Frannywanny

*SPONSORED POST* It’s true when they say that being a mother goes on for a lifetime. I’m 30 and having been married for 3 years, this doesn’t spare me from receiving my mom’s endless reminders on a regular basis. We used to live under the same roof and even Paul would also be part “beneficiary” of her daily reminders to eat healthy, avoid fast food and to exercise. Readers of this blog must have noticed that I would always describe my Mommy as a very healthy eater. Well, she really is. I got to hand it to her as she can stare straight at a bag of chips while saying NO. No hesitations, no double takes. She makes sure that we have fruit and veggies for both lunch and dinner and for Christmas, she even gave me a free pass to her gym in hopes that I would finally start a more active regimen. It’s no wonder that she maintains a very sexy 23-inch waistline and still finds the need to exercise for health reasons. How I wish, I got that specific gene type from her. Going back to exercisin...

*SPONSORED POST* Paul, my family, and even my closest colleagues can attest to how OC I can get when it comes to oral hygiene. For me, having a healthy set of pearly whites is an important asset for everyone. Not just for us, ladies but even for the gents as well. I grew up with my parents reminding us to brush our teeth at least twice a day, to floss regularly and to visit the dentist every six months. While I really dread the bi-annual fluoride application that makes me gag after every procedure, I still do it as this helps protect my teeth from cavities. Once a woman of steel (a.k.a. braces) Indeed, this habit has earned me cavity-free teeth up to this day. My OC-ness towards brushing and choosing the right type of toothbrush and toothpaste was heightened during my high school years when I literally begged my mom to let me have braces. I wasn’t born with straight teeth. After all my milk teeth have fallen off, it seemed like my permanent teeth all had minds of their own and ...

*SPONSORED POST* As much as I hate to admit it, I do appreciate surprises. Well not the kind that would make my hair stand on its ends or those that would make my heart run a million miles per minute. I love sweet surprises. Those that would make me go “awwww” and get all giddy and smiley all throughout the day. Surprises that involves food is also a good thing. A few weeks ago, I was invited to a Myster Dinner . I’m no stranger to this kind of dinner as Paul and I were recently able to join one by Pinoy Eats World and we both had a blast. The invite simply instructed me to head to the Bonifacio Global City where I, together with other food bloggers, will be picked up and whisked away to our undisclosed location. The ride was quite long and guesses were thrown here and there as to where we’re exactly heading. Finally, as the van made a turn towards Quirino Avenue , I suddenly had a strong feeling we’re heading to somewhere familiar. A place that I truly love and have grown f...

*SPONSORED POST* Ho ho ho ! Christmas is two days away and for the past weeks, Paul and I have been showered with gifts from our dear friends and colleagues. I guess it’s pretty obvious to the world how much we both love food thus 99% of our gifts got were either food items or food/cooking-related items. Hooray! While this is the time of the year where we have the license for non-stop merry making and treats eating, we always have to be on guard against increasing cholesterol, gaining more unwanted weight, having a bigger and not so flattering waistline and for Paul and I, we’re also extra cautious towards our blood sugar level. We’re both not getting any younger after all and we both made a pact to stay healthy for one another and for our future family. Others might think we’re being overly paranoid but you see, my father-in-law was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes a few years ago and while he gets to maintain a better sugar level now, the possibility that Paul could inherit ...

*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...

Are you a blogger? Do you aspire to be one? Here's one event that you shouldn't miss then! Nuffnang Philippines is conducting their first ever Blogopolis which is a full-day workshop for bloggers by bloggers. The day will begin an opening speech and industry overview from Nuffnang Philippines' Country Manager Mr. Yugatech himself, Abe Olandres . This will be followed by discussions to be led by the country's top media personalities such as Maria Resaa and Manuel L. Quezon III. *starstrucked!* What follows next are sessions led by fellow bloggers such as Divine Lee, Liam Capati and our very own top bloggers too (hooray Tita Noemi , Ivan H. and the cool guys from Googly Gooeys !) . Well, if there's one segment that you shouldn't miss it would be at 11AM where I will be joining Divine Lee as one of her panelists where she will talk about Community Building : How to engage and interact with your Audience . Ohhh boy I hope I do a good job! How to join? ...

*SPONSORED POST* I scream for ICE CREAM! :) A grew up thinking that eating ice cream is only suitable during the summer months. When the temperature is at its all time high and nothing sounds better than indulging in a cold cup of creamy goodness to beat the heat. It was until I learned that ice cream can also be taken in the cold winter nights to help your body release more heat to combat the..cold! It may take a while for this fact to make sense but I tried it when it was shivering cold in Seoul, Korea last April and true enough, it made my heart tremble less and my body somehow was able to produce more heat. This now gives all ice cream lovers out there the reason to enjoy their favourite cold scoop at any given time of the day, month or year! Over the weekend, Paul and I visited SM North EDSA to check out a cute sky blue ice cream cart called Picket Fence ! Being big ice cream fans, we got word that this is really good stuff thus we know we can’t pass up on the opportunity...

*SPONSORED POST* As much as I enjoy eating out, there are just some days that I really appreciate a good home-cooked meal prepared by Mommy. I grew up having mostly Chinese food at home but my favorites include Mom’s Chicken and Pork Adobo , her signature Corned Beef Macaroni and of course, her delicious Curry Fried Rice . Not wanting to give out excuses but really, how can one stay slim with all these delicious food coming out from our kitchen? How I wish I got Mom’s talent in cooking (and her slim frame too! Haha) . I guess, for a while back she saw a glimmer of hope when I began taking cooking classes every summer and I would spend every weekend trying out various recipes from Yummy Magazine. Sure, I’d make a mess but I’m pretty proud of my edible creations to say the least. Weekends got pretty busy that I haven’t cooked anything in months! My Pasta Specialties: Italian Eggplant Lasagna Three Cheese Penne Fusilli alla Genovese ala Frannywanny Oh how I miss cooking! The s...

It’s BACKKKKKKK!! A year ago, my food-loving colleague excitedly told me about S M Megamall having a 3-day Food Sale . Imagine having at least a hundred food establishments offering discounts, free dishes and a lot more! It truly felt like a food lover’s holiday! I wasn’t sure what happened last year but sadly, I missed the fun weekend. Well, I’m not going to let that happen again this year. In fact, as early as last weekend, Paul and I headed to SM Megamall to check out the participating establishments already and took mental notes on which ones we will definitely visit this coming weekend. We mean business which means, we need a surefire strategy. This is WAR! Food War! :)

*SPONSORED POST* A few days ago, I shared with you our Superwish for the New Year . This includes our great big plan to enrich our knowledge in cooking and to take it to a higher level by finally enrolling ourselves in professional classes this year. We're both extremely psyched for this! Oh, how we would talk non-stop on what we would like to learn and the dinners that we both will be able to host afterwards. No more relying on take outs, no more seeking the help of our talented Manang, my Mommy or Kongkong (while we still look up to them nonetheless) ... soon we'll be able to create delicious meals on our own! Working for the country's top-selling food magazin e is truly a blessing. Of course, I have my growing collection of magazines and cookbooks to inspire and to help us get started. We're no strangers to the kitchen, after all. Once in a while we'll try a recipe or two which luckily would always turn out pretty successful. Still, we know there's st...

*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...

*SPONSORED POST* Over and over again, Paul and I have been claiming that 2012 will be OUR year. This will be the year that hopefully we’ll be able to achieve financial growth and stability and at our young age, we aim to finally have the luxury to have our own car, to plan for our future home and to prepare for our little bundle of joy. I know it’s not enough to just blog about it thus we have been taking baby steps…small but well-thought out plans to reach our goals. I’m lucky though that Paul is a very frugal man. He’s a simple guy who would rather save his money than to throw it all away over clothes, gadgets or toys (for the Big Boys) . In fact, his being frugal allowed him to pay for our entire wedding expenses and he made sure to give me my dream team of suppliers and as a whole, made his bride’s dream come true. This is something quite unusual for typical Chinese families where the parents of the groom would normally be the ones who would foot the bill but being responsibl...

*SPONSORED POST* Ok, after all that dining out and food shopping, let us talk about MONEY . Not wanting to sound like Scrooge McDuck otherwise known as Uncle Scrooge to Donald Duck’s nephews, but let’s face it. Money is important and it indeed makes the world go ‘round. When I was younger, I thought money can easily be accessed from a wall where you just press a few digits and out comes cold hard cash. That was after watching my mom withdraw from the ATM. However, my parents did an amazing job at educating us about the value of money and it’s not as easy as pressing a few numbers to access money at any given time. At age 8, I learned how to budget my money. It was during our first out of the country trip when my dad gave me a small allowance. I can buy anything I want provided I have to keep it within budget. As impulsive a shopper that I may want to be, I had to think twice, thrice, a million times before finally picking up that Forever Friends stuffed toy from the shelf and stra...

Look what's inside this big black box!!! It's a set of the new Coca-Cola Can Glasses and I'm so excited to use these when I have friends over! Perfect isn't it? Glasses of icy cold Coca-Cola and bags of chips! I also have the complete set of glasses from last year's collection (sports series) and I must admit I liked this design more. The glasses come in 6 colors: pink, green, blue, lime, charcoal and purple! This makes a good collector's item as the glasses are only available in select McDonald's outlets in 13 markets worldwide! Stocks are limited so head over to McDonald's and avail of these by adding P25 to any Extra Value Meal! *note: thank you NN for this!

*SPONSORED POST* “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I think I’ve heard this question a number of times as a child. Relatives, family friends, basically everyone and anyone older than me have thrown that question my way hoping I’d give a kiddie beauty pageant answer like “when I grow up, I want to: a) be a doctor to save lives.” b) be a lawyer to defend the poor.” c) be a superhero and save the world.” Sadly, probably to their disappointment, I had a very simple dream… “I wanted to be a housewife.” Yes, even as a little girl, I knew I wanted to meet my Prince Charming, have the cutest and smartest kids and live happily ever after. Blame it on Cinderella or Snow White but in my little world, I just want to live happily and to have a life filled with love. I never thought I’d be part of the corporate world and in fact am enjoying every moment of it. Sure, in college, I dreamt of working in a magazine industry and I was pretty specific then that I only wanted to be part of...

*SPONSORED POST*  3:30 AM, onboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J 311 My short one-hour and a half nap was interrupted with this message from the pilot: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Local time is 30 minutes past the hour of three in the morning … I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board Cebu Pacific again.” Yes, I am finally back in Manila and my amazing three day vacation in Taipei has finally come to an end. I was feeling a bit light-headed as sleeping in the airplane was not exactly what I’d call comfortable nevertheless; our flight was pretty smooth all throughout. After speeding past through immigration and customs, we found Mommy and our driver Kuya M waiting for us at the Arrival Gate. Traffic was non-existent at this hour so we were able to zoom pass EDSA in minutes. Arriving at our neighborhood, I asked Mommy if we can grab something to eat. Obviously, everything was close...

Here’s the last restaurant that I visited for the Manila’s Signature Dishes of Unilever Foodsolutions . I really wanted to visit all 16 but with the Christmas traffic and the fear of growing a huge tummy, I settled for my lucky 7 . You’ve read about Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza , Red Crab Café’s delicious Salt and Pepper Crabs , Barcino’s Paella Valenciana , Chef Robert’s Lengua ala Pobre , Metro Cuisines’ Baked Salmon with Herbs and Bordeaux’ Boeuf Bourguignon, now we went local and tried C2’s wide array of classic pinoy dishes. We joined part of The Club that evening at C2 Classic Cuisine in Katipunan. I really like the interiors where they have a salad bar in one end and long native-looking tables all around the ground floor. I really enjoy dining out with The Club as everyone has lots of stories to tell and we would finish eating till 10 or 11 due to the numerous stories shared. That evening, we were joined by Nikki, Keith , Hannah and Dani – really good friends of The Club...

Bordeaux is the wine capital of France. As mentioned here (insert link), expect to raise your glass many times when visiting the laid back city of Bordeaux. This can also be said about Bordeaux – Premium French Wine Bar at the Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City. Upon entering the restaurant, we were ushered towards our table at the ground floor. Our server, Jericho, began placing two wine glasses on our table while at the same time handing us the menu. We told him that we wanted to try their set for the Manila’s Signature Dishes to which he quickly acknowledge. While waiting for our appetizer, I watch the couple on the next table enjoy a plate of Caesar Salad. The lettuce looks so crisp and the dressing was simply mouthwatering. This prompted me to order our own Caesar Salad to share. Jericho returned with a bottle of Casillero del Diablo and before pouring the wine into our glasses, he gave a brief description of the wine. I was beyond impressed. My brother-in-law once ...

I always have a liking for neighborhood restaurants where I, more often than not, discovery a number of yummy finds. Take the case of Metro Cuisines for example. We found this along N.S. Amoranto street (formerly known as Reposo to most QC residents) one Sunday lunch, where it was almost full except for a small table which we immediately got. What we didn’t know then was Metro Cuisines has a buffet promo every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the whole day of Sunday. This is the time where residents nearby would go to Metro Cuisines to enjoy their varied buffet spread with the entire family. As part of Manila’s Signature Dishes by Unilever Foodsolutions, we started with our own bowls of steaming Cream of Mushroom soup. The texture was smooth and the flavor was subtle. It was quite refreshing to start our meal with this. This was followed by Mushroom Aioli with French Toast . I liked this dish a lot as I can taste the paprika which was added in. The toast was crunchy ...