Frannywanny

 "Nothing can dim the light that shines from within." - Maya Angelou 2021's entrance was probably one of the most quiet that I've ever encountered in my 39 years of existence. With the absence of massive fireworks and social distancing protocols are still being observed, we gladly bid 2020 adieu and hope that this year will be much better. If you asked me what I was doing as we counted down to the end of 2020, I'd tell you that I was quietly in my study area, working on my laptop. With my twins and my parents sleeping soundly and Paul sitting right beside me, it may not sound very happening but to be, I got everyone who mattered around me and that's just what I needed. Of course, we had a nice family dinner with my sister and her family on video call. I guess this is really the digital age where technology makes being apart physically makes it feel less painful and lonely.  So what do I hope for this new year. I just hope for the pandemic to end. For famili...

I know it's kinda late to talk about the New Year as in fact we're just a week away from February. I guess this is what first time parenthood is all about. Your days will just roll by so quickly as you busily deal with endless changes of dirty diapers, frequent cries for milk and basically trying to keep your baby (or in our case, our babies) healthy, happy and simply alive every single day. However, as I watch my twins sleep soundly right now I can't help but feel an immense amount of gratitude and happiness. Just a year ago, I made a wish that hopefully on 2017, we will finally have the answer to our prayers. I prayed that we will be blessed with a baby...regardless if it's a boy or a girl, I promise to be the best Mom that I could possibly be and I'll bring him or her closer to God too. Just three months after, our prayers were answered and shortly after that, we found out that we were expecting not only one but two beautiful babies. More blessings and su...

This year flew by in bullet train speed. I can't believe we're a few hours away from bidding 2015 goodbye and saying hello to 2016. People say that time flies when you're having fun. Well, I guess for most parts, that's true but I also have experienced my biggest heartbreak (to date) a few months back when my beautiful Amah lost her battle to ugly cancer and left us all in this world. Sometimes, I would forget that she's gone and would excitedly look forward to flying home to Manila to see her and Angkong. *sigh* On the other hand, our family recently celebrated a big milestone when my sister tied the knot to my new brother-in-law E. That was a really fun occasion and I'm pretty sure that even Amah was up there smiling and watching as the festivities unfold. Anyway, amidst all the ups and downs, this year has really taught me the true meaning and importance of FAMILY. I've been flying back and forth Singapore and Manila for the past months and while a...

2015 is finally here and we're filled with so much optimism that this year will bring more luck, love, success and good health. Let me do a quick re-cap on the top 5 highlights of my 2014: 1) New friends, old friends As you may have noticed, Paul and I do love our friends dearly. We're blessed to have a handful who have stayed loyal and loving to us through all these years (some have been there for us for decades already!). Being away from home may have put our friendship to the test but it's such joy to be able to catch up with them every time and it's so easy for us to pick up where we left off making us realize the true friendship knows no distance . When it comes to new friends, we have the NKids whom we love and consider as our family in the Lion City. We're so lucky to have met them and to share a number of foodie adventures with them. C, I and O will forever be mainstays in this blog so do watch out for that. 2) Happy travels Finally, we're ba...

CHANGE.  Such a big word and it basically encapsulates how 2013 was for both Paul and I. We all recalled how the year began with an arrray of farewell dinners thrown by good friends and family as we prepared for our big move to the Lion City . Such a great leap it was that we were faced with new responsibilities, a new career, moving into a new home and the opportunity to build new relationships and friendships too. Months passed and we slowly made ourselves feel at home.  For us, Singapore has slowly became our second home. I guess we got these three people whom we consider our family in the Lion City to thank for. Meet I , O and C . Our three flatmates who have made our transition such a breeze. They're always ready to answer all our questions, to lend a helping hand and best of all, they're always game to join us on impromptu food trips too.  Unlike the past years, we were not able to travel anywhere beyond the frequent Singapore-Manila-Singapore tri...

I was initially planning to list my top eats for 2012 but decided otherwise. Thinking that it's the first day of the year, I thought of just spreading some good news by announcing the winners of my Holiday Giveaway ! Are you ready? Here they are:

*SPONSORED POST* How did you celebrate the New Year? Watching the news, I can’t help but get teary-eyed as CNN featured the live New Year’s countdown at Times Square in New York City. From the looks of the crowd, it seems to be a very cold winter night yet this didn’t stop thousands of Americans to go out to the street to be part of this festive celebration. As soon as the clock struck twelve, everyone began hugging, cheering, some couples started kissing and kids began jumping and dancing all around. What a happy sight! This scene is not far from what we had here in Manila 16 hours earlier than what happened in New York. In various part of the country, big parties were held, beautiful fireworks lit up the sky and in my in-law’s cozy home, we greeted one another and sat around the table to enjoy on our New Year’s Media Noche. As we enjoyed our bowls of misua soup, sticky rice cakes and fruits, we opened two bottles of Tropicana Twister in two different flavors – Apple Lemon and...

As soon as the clock strucked 12 last night, I stood up and instinctively jumped three times. My sister-in-law laughed as she reminded me of the sad truth... I won't get any taller by doing that anymore . :P Still, I love the juggling sound of the coins that Paul told me to put in my polka dot pink shorts. If I can't get any taller, then I hope to be rich! It was my first time to celebrate New Year's Eve at my in-laws and I enjoyed heading down to the dining table where the entire table was filled with all sorts of round fruits, cakes, roasted chesnuts and bowls of misua soup for each one of us. A few minutes after that, my cousin-in-law came by to wish us a Happy New Year! Too bad my other sister-in-law couldn't join us or it would have been fun to have the kids running around screaming "Happy New Year" too! My phone rang and it was my mom and sister wishing us a Happy New Year as they just had our traditional wine drinking at home. For a while there, I...

I woke up at exactly 8:45AM this morning and initially I wanted to sleep some more...only I realized that it's December 31 , the last day of the year and I am definitely not wasting precious time in bed when I can jump start my action-packed day with this blog entry. My annual year-ender special where in the past I've listed off my 8 blessings in 2008 , 5 amazing moments in 2009 and Top 10 Food Spots in 2010 ! This year, I won't deviate from the usual practice as I present to you my 11 Memorable Moments in 2011 !!! (p.s. in no particular order) 1) Hello USA! It was like a dream come true. To be honest, I'd never thought I'd travel to the US...this soon and best of all, Paul was with me! :) Memorable food stops includes the mouthwatering ribs of Lucille's , the to-die-for bucket of seafood from Boiling Crab and the incredibly delicious Red Velvet Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory . We had a great time reuniting with friends and family all throughout o...

I'd like to start my year with GOOD news! :) As one of my new year's resolutions, I will continue to stay positive and keep a happier disposition in life. Thus, here I am ready to announce the winners of my 2011 Starbucks Planner Contest to spread the happy vibe! I was amazed to receive a total of 99 unique entries both here and in my Official Facebook Page ! With the overwhelming response, Paul joined in the fun and will be awarding a limited edition Starbucks Messenger Bag for that lucky entry that he has chosen! Basically, we looked for the entry that best answered the question: Where is your Starbucks 3rd place and share a memorable moment that has made you stay loyal to that store? I have then divided the planners into three categories: - Friends/Family - Wood - Love - Velvet - Self - Metal My top three winners will come from each of these categories :) So here they are.. 1) for Family/Friends - the Wood planner goes to... Pam Garcia ! My 3rd pl...