Frannywanny

Yesterday, I shared about our hotel during our trip to Taiwan back in 2018. It was at Park City Hotel in the Luzhou district which was strategically located on top of the St. Ignatius MRT station and has a 7-11 shop right at the ground floor. I have this habit of stocking up with snacks on the first day of my trip. It's this habit that I've had since I was a kid. You see, my parents would always make it a point to look for the nearest grocery to our hotel whenever we travel and they would buy bottles of mineral water, bread and banana. Aside from that, they will allow Pan and I to choose a bag of snack each. I would always go for the most unique looking bag that's only locally available that way I get to try something really new. Thus, Paul knows that I just have to make a trip to the grocery to at least to the convenience store to by my snacks. Here's what I found on my first visit to the 7-11 store in Taiwan. I found bottles of these famous milk tea that ...

Before anything else, I'd like to wish all of you HAPPY 2020!!! My New Year's resolutions include -- BETTER HEALTH (losing the weight and keeping it off forever, good blood tests and avoiding the flu and other illnesses this year), GOING BACK TO MY PASSION (keeping this blog alive and kicking, writing more often) , SPENDING MORE TIME WITH FAMILY  (time is flying so fast that I don't want to miss out on any moment with my twins, Paul, my parents/his parents and our siblings). It's all about keeping things simple and going back to the basic. I got to admit that with everyday's busy schedule, we have the tendency to complicate things, to lose sight on the main reason why we're doing it in the first place. I want to pull myself a step back and to see the bigger picture, to take more deep breathes and to just take each day at a time. My kids are at this stage where they're becoming their own individual selves. They're funnier, more talkative, more playful...

I woke up at exactly 8:45AM this morning and initially I wanted to sleep some more...only I realized that it's December 31 , the last day of the year and I am definitely not wasting precious time in bed when I can jump start my action-packed day with this blog entry. My annual year-ender special where in the past I've listed off my 8 blessings in 2008 , 5 amazing moments in 2009 and Top 10 Food Spots in 2010 ! This year, I won't deviate from the usual practice as I present to you my 11 Memorable Moments in 2011 !!! (p.s. in no particular order) 1) Hello USA! It was like a dream come true. To be honest, I'd never thought I'd travel to the US...this soon and best of all, Paul was with me! :) Memorable food stops includes the mouthwatering ribs of Lucille's , the to-die-for bucket of seafood from Boiling Crab and the incredibly delicious Red Velvet Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory . We had a great time reuniting with friends and family all throughout o...

"San Juan is turning into a mini Taiwan !" I caught this comment over Twitter a few weeks ago and I couldn't help but agree. First, we saw the fast emergence of milk tea shops starting with Serenitea followed by ChaTime , TeaTap and now ShareTea from Taiwan is opening pretty soon. There are also a lot of Taiwanese bakeries and restaurants in the area like Feng Wei Wee and their delicious dumplings and Cold Layers for authentic Taiwanese Ice Desserts. A few months ago, a Taiwanese establishment called Taibun Bakery and Coffee Shop opened just a few blocks away from my home. One thing that I noticed is that they actually have a cool discount schedule where they give price-offs for their bread products  from 6AM to 10AM and from 9PM to 12MN. I guess this is their way of making sure their bread gets sold quickly to keep it fresh all the time. I also noticed that they operate with very long hours! Imagine being open from 6AM to 12MN? Wow! After watching No Oth...

I truly appreciate restaurants and coffee shops that dedicates a sufficient amount of time and effort to details . For me details is just as important as making sure you get the word out there, it's just as crucial as ensuring that your products are of top quality. Details creates the best ambiance and by giving your customers a good feeling every time they step into your store will surely bring back bigger rewards. Tonight, Paul and I went out on a date. Yes, after killing ourselves with months filled with busy weekends, we decided to just relax and go out tonight. Let me tell you more about our *ahem* romantic dinner date in the next few days. What I'm excited to share is where we ended up hanging out for our night cap before heading back home. After dinner, I decided to text my two girl friends J1 and J2 to ask what were their Saturday night plans. J1 told me she's spending time with her family while J2 immediately called me and invited us to join her and boyfriend ...

I now officially close my Taipei series. I can't believe it has been a month since we got back and still the memories of the delicious things that we had during our short 3 day visit still remains fresh in my mind. To guide you all, here's a summary of what you should do and must try when in Taipei: 1) Get Tourist-y! Book a hotel and make sure to get a good one: I highly recommend Ceasar Park Hotel Visit the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and learn a thing or two about Taiwan's colorful history. Climb up the Taipei 101 to win bragging rights that you've been to the 2nd tallest tower in the WORLD! 2) EAT your hearts out!! Visit these food markets: Danshui Food Street and the beautiful Fisherman's Wharf XiMenDing Night Market and the Red House Shilin Night Market These are some great food finds in Taipei: Mala HotPot (and make sure to indulge in their eat-all-you-can Haagen Dazs and Movenpick ice cream!!) Agnes B. Cafe Din Tai Fung -- ...

Aside from exploring the various tourist spots found in a country and treating your taste buds to the taste of their local cuisine, pasalubong (souvenir) shopping is always a part of one's travel itinerary as it gives you the chance to take a piece of your travel destination home for you to remember. Pasalubong comes in different types. My friend J collects magnets from all the countries that she has visited, while I make sure to drop by the local Starbucks store to buy myself a City Mug to add to my growing collection. My sister, on the other hand, makes sure that she stocks up on local snacks and food items that she can share with the family back home. If a trip to Manila is not complete without buying boxes of sweet Dried Mangoes and Goldilocks products, we found out that while in Taipei, we have to make sure to buy boxes of authentic Pineapple Cake to take home. Of course, we have to look for the best and thanks to fellow bloggers Richard and Leslie who gave high praise...

When in Taiwan, we were told to check out their night markets and of all the night markets there is in Taipei, we were advised not to miss the biggest night market of all -- the Shilin Night Market . This place has been mentioned repeatedly in travel guide books, blogs and even the Taipei handy road map. Thus, we scheduled our visit to Shilin Night Market on our second night in Taipei. It was quite unfortunately that it began raining late in the afternoon and didn't stopped till dinner time. Still, my friends were determined to check Shilin out even if this means walking under the rain and getting our feet wet. In contrast to XiMenDing which had a very cosmopolitan Tokyo vibe, Shilin was more oriental and laid back. We entered the main Shilin Market and came face to face with rows after rows of food stalls. There were lines forming everywhere! From milk teas to fruit stalls to a kiosk selling the biggest chicken chops I've ever seen and a lot more! It was like a big ...

The first time I heard about Din Tai Fung was from my mom who, after coming home from her Singapore trip, couldn't stop raving about this restaurant that serves the best tasting Xiao Long Bao that she has ever tasted in her life. She and my aunt loved it so much that at some point my aunt even considered bringing this amazing brand to Manila. It didn't took that long for me to also try Din Tai Fung myself. Ten months ago, when Paul and I went to Singapore for our Honeymoon, we set a dinner date with his cousin J for a fun Xiao Long Bao dinner at ...where else?!... Din Tai Fung ! We were fortunate that there was a branch located at the mall adjacent to our hotel. We had a great time! I love their Xiao Long Bao and Pork Chop Fried Rice . Needless to say, Paul and I have officially added Din Tai Fung into our list of favorite restaurants. Read more about our DTF Singapore here. Fast forward to our Taipei trip, of course Din Tai Fung was in our list of must-visits as th...

Everyone has their own collections and fascinations, take my husband Paul for example -- he loves wearing caps thus he has a growing collection of caps bought from all over the world and even funny looking ones that he came across at some point in his life. His collection is quite huge that it took him a while to finally decide that he needs to leave some behind when we got married and moved into our humble cozy...room. I, on the other hand, love collecting tickets and souvenirs from my travels. Thanks to my best friend T who gave me a pretty travel journal, I enjoy filling each page with photos and tickets taken from our trips. I also love my name thus my growing collection of keychains, stickers, magnets with my name on it. Call me vain but I love keeping my items personalized. It all began during our honeymoon trip to Kuala Lumpur where we came face to face with the 5th tallest tower in the world : the Petronas Twin Towers . For one whole day, we stared and took lots of photos s...

After visiting the Taipei 101 , which is the second tallest tower in the world, little did I know that we were about to have a fashionable afternoon tea. It was starting to drizzle and with our legs starting to cramp up from too much walking, we decided to just look for a coffee shop at the nearby Eslite Mall . Arriving at the ground floor, my sister saw a cozy looking coffee shop and directed us there. It was an Agnes B. Cafe , one that Paul and I have been wanting to try out every time we're in Hong Kong . I'm so happy that Taiwan has this as well. We probably all know Agnes B. for her pretty bags and dresses but this brand is also starting to gain popularity in the cafe scene. I love the sleek white and black interiors. Can you see how inviting the pastry shelf was? It really did pulled my sister and I closer until we couldn't resist leaving without ordering. Paul simply wanted a cup of coffee while my sister and I couldn't stop starting at the sandwiches...

Here's a story about a quiet city at the northern tip of Taipei. We first heard about this place from our friends Richard and Irene who have nothing but raves about their market. Researching about Danshui more, I found out that it's also a must to visit the Lover's Bridge and the Fisherman's Wharf which are both located a good fifteen minutes bus ride away from the main station. This was our next stop after our cultural morning at the Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial Hall . It was very easy to get here, just hop on the MRT and ride up until the end of the Red Line, that's Danshui Station . Coming from the station, we walked towards the riverside and followed the steady stream of people heading towards the Danshui Food Market. You won't miss it! From the station, look for Mister Donut and turn right, you'll go through a park and keep your eyes to your right. The first thing that you'll see the Ji Guang Delicious Fried Chicken kiosk . This one seems to b...

As with every trip, we try to inject a bit of history in order for us to learn a bit more about the country that we're visiting. For example, we watched the amazing Siam Niramit show in Thailand which I felt was worth every penny because I have learned to appreciate the colorful Thai culture. In Malaysia , Paul and I visited the Petronas Twin Towers which stands as the icon of Kuala Lumpur. Thus, in Taiwan , our trip began with a short visit to the Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial Hall which was just a few MRT stops away from Caesar Park Hotel . I love how accessible going around Taipei is. Almost all tourist spots are adjacent to an MRT terminal making it easy for one to go around without getting lost in the process. Note that it may be difficult to get lost in Taiwan as majority of its population can't speak English that well. Thus, make sure to have a trusty map (make sure it's in English! My sister grabbed a map but it was in Mandarin..not very helpful at all :P) and or...

I initially wanted to share with you my Taipei experience in chronological order. However, as I try to recall the three amazing days spent in beautiful Taiwan, I can't stop drooling over our last lunch at Mala Hotpot . Therefore, I'm skipping forward and will begin my food adventure series in my new-found favorite restaurant in Taipei. Months before our trip, my friends and I began fixing our itinerary. It's a good thing that we all wanted to shop and eat. Jeanny and Karl, having been to Taipei before, were tasked to take care of our last day. Initially the plan was to feast on Xiao Long Baos at Din Tai Fung for lunch and have a special eat-all-you-can hotpot dinner before heading to the airport. However, we had to move our schedule around as Mala Hotpot cannot accomodate us for dinner and has only one slot for us that day -- 2PM to 4PM . Still, we were all determined to give Mala Hotpot a try after Jeanny told us that they have eat-all-you-can Haagen Dazs and Moven...

I'm finally back from my short vacation to Taipei, Taiwan where I spent 3 relaxing days with Paul, my sister Pan and our dearest friends. Finally, after almost 8 months of planning, our Taiwan trip was able to push through and we're all back home rejuvenated and our minds filled with more knowledge about a culture not quite different from ours. Taiwan is located at the northern part of Asia . Slightly above the Philippines and below Japan and Korea. In fact, we were once told that you can actually pick up some Taiwanese radio stations when you're standing along the shores of Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte . It's THAT close. While Cebu Pacific offers the lowest rate for flights from Manila to Taipei (Taoyuan International Airport), the only drawback is your flight is at 1040PM and you arrive in Taiwan roughly two hours after. After going through immigration and customs, we waited for our shuttle service that will take us to our hotel -- Caesar Park Hotel . Caesar Park...