Frannywanny

My family has been a long time loyal patron of Buon Giorno Tagaytay . Every trip to Tagaytay would not be complete without two things: a meal at Josephine's and lunch at Buon Giorno . Yes, that's how loyal my family can get. For as long as we love the food and we find the price reasonable, expect us to be back regularly. After lunch at Buon Giorno my parents love to spend more time around the area as we enjoy the cool breeze and the beautiful sight of the Taal Volcano. Once in a while, my mom would crave for something Italian and to her dismay not a single Italian restaurant here in Manila could satisfy her craving as much as Buon Giorno could. Her request is simple: fresh ingredients, balanced flavor, top quality meat. Our favorite is the Smoked Salmon with Mango Dill Sauce and their Risotto. We were so happy when Buon Giorno opened their first branch in Metro Manila along Shaw Boulevard. Sadly though, the ambiance there just doesn't match with that of their Tagaytay br...

I've mentioned in various occasions that Paul and I belong to a foodie club which consists of a group of bloggers and their respective partners (husbands/wives/boyfriends/girlfriends). It all began when we are all avid plurkers and after consistently talking about food, food and more food, we all agreed to meet up one evening at the now-close Beijing Hand-Pulled Noodles in San Juan. Incidentally, most of us also resides within the same area making it easy to eat out anytime. From that first dinner we moved on to move lunches and dinners together, some members of the club even took up boxing and circuit training together. We even have a junior edition consisting of the kids of the club members! Our friendship has transitioned from online to offline. We would run to each other for help and advice and to celebrate wonderful milestones in each other's lives. Soon, we'll look forward to our first summer getaway together! Given that we're a huge group, always eating out...

If there would be anything in this world that I can't live without I'd obviously say it would be my laptop . For years, I've grown dependent on my home computer where I would spend hours blogging, surfing the net, creating trip itineraries, typing compositions for school and a lot more. In fact, my work is very computer dependent too where I would have to regularly check my mail in Microsoft Outlook and since the digital age has made work more efficient and paper-less, majority of our correspondence are done via email and reports sent using the programs of Microsoft Office. At home, my nightly routine is that I would open my handy-dandy laptop the moment I get home from work to write an entry in this blog . This had, in fact, became part of my packing list on my recent trip to the US. It's what Paul and I used to chat with my family and to update ourselves with what's happening in Manila while we're away. I believe that behind an efficient laptop should be ...

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 ...

Are you nuts about Allies Greaseless Nuts ?! Well, here's some good news! You can now easily get your can of Allies Nuts every Saturday starting March 26 at the Mercato Centrale ! This is located at the corner of 8th and 34th street beside MC Home Depot and Starbucks Coffee Drive-Thru store . We'll also be selling more delicious food items that you'll surely enjoy! Watch out for that big nutty banner at the Mercato Centrale ! See you there!! *note: we wish to thank Ro , Abet , Jane U and Trixie for helping us spread the word!!!

Alex III has been around for more than two decades.. I'm pretty sure of that as I remember dining in their Quezon City branch as a little girl and I'm sure that has been more than twenty years ago (ok, here I am on the verge of revealing my age) . For years, my staple order would be a plate of Chicken Barbeque with Java Rice, a bowl of Bird's Nest Soup with Quail Egg and my family's favorite -- Ponchi Sushi Roll and Laing. Even when we were still students, my parents would take us to Alex III along Wilson street to celebrate small achievements and milestones in our lives. I remember dining here after every quarterly exams. Papa would always get their Boneless Chicken Barbecue and the three of us would have our own plates of two-piece Chicken Barbecue. Mommy would always request that her Java Rice be changed to Plain Rice. These things have never changed since then. Now, our family is growing with Paul being the newest member of our small yet very tight-knit family....

On our first weekend back in Manila, Paul and I were busy dealing with terrible jet lag. We were up at exactly 6AM and was fast asleep by 9PM. Thus, evening social activities were totally out of the question yet the good side is we get to make the most of our mornings for almost a week and a half. Both wide awake at 6AM on a Sunday morning, we decided to head to Mercato Centrale to check out the weekend market scene. Mommy agreed to join us and off we went to the Bonifacio Global City ready to eat, eat and eat! It was a very warm Sunday morning and after quenching our thirst with Iced Barako Latte and filling our tummy with Angus Beef Tapsilog, Mommy wanted to continue our bonding session somewhere with air conditioning this time. So off we went to Serendra Piazza where we had an early lunch at Mary Grace Cafe . It's funny because I frequently buy from the Mary Grace kiosk in Greenhills but I've never dined in her Cafe. My mom, on the other hand, is a huge fan and she was...