50% less than the normal rate. We arrived at Ilustrado Restaurant in Intramuros a little past 7 last Saturday. The place was packed as there was a wedding reception being held there that evening but it was a good thing we've made reservations thus we have a table waiting for us the moment we arrived. I love the olden Filipino feel of the restaurant with wooden capiz windows and vintage trinkets adorning the ceiling and surroundings of the r...

For years I have been very active in Plurk even putting my account on "vacation" when I go out of the country just so my karma won't drastically go down. There, I've gotten to know new friends and have strengthened my friendships with some. During my recent trip to the US, I realized that people there are crazy about Twitter. With their advance technology via mobile people are busy checking their Facebook accounts, checking in on Foursquare and Twitting every chance they get. Almost all of the people that I've met has either a smart phone or an iPhone and they're all on data plan. Amazing huh?! How I wish we can be as technologically-savvy here. I know eventually we'll get there. Well, here's a start.. while I am not abandoning my Plurk account but I am joining the crowd as I enter the world of Twitter. It has been less than 24 hours since I've revived my dormant account and I've connected with fellow bloggers and friends. It's a fun ...

After spending the entire afternoon doing our Christmas shopping, our dear friend Chel treated the group for dinner at her favorite restaurant along Banawe street in Quezon City. She couldn't believe that none of us have dined at Cafe Monaco yet as it has been around for quite a while. The funny thing was that our fellow newly married couple J and S even lives a couple of steps away from the restaurant and still we were all newbies that evening. From the outside, Cafe Monaco looks a bit dark giving you the impression that the restaurant may be empty. Once you enter, you'll be surprise to see the restaurant filled up and their server busy attending to the needs of every customer. The menu is a mix of Japanese-Korean-Pinoy dishes. We took Chel's lead by ordering the Gyu Nikuyakidon , the spicy Bibimbap and Mango Crepe for dessert. After placing our orders, we were given saucers of kimchi for appetizer. Oh I love kimchi and together with wasabi, these are the onl...

It's almost noon yet the entire house is still fast asleep..this is except for myself, my cute little dog Scottie and our busy househelps. Spent a marvelous time with the girls last night. I'm truly blessed to have three amazing girl friends whom I truly get along with and who are real, not pretentious and are super fun to be with. :) No issues over non-issues, no bloated egos, just plain old fun over stories and laughter shared all around. It's just like going back to basic. This is what friendship is all about. It's funny that I woke up to this SMS sent by Mr Ube (of Eng Bee Tin Hopia). "Don't stress yourself with useless people who don't even deserve to be an issue in your life." I then realized I tend to be a worrier and with all the blessings that I've been getting in my life, I guess I should learn to just shrug off those that are really unimportant to me, Paul and our families. I have to focus on the heart of the matter , continue...

F is for Frannywanny and Facebook ! Continuing the celebration of my 3rd blogniversary , the official facebook page of Frannywanny.com has now been created! There, followers can expect frequent updates on my latest entries, special contests just for my Facebook friends and more! Show your love and click here to be part of my Facebook page ! :)

I remember days before the wedding, I found myself majorly craving for Omakase . Oh how my mouth waters at the thought of its creamy Uni Sashimi and crunchy Seafood Dumplings. Since our schedule has been hectic and we left the country shortly after our BIG day, it took me a while to be reunited with my favorite Japanese dishes. When my good friend A invited me out to dinner to catch up and plan for her upcoming wedding, I suggested that we go to Omakase as nothing beats bonding with your friend over good food. We were both hungry that evening that we ordered a feast! I began with my favorite Uni Sashimi , which I requested that they served extra chilled as recommended by my sister -- a fellow Uni lover. Since A does not eat raw food, she allowed me to indulge and enjoy the plate the Uni all by myself. I love you A! :) As usual, Omakase's Uni is one of the best that I've tasted so far, it's so creamy and it does not have a slimey texture that can become pretty overwh...

We're so blessed to have a number of couple friends whom we regularly go out on double/triple/quadruple/quintuple (!!!) dates with. Paul and I truly enjoy chatting with them and sharing stories knowing that we can all relate with one another. Such is the case with one of our favorite couples S and J who just got married not so long ago and are now busy opening their very own hardware shop (for readers living in Quezon City please drop by their shop called N.S. Amoranto along..you guess it right! N.S. Amoranto street!) . I always look forward to dinner dates with S and J simply because they are really fun to be with! We can all just chat and chat all night and end the evening feeling happier and stress-free. One evening, we got a message from J inviting us out to dinner. Since we were just around the vicinity, we agreed to meet up near their hardware shop as Paul and I are looking for something new. J suggested Asian Twist . Following S' instructions, we were able to find ...

I'm stuck at home today. Had to take a leave from work due to a nasty stomachache that kept me up all night. Was it something I ate or is it because of stress? Whichever it was, I'm just upset that I'm wasting a beautiful day doing NOTHING. Going through the folder filled with my favorite photos I came across a couple that made me smile... these things truly make me happy and so I'd like to share them with you. my favorite drink my comfort food a sweet surprise wish I can be a kid again :) a delicious discovery the best set of friends LOVE :) Tell me, what makes you HAPPY?