Frannywanny

"All FRIESSSSS!!!" Today is National Fries Day and our favorite local potato brand has recently launched a new flavor to add to their already mouthwatering line-up! Last week, Paul and I caught Spider-Man : Homecoming on its 2nd day of showing at the new Venice Grand Canal cinema. It was our first movie date after coming home from the Lion City and boy, were we so excited! After all, it has been months since we last went out to watch a movie as we both got so hooked with Netflix. We got to Venice Grand Canal really early prior to our screening time and allowing us to roam around the mall. As we got to the cinema area, we were greeted by this familiar sign. It's Potato Corner ! Apparently, some of the company-owned Potato Corner stalls have also partnered with Nacho Bimby which specializes in... nachos. Well, it makes a lot of sense to me. Fries and nachos, definitely the best cinema grub to have, don't you agree? I was so excited to have Potato Corner again a...

This is the story of a boy named Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) who grew up in Mumbai, India. It talked about his love affair with food and how he grew up to appreciate the different flavours and being able to master his craft in the kitchen. Fast forward to the present, Hassan and his family arrived at the South of France and bought a property which they intend to build a restaurant on. The challenge? It's a hundred-feet opposite the famous Michelin starred restaurant owned by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). Will they be able to succeed? For one thing, this is a movie that you shouldn't watch with an empty stomach or without any snack on hand. Trust me. On the first 10 minutes of the movie, I felt my mouth water as soon as Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon) came out on screen with a huge board topped with cheese and bread. Luckily, I went prepared with my Egg Mayo with Honey Mustard and Sweet Onion Vinaigrette Wrap to munch on.

Just a few months ago, I was inspired to look for copies of old movies. By old, I'm referring to movies created during the 80s to the early 90s. These were the ones that came out when I was still too young to comprehend things or for some, I wasn't allowed to watch them yet (PG-13/R-18). One of the movies that I recently watched was Dirty Dancing . I've been hearing a lot of raves that this is the best dance movie of all time and since I love dance/musicals then I was really excited to see this! photo from Amazon.com True enough, I enjoyed the movie very much! I loved the songs and how simple yet beautiful the story between Johnny Castle and Frances "Baby" Houseman was. It's also so cool that I share the same name with the lead actress ( hihi! ). Sadly, the lead actor Patrick Swayze has passed away a few years ago but his legacy lives on as the spirit of Dirty Dancing is so much alive and kicking dancing. From the soundtrack to a musical producti...

After weeks of consecutive weekend getaways, Paul and I found some downtime this weekend where we were able to wake up later than usual, have longer meals with the family and go out to watch a movie. Given our busy weekend schedules, believe it or not, going out on movie dates doesn't happen that often anymore. *sigh* Which is the reason why I totally get ecstatic whenever we get to really go out on a date...just the two of us spending more quality time together. Yesterday, we headed to the Powerplant Mall to watch a movie. I totally love my husband for giving up watching Dark Shadows over the very girly romantic comedy movie What to Expect When You're Expecting as he knows that I've been wanting to watch this movie since I learned about it months ago (..and after hearing me say, "this movie got an all-star cast in it!" probably a dozen times) . Yay! Thank you Paul for spoiling me. ♥ It was indeed a fun movie with a couple of my favorite Hollywood stars like...

Krispy Kreme brightened up our Tuesday morning by sending over a box of their newest product that's bright green and has a very familiar scent. It was perfect time as Paul and I were actually on our way out for work and he was still feeling a bit hungry from breakfast so this special donut was like heaven's answer to his hunger pleas. He took a quite bite and commented that the icing tastes like Coney Island's Bubblegum Ice Cream. He offered me a bite to which I took and it actually reminded me of my favorite childhood bubblegum brand -- Bazooka. Personally though, I am not a fan of overly sweet nor minty donuts so the Original Glazed Donuts are still my #1 favorite. This is a limited time offering as it is Krispy Kreme 's way of welcoming the launch of the first ever blockbuster movie this year -- The Green Hornet . A show, we're both very familiar with as we grew up catching certain episodes of the TV Series. Paul remembers Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher ...

I just had two major goals for the long week...first was to get a full body massage with my sister which we did last Saturday at The Spa and second was to watch Despicable Me . I saw the trailer but initially it didn't appealed to me thinking it will be all about villains and lots of fighting in animation involved. It wasn't until my sister showed me the trailer once again when I fell in love with the cute little girl who went gaga over a stuffed unicorn. We agreed to watch it last Sunday and initially I was hesitant to buy the ticket as the 3D version in Greenhills was priced at P320 . I want to watch the movie but to pay three times more than the average ticket cost..I paused a bit and even considered backing out. Finally after 5 minutes worth of non-stop prodding from my sister, there we were in front of the movie counter buying three 3D tickets to watch Despicable Me . This ticket came with a bag of popcorn and your choice of drink. Honestly, I hope they would make ...

I woke up earlier than usual today to watch an entire movie on DVD. Now, for people who are close to me, they all know that this definitely qualifies as a rare occasion. First of all, I make it a point to make up for lost sleep during the weekend (not unless we have an errand to make that would require me to wake up early to get a good head start to a busy schedule). Secondly, I can hardly sit through an entire movie without falling asleep or having my mind wander off to never never land...what more having the power of just clicking the pause/stop button while watching it on DVD. With that, I must say, this particular movie that made me do the impossible must really be a special one... It was during a conversation with colleagues when we began talking about the movie Julie & Julia . My sister bought the book and told me to read it as, according to her, I would definitely be able to relate with the lead character named Julie . After going through the first few chapters of the book, ...

Today, Paul and I went to watch the movie entitled Valentine's Day . The story evolves around the lives of different couples and singles as they celebrate this red-letter day . It was a star-studded movie starring a couple of my favorite Hollywood celebrities -- Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway and Queen Latifah to name a few. While my first impression was that the story is the Valentine's version of another favorite film -- Love Actually, this one is more cheezy, more sentimental but yet again it is because everything happens in that special day where couples get more romantic than ever. As the ending credits begin to roll and I started to wipe a couple of tears away, I began to think about LOVE . That four letter word that never fails to put a smile on someone's face. Everyone wants to be loved by someone, that's a fact. Walking out of the cinema, I saw my newly-married cousin who looks totally blooming than ever. While I was just thinking how happy I am...

From being the famous Drunken Master to the talented Chief Inspector Lee to lending his voice as a Monkey... Jackie Chan is back, this time, as Bob Ho in his newest movie, The Spy Next Door . The movie was very entertaining which was definitely perfect as I was really looking forward to an opportunity to unwind after a hectic week at work. Thanks to fellow blogger Az and Viva International Pictures for inviting me and Paul to take a sneak peek of the movie, we truly had a marvelous time laughing at Jackie Chan's funny antics and at some point even got teary-eyed at a couple of dramatic scenes. The story is all about Bob Ho, an undercover CIA agent, who retired from work to attend to his personal life most particularly his blooming relationship with his girlfriend Gillian. Due to an unavoidable situation, Gillian had to leave town and Bob offered to baby-sit her three kids who does not like Bob very much. In his quest to get the kids to like him, he also came across an unfini...

I must have mentioned before that my sister is such an adventurous eater. An evidence of which was when we were driving along Jupiter street one day, looking for a place to have lunch. Among all the different restaurants that seems to be worthy of a visit, only one caught my sister's attention and that later became our lunch date venue. With its bright orange facade, how can one not notice Indian by Nature despite being located at the 2nd floor of the same building that houses Mey Lin Pot & Noodles, Malacca and the store of well-known designer Debbie Co. Walking inside the restaurant, we were the only guests there. I was told that their peak hours is at night where a lot of customers who go there to have dinner and a couple of drinks. Pan and I were given a table near the bar. The lighting was pretty dark which I guess makes it perfect for an evening ambiance. There's a huge TV screen playing Indian drama series which was also a delight to watch. We enjoyed the ambiance w...

Our favorite Ice Age friends are back in the wide screen and this time, they're in 3D! Unfortunately, Didi and Chris couldn't make it this week but this didn't stop me, Paul and Jane from meeting up in Trinoma as they launch the newest Digital 3D Cinema . As we entered the cinema, we were given a pair of plastic glasses which we all have to wear to see the special effects on screen. At first, I found wearing the glasses a bit uncomfortable because of my bad eyesight and the fact that the glasses was too big for my face that it kept on sliding down every so often. Trinoma's Digital 3D Cinema technology aims to create a whole new experience of movie viewing by providing bright, vivid visuals combined with crisp, clear surround sound that brings your senses to a different level whether you're seated upfront or at the very back of the theater. And they're back!! The movie was short but it was a good one. Watch as Manny and Ellie await the birth of their cute bab...

If there's one thing in this world that I am thankful for, it's that of having a sister. Sure, we used to stage a World War when we were kids to the point of me wishing that I should have been an only child. However, during one of those fights, our mom told me one thing that has stayed permanently in my mind since then... "No matter what happens, the two of you have to stick together because someday, it will just be the two of you against the world. Just recently, I read this novel called My Sister's Keeper it's a story about a young girl named Anna who was born to save her sister who's sick with Leukemia. As her sister grew weaker and weaker, more things are needed from Anna's own body. At a young age of thirteen, she has been through countless surgeries, shots and various medical procedures. Anna had enough, she finally made a decision that might tear her family apart and could lead to fatal consequences for her very own sister. This is one of the best n...

At first I thought it was an action film. I braced myself for lots of gory scenes and bloody fights. I was wrong . The movie talks about racial discrimination and a man who sticks by his principles no matter what or how much it will cost him. Meet Walt Kowalski , a Korean War veteran who is always misunderstood by his neighbors and family members. As a retired auto worker, his day is filled with regular trips to his barber, bottles of beer and packs of cigarettes. He trusts no one except his dog Daisy. He's your typical grouchy old man, wearing deep creases on his forward and a big frown on his face. He never interacts with his immigrant neighbors and often finds criticism in them. This was his life every single day... up until the night a young shy boy named Thao was pressured by a group of Hmong gangsters to to steal his '72 Gran Torino . Luckily, his Gran Torino was still intact but he earned the respect of his neighbors after protecting them from the gangsters. He was befr...

Hi!! I'm Fran and I'm a Shopaholic. "Stress is inevitable." My mom would always remind me everytime she catches me opening a box of chocolates or a bag of tortilla chips and I would always use stress as my reason for eating my heart out. She's right, after all, it is our responsibility to manage the things that stresses us out. As my way of balancing things out in my life, I would allot certain periods during the weekend where I would spend time alone and give in to whatever makes me happy at the moment. This includes getting my monthly manicure and pedicure treatment, indulging in a massage or visiting my favorite mall to shop . Then comes the confession... Ohh...if only shopping can be considered a sport. I would probably be one of the first to sign up for varsity. I'm a big fan of price-off promotions and freebies. Thus, my undying love for bazaars and the ever famous Greenhills tiangges (retail market). I still remember how I would update myself with the ...

Work has been crazy and very hectic lately... Boy, I can't wait for the work week to finally end! Checking my mails earlier, I came across one that seems to be very interesting. It wrote: Hello Nuffnangers ! Here’s a little something for you: Brad Pitt plus George Clooney equals…? My answer? A Girl's Dream Come True! Thinking also that this might be a promotional email for another Ocean's movie. I was partly wrong. True, it's a promotional email for a movie but (surprise! surprise!) not for what I thought it could be. Burn After Reading It's actually a comedy thriller about a man named Osbourne Cox who was ousted from his position as an analyst of the CIA. He returned to his Georgetown home and to his wife Katie who was actually having an illicit affair with Harry Pfarrer (Clooney) and is actually planning to leave Osbourne for Harry. (tsk tsk tsk..) Meanwhile, in another part of the country, Fitness Center worker Linda Litske is consumed with her life plan to und...