Frannywanny

Ahhhh... Staycation . Hearing the word is enough to make my heart leap and do tiny cartwheels all day long. Who doesn't want a vacation, right? You might have noticed that Paul and I love going on staycations. The main reason behind it is this... staycations keep us sane . Sometimes work and day-to-day craziness can really be stressful and since it's just not practical to jet off on a whim (yes, we're so past that stage already hehe) , the best option is to explore what the city has to offer and to stay the night or two in one of our choice hotels to enjoy the room and the amenities as well. This practice began when we got married three years ago. I have to say that Manila has a lot of really nice hotels so the challenge lies on choosing which one to try this time. The same can be said for Singapore. We've stayed the night at a number of hotels here and every single time, we go home rejuvenated and much more relaxed compared to when we first checked-in. Last D...

Two weekends ago, Paul and I spent the night in Alabang . As soon as it has been finalized that we will be heading to the South, I sent fellow blogger Jane a message asking her for recommendations on where to eat. Jane, as we all know already, is one of the sweetest person in the planet. She replied with a good long list and in addition to that, she asked me if she can send me a box of yummy ensaymada from Palms Country Club . This is an exclusive country club located in Alabang and they're known for their buttery, to-die-for ensaymada . Of course, I said YES! Thank you Jane! We agreed to meet up after my cooking class at Global Academy and despite being soooo busy preparing for her lovely daughter's debut party, Jane still made it a point to get us that box of ensaymada . Paul and I brought the ensaymada with us all the way to the South and back home. As soon as we reached the house the following day, Paul and I opened the box and shared a giant piece. We purposedly ke...

I ♥ the weekend! Oh how I value those two precious days where I get to stay in bed longer, go out for brunch or coffee with friends, watch a movie with Paul, run errands (pay our bills! ugh) and on certain weekends, go on a road trip. This is what makes the Philippines amazing. We have three big islands surrounded by various bodies of water (hello Pacific Ocean, South China Sea and a lot more) yet it is actually possible to go from north to south and back with just a car. Thanks to the RoRo , there has been a number of "cross-country" races that has been done to prove that this is indeed possible. Tiring and nerve-wracking but possible. One weekend, Paul and I joined our favorite eating and travel buddies -- the Co Family for a weekend staycation at The Bellevue Hotel in Alabang. Living at the center of Metro Manila, the farthest that most of us would frequent in the South would be Makati. Thus, upon accepting an invite to visit The Bellevue Hote l, it surely feels ...

It was the first leg of my cooking demo and this time, we went down south. Together with my ever-supportive mom, sister and fiance, we made sure to reach Parañaque by lunch as we have been hearing a lot of wonderful raves about the different restaurants located particularly along Aguirre Avenue inside BF Homes . Our chosen food stop was at Chi's Brick Oven Kitchen . I've been wanting to try this restaurant and boy was I excited! Entering the cozy looking restaurant, I scanned a couple of clippings that were displayed on the wall. I took note of the recommended dishes and sat down to order. I liked the sunny interiors of the restaurant and the smokey smell coming from the huge brick oven located up front. First choice was the Wood-fired Buffalo Wings (Php. 190) for starters. It's actually the first time that I've tried a non-greasy buffalo wings and the healthy feel actually gave a good start to our meal. I love the bleu cheese dressing that came with the wings. It wo...