Frannywanny

 ...well I think I am.  I really miss writing, sharing my food and travel experiences. I'm actually not sure if there's anyone still reading my blog but if you're out there. Thank you!  This year, I hope I'll be able to write more. To share how my life has been with all of you and I hope to somehow make this -- a space for you to be reassured that I'm here. I'm ready to talk to you and you're never alone.  We've been in lockdown for more than 2 years and while I do want to thank my kids, Paul and my parents for keeping my sanity in check, I'm starting to realized that I have had enough. Enough of staying home, enough of putting our lives on hold, enough of watching my kids losing their childhood. I hope, as we continue to get vaccinated and build our immunity, we can face normalcy once again.  Well, I've been eating a LOT for the past two years so I got a lot of stories and food finds to share. Till then, please stay safe. xoxo 

WOW! Thirteen.  It's like I have a teenager. If you really think about it, Frannywanny.com is my first baby. It was born out of love and passion, somewhat unplanned and based on impulse but how it grew to what it is today is because of the amount of time and dedication that I have poured into it and of course, the immeasurable support that I have been blessed with. If you have been following this blog for the past 13 years, you have been with me through all my ups and downs as I moved out of Manila, started a new life in Singapore, moved back to Manila, became a twin mom and yet, I still want to think that I am still am the same Frannywanny from Day 1 -- a city girl who loves to eat, cook and to write.  I got to admit that when I started this blog, I honestly thought that I was just writing for a handful of my friends to read. Them and Paul, of course. So, it never fails to warm my heart when I would encounter someone who would write to me or would tell me in person that the...

Every night, I thank Him for leading me to Paul 16 years ago. How he became my first serious and last boyfriend. Our love story is something that I just love telling over and over again. Apart from meeting and eventually marrying him, I am also thankful for gaining a new family who loved me like their own. I am blessed to have the best in laws who continuous to support me in whatever I do. So much so that they all were so game when I sent them this message a few hours before our Father's Day dinner last weekend: "I got a bag filled with 6 bottles of Tabasco. Let's do a Tabasco tasting challenge later, ok?" Within minutes, I got replies from Paul's siblings all saying yes! Aren't they just the best? We had so much fun doing the challenge that even Daddy happily watched on and even helped me with the mechanics. Even my nephew J appointed himself as our game master and scorer, if you listen closely, you'll hear his cute commentator lines.

Hello everyone! It's finally June and it's my birthday month. Soon, we're pretty much halfway through 2019. Time is zooming by so fast again, don't you think?  Anyway, let me backtrack a bit and tell you about my first ever experience doing Lazada Live . I guess everyone all know what Lazada  is as today's world is all about online shopping and basically doing everything and anything online. Before I had my twins, I remember attending an event where moms and (then, this momma to be) were asked to stand up and share two of their guilty pleasures . Mine was a no brainer -- chips and carbs. These are still my guilty pleasures till today, actually. Well, most moms mentioned "online shopping" and in my mind, I was like.. "What?!" Back then, I felt uncomfortable trusting online sellers with my money...worst, my credit card details. I had a million and one questions then like "what if the item was fake?", "what if no item gets delivered...

9 September 2007. I still remembered that afternoon so vividly. It was after chatting with my friend S who has been convincing me to go back to blogging after I hid my personal blog and moved to Multiply.com. She told me that it's such a waste that my food reviews can only be seen by a handful of people (friends who are connected with me in Multiply) instead of opening it up to the whole wide world to see. She sure had some amazing convincing skills as I gave it some thought and there I was signing up for a new blog. First step -- think of a blog name. Oh great! I wasn't prepared for this. I didn't want anything too dramatic or emo. All I know,is that I want a blog where I can share my food adventures with Paul. No grand plan whatsoever. With the cursor blinking away, I typed my name "Fran..." then thought of just being cutesy-slash-funny " Frannywanny ".  There you go. That was exactly how this blog name was born. I even got a tagline! For those wh...

*drumroll please* Thank you so much to all of you who took the time out to join my giveaway! I know it has been a while since I've ran a blog contest and I promise to do this more often. In fact, I got another fun giveaway coming real soon! Meanwhile, please join me in congratulating the following readers who will soon be the proud owners of either a Starbucks Coffee planner or a Sprints Personalised Wooden Board : Anyway, I'm currently back home in Manila reuniting with family, friends and eating my heart out! Watch out for a fresh batch of blog entries this 2017! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! ♥♥ ♥  

Oh wow! 9 years. That's equivalent to 3,285 days or 78,840 hours. Looking forward, I'm actually a year away from celebrating a decade of non-stop food blogging, eating and cooking. To be honest, it really doesn't feel like it has been 9 years. I guess, time flies when you're doing what you love. So what's in store for Frannywanny.com for the next 365 days? Definitely more eating, cooking and food blogging. I'll be having a big giveaway soon so please stay tuned for that. Also, I have a ton of food and travel stories to tell and my only blogniversary wish is to finally start "unclogging" my years worth of blog backlogs. As with any blog anniversary, I dedicate this day to you. Yes, YOU. The one reading this entry right now. I once told my friend that to be honest, I can't believe that someone is reading my blog. I started blogging back in 2007 thinking that I'm just talking to myself or at the very least to Paul and to my sister who have ...

Over the Christmas/New Year break, I brought back with me a new toy -- my Oster Hand Blender ! Actually, I've had it since our wedding day in 2010 but since we first lived with my in laws and later moved to my parents' house, I never really got around to using my own appliances or cooking utensils as Mommy has kept the kitchen complete with practically everything that I could possibly need. I was so excited about this and I've been day dreaming about all the different things that I can create using my blender. First was to recreate my favorite Crema di Zucca from Cibo which is a rich and yummy Pumpkin Cream Soup. After researching across a dozen (or even more) recipes, I found the one that I like and kept it on bookmark for the next two weeks. As soon as my work ended last Monday, I made a mad dash to the grocery which thankfully is just located across my office building. I've memorized all the ingredients that I needed and within 15 minutes I was on my way hom...

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...

Today, we celebrate another milestone!  Frannywanny.com has been around for 8 fun years! Together with each one of you, we went through all the ups and downs, the highs and lows; and through various restaurants, cafes and even hole in the wall finds too. We've traveled mostly all around Asia and centered our stories towards two beautiful countries that I now call home.  8 years is such a long time, I have to say. Well, the optimist in me also believes that it's also one step closer to celebrating a decade of non-stop food blogging, travelling and most of all, new found friendships. I'm currently planning a fun giveaway happening really soon so please do watch out for that.  Thank you for always being there and most of all for making your presence felt. Big hugs to all! xoxo Related posts: 1st blog anniversary 2nd blog anniversary 3rd blog anniversary 4th blog anniversary 5th blog anniversary 6th blog anniversary 7th blog anniversary

"How do you do it?" A friend of mine asked me this question a month ago when I told her that Paul and I will be celebrating our 5th year today. Time flies when you're having fun but I'll have to tell you with all honestly that it wasn't always a free and easy ride as how they would portray it in movies. Marriage, I realized, entails hard work. Well, I guess, as with anything in life, you have to work hard for what you want and I'm glad that both Paul and I want a long-lasting marriage so everyday, we work really hard for it.  Throughout this journey, there have been some tears, a million kisses and a thousand hugs. " Love is patient, love is kind ." That was what was etched onto our candle holder which I hastily bought the day before our wedding. Not really thinking much about what it meant but more because it has a pretty design. Today, that saying embodies our relationship.  Mommy would say that you'll get to learn more things abo...

Another year, another chapter. Yesterday, I celebrated my 33rd birthday. Gosh, I can't believe I'm this old! For a moment there, I had a quick flashback of that one time my 7-year-old self was telling Mommy that I wanted to grow up faster. Oh why did I ever said that?! *sigh* Well, my birthday was simpler this year. A bit more quiet than usual but still one for the books. It began with our traditional birthday salubong with the NKids. They play an important role in my life now and I purposely flew back to Singapore to celebrate my birthday with them. I'm so touched that Paul took charge of buying the cake and of course, he made sure it was yummy one! We're missing I  who's out of the country for work right now but my birthday celebration shall continue once she's back! Of course, we're family and no one gets left behind (or forgotten). Ohana ♥

Who doesn't love discounts, right?  I'm really so happy I stumbled upon The Entertainer App late last year. I swear, this has totally changed my food tripping ways. Now, we've become bolder and more adventurous in trying various restaurants, cafes and even bars all over Singapore. The beauty of The Entertainer App is its ability to offer 3 1-for-1 deals. From 1-for-1 main dishes, 1-for-1 burgers to even 1-for-1 hotel nights! Imagine being able to enjoy these things and to pay just half of the cost.  I realized that I've been blogging quite a lot about the different establishments while using The Entertainer App. To make it easier for you all to search, I decided to put them all in one tab , which you can access above *point up* . Better yet, just click on that cute big smiley below:

It's that time of the year again when I'd like to take time off to focus on my life offline.  May you all have a meaningful Holy Week! It's time to sit still, be quiet, think hard and to reflect. A little cleansing of the soul (and body) sounds like a good idea too. ;)  For those who will be travelling this long weekend, here are some newly-updated links to help you: Around the Philippines:  http://www.frannywanny.com/p/around-philippines.html Going International:  http://www.frannywanny.com/p/international_01.html Around Singapore:  http://www.frannywanny.com/p/around-singapore.html Planning a staycation, perhaps? Here's another link for you. I'll still be eating my way around Singapore this weekend so please follow me on Instagram too ! Signing off!  Frannywanny ♥

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...

I know I haven't been blogging as regularly as I used to. Hope you all forgive me. It's just that, my most favorite season is here and my offline life is as busy as ever! Catching up with old friends, meeting a couple of new ones along the way and of course, dedicating most of our time to our families. Yes, Christmas is here and soon, we will be welcoming 2015 too! I'll be blogging sporadically but I promise to be back to regular programming come January!  From my (two) families to yours, wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy (and Yummy) New Year! ♥

More than a month ago, this blog celebrated its 7th year of existence. We all know that Frannywanny.com wouldn't be what it is now without its readers and that means YOU! Every single one of you. So, to celebrate this milestone, I had not one , not two but THREE fun giveaways for my readers both in the Philippines and in Singapore. We now come to the end of the anniversary celebration and while I have already announced the lucky winners of the 1st two contest, I'd like to do a quick recap here. Congratulations to the following readers: 1) 7th Anniversary Giveaway #1 : for Philippines readers  - Abegail Madera - Lorenzo Te - Susan Sia 2) Hee Kee DessertsGiveaway : for Singapore readers - Leila Chua - Shawn Toh 3) Morganfield's Rib Party : for Singapore readers - Tay Yong Chuen - Li Siu Ching

Oh boy, time has been flying extremely fast! Another year has gone by and just like that, here we are again celebrating another blog anniversary. I can still remember that afternoon when I opened this blog account and there was that blinking cursor button waiting for me to type in my blog name. I paused for a few minutes then just wrote the first "what-I-thought-sounded-witty" name that came into my mind -- Frannywanny . A cutesy version of my real nickname. When I first started this blog, all I wanted was to have a more organized place for me to document my food discoveries as I used to just write it on my Multiply account. Paul and I have been eating out quite a lot then and he would take really nice photos while I just love to tell my friends about it. No marketing strategy, no serious business objectives. Frannywanny.com is simply and will be...   a girly-girl's guide to the best things in life .  Back then, I would get all giddy and happy whenever friends wo...

Thirty-Two.  Five years ago, I blogged about turning twenty-seven . I talked about the three things that I've learned and what I was most thankful of. I was still back in Manila then and was preoccupied about building my career and the fact that I'm a few months away from marrying the man of my dreams.  Then there was my 28th birthday , my last birthday as a single lady. A month after that, I became Mrs. Paul Ang . A couple more years and birthdays flew by after that, more learnings and more things to be thankful for. Fast forward to last Sunday. I celebrated another milestone -- my 32nd birthday .

In the observance of lent, Frannywanny.com will be taking a break from all social media sites. p.s. For those who are travelling around the Philippines, to Singapore or beyond (!) : do refer to my tabs found here , here and here . Going offline in 5....4.....3....2..... *poof*