Frannywanny

Recently, I was invited to a birthday party. Not mine but that of two ladies who are very known on TV. In fact, Yaya D subtly gasped when she found out where I was heading to that one afternoon in SM Megamall. It was to celebrate the birthdays of Yassi Pressman and Bela Padilla , two very prominent personalities on local TV today. Yaya D adores Bela Padilla who stars in her favorite TV series Ang Probinsyano . Trust me, ask her one thing and she can go on and on and on about that show. Haha! This party was hosted by Greenwich Pizza and just like any birthday party, we were in for a yummy treat! While waiting for the celebrants, we feasted on a buffet of party dishes such as tea sandwiches, nachos with dips...

Tonight, I was able to have a nice long chat with Mommy. I really love hearing her voice as this is enough to brighten up my day. She told me that Manila is scorching hot at the moment that being outside is starting to feel like an ordeal to many. Not even the cool blast of the car's air-con is enough to make one feel comfortable. Meanwhile, I told her that it has been raining erratically here in the Lion City. Mornings are almost always warm and come lunch time, it would start to rain non-stop. It's not a big surprise that a lot of my colleagues and their kids are falling sick due to the rise and drop of temperature. Regardless if it's rainy or sunny, summer is officially here and there's one thing that I love about this season and that is being able to indulge in cups after cups of refreshing ice blended drinks! Take for example, last Sunday. Paul and I spent a quiet morning at Starbucks Coffee while waiting for the NKids to arrive at our lunch venue and we tried ...

♫ It's my birthday and I'll eat ramen when I want to...eat ramen when I want to...eat ramen when I wantttt toooo! ♫ I officially turned a year older last Saturday..and you know what?! It was one of my happiest birthdays ever! It all began when I woke up with a big smile on my face and as I checked my phone, there were about 40+ greetings from friends and relatives back home. Wow! Paul and I agreed to meet up for lunch with some of our good friends here in the Lion City . Thinking of a place for my birthday lunch was such a challenge! Not that Singapore has a shortage of good food but it's the other way around. There were just a LOT that it was so hard to choose. Why do we have to limit ourselves to just 3 big meals a day? Whyyyy? Anyway, after a thorough research thanks to the local food blogs here, I finally found THE ONE. Meet Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons . It's a new ramen shop located at the heart of the Bugis district. It's owned by Chef K...

The weather here in Manila continues to get more and more unpredictable. Extremely sunny and hot in the morning and later raining like there's no tomorrow in the evening. What's up with that Mr. Sun?! While we will soon bid goodbye to June and July will surely bring in more gloomy clouds, the cold wind and rains, it's nice to know that you can still enjoy a bit of summer right at the comforts of your favorite Starbucks Coffee store! Bringing a touch of Japanese in their drinks, the fun crew behind my favorite coffee store now introduces two new drinks that I truly loved and I'm sure you will too! Meet the Hojicha Tea Jelly Frappuccino Blended Beverage (Php. 155/165/175). Hojicha is actually a type of Japanese roasted tea and this is perfect for all milk tea lovers as it is a mix of the Hojicha Tea, your choice of milk and Tazo Earl Grey tea-infused jelly! While I find the Hojicha a tad too sweet for me, I still enjoyed this sweet tea drink which makes a good al...

Back when I was working for the Green Siren , I learned how to mix my own drinks. Along the way, I learned to be creative. Adding a shot here and there, combining two syrups to create a new flavor or changing my milk to lessen the calories. Those, however, were only limited to espresso based drinks. With the cold Frappuccino blended beverages , we can't do as much. Back then, all Frappuccinos had a pre-mix base thus it's either you want it cream or coffee based. From there you choose your flavor that determines the syrups that will be used. I guess the farthest customization that I've done with my Frappuccino is to add more syrup into my Strawberries n Cream Frappuccino or adding a shot to my Mocha Frappuccino. That's basically just about it. It has been almost three years since I've professionally bid the Green Siren good bye. Thus my visits have lessened as opposed to my bi-weekly store visits before. It was only just recently when I dropped by our favorite ...

Exactly two months after I bid everyone goodbye for a two-week long vacation , we're off again for a short vacation this time to the land of milk teas, fishball soup and stinky tofu. It will be an amazing food trip for the next few days and boy I can't wait! Summer is finally here and while my trusty weather app assures me that Taiwan will be slightly colder than Manila, I'm going prepared with bottles of Beach Hut Sunblock to protect my face and body. No way am I exposing myself to the nasty UV rays which might give me skin cancer in the future. No no no way!!! While I prefer lathering on fragrance-free lotions as my nose is pretty sensitive to excessively strong scents, Beach Hut' s floral scent is pretty ok for me. It's not sticky or greasy which is normally what I get with sunblocks with high SPF levels. Beach Hut's newest sunblock has SPF 100 that totally beats our old sunblock by 30 SPF levels. We're ready to walk under the sun as we visit va...

Mexican in Boracay? I know it may sound weird to eat Mexican food in the beach as what normally comes to mind are platters of fresh seafood, fruit shakes and perhaps some grilled meats..but we're in Boracay and the choices are endless in this amazing island! Thus, right after we landed and rode the ferry to the port, took the trike to Station 1, checked into our resort, settled down and admired our rooms, we then attended to our growling tummies and headed straight to Mañana Mexican Cuisine for lunch. It was my sister's first time in Boracay last July and I was determined to make sure she enjoys. We're both huge fans of Mexican cuisine thus the endless supply of tortilla chips and salsa at home. It was a good thing that Mañana is located just a few steps away from Astoria Boracay , our home for the next three days in Boracay. It was way past lunch hour yet the place was packed. That's how life is in Boracay, people becomes less time-bound and they eat, party a...

It's April and summer is finally here! With the fast rising temperature outside, more and more city folks are heading out to the beach! Speaking of beach getaways -- I was pretty blessed to be able to go to the coolest summer destination in the country last year -- this is the beautiful island of BORACAY . Not only was I able to visit it once for my honeymoon, I returned for a brief stay a few days before we bit 2010 goodbye. The vibe and weather was different when I first went there in July and returned in December. For one thing, the island was more quiet during July with windbreakers lining up the shoreline. It somehow ruins the beauty of the island. I also noticed that there were a lot of algae during my first visit which I do not like the sight and feel of whereas none was seen last December. However, it was way more crowded and harder to grab a table last December as it seems like half of the Metro Manila population all decided to spend their holiday in Boracay too. Eac...

With the temperature fast rising, it's time to bring out all your tank tops and light-colored shirts! One drawback in wearing tank tops is having your bra straps show and that is not fashionable AT ALL. Introducing, Inti-Mate Bra Converter ! This plastic wonder hides your straps giving you a clean no-peeking-bra-straps look! Check it out! :)

Summer is definitely my favorite time of the year! This is the season to bring out your big, trusty shades, pull your hair up to a pony and wear your most comfortable cool attire every single day. For me, it is also when my flipflops takes the limelight and it's one of those rarest moment that for a short while, I get a little tan which quickly fades away come July. I can't wait to hit the beach or at least to get the pool parties started! Of course, relaxing and being a little more laid back doesn't mean we shouldn't look our best. My fashion style puts comfort beyond anything else. Thus my addiction to sandals and clothes that allow me to move around freely. However, when it comes to swim wear, I mix comfort, style and quality. I love stylish takinis that fits my body perfectly. Definitely one that I can wear as I laze around the soft, white sands of Boracay or while walking along the shore. Last week, Paul and I were fortunate to be invited to an exclusive sneak peek...

The temperature is fast rising! I dream of powdery white sand underneath my feet, the sound of the waves splashing against the shore and a tall glass of Choco-Banana Shake on my hand. Time to bring out my calendar and plan my next trip!!!