Frannywanny

Fitness talk on a Friday? I know it's not the most normal thing to do but change is always good and so today, we push aside our usual "Fried Food, Friday" to talk about something else. Aside from pushing myself to cook more at home, one of my resolutions when I first moved to the Lion City was to get into a fitness routine. It wasn't easy, I have to say. I started really slow and it was only when my sister got engaged and we were months away from her wedding that I found the real motivation to go to the gym regularly and to aim for my weight loss goals. After her wedding, the holiday feasting began and I tell you, the struggle to get back to my 3x a week gym routine was hard and real. Luckily, I will always have Paul and my friend D who will always motivate me to go and work out. Add to the fact that I discovered indoor cycling and I've been so in love with it for more than a year now. That's true love and commitment, you guys. :) Then early this year, I...

I have to admit that I've always been an Apple girl . However, the curious spirit in me has always wonder what life is like in the Android world as I have friends who have also been raving about it and they've been extremely loyal with their own line of gadgets too. Finally, my opportunity came when I got hold of the very pretty and sleek ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser which is one of the newest model in the market retailing for only Php. 7,295 . It runs in Android Lolipop 5.0 operating system which you can link to your Google account. I have to admit that I actually had to read the operating manual to ensure that I'm doing the set-up right. For a moment there, I felt like a techie newbie who's threading carefully as I scroll through the various screens and as I check out the applications available. Getting the hang of it though was easy as navigating around is pretty user-friendly.

After attending the fun arts and craft workshop by Canon Pixma a few weeks ago , I happily went home with a spanking new printer. The total box weight was 11KG and despite having to taking the bus and to walk a short distance home, I didn't mind as Canon very thoughtfully provided us with a lightweight stroller too. How cool is that? You know the feeling of driving home a new car and you just can't wait for the moment where you'll take it out for a ride and there you'll get to discover more amazing things about it? That's exactly how I felt when Paul and I unboxed the Canon Pixma MG6370 printer. Let's look at it at face-value, I have to say that it was love at first sight. I couldn't stop admiring the beautiful white finish that just makes it look so classy. I placed it on top of our wooden TV cabinet and it just blended in just fine. The printer comes with a flatbed scanner, two paper trays and a touch-screen panel. Gone are the days of noisy print...

Can you imagine life without music? Just like a tasteless and dry roasted chicken or a bland, cardboard-like cracker, that's probably how life is without music. Flavorless, boring and dry. I grew up in a family who loves two things -- food and music. My Mom is not only a good cook but she is a fantastic pianist too. Kongkong, whom I've mentioned in numerous occasions here, can make the best Pata Tim in the land and he plays the piano, organ, violin and flute too. He also sings and conducts his barkada's choral group as well! Just imagine how our wedding reception was turned into a mini family concert as almost everyone wanted a spot on stage! It is pretty obvious how Pan and I grew up listening to all types of music. Our music knowledge ranges across a number of genres from The Cascades down to Madonna and of course to our generation's boy band craze. Outside the house, we have our iPods to keep us company. My iPod Touch has been my gym staple (well on times I do g...

A few years back, I proudly announced that I will NEVER have an iPhone. No way am I joining the bandwagon and I was pretty happy with my existing mobile phone. Well, guess who ate her words. BIG TIME. Ever since I got my iPhone 4S a few months ago, we have been inseparable since. Wherever I go, I have my iPhone with me. Friends have noticed how I happily would dress it up with my growing collection of casings from time to time. It may be hard for me to admit it but purchasing this phone has been one of the best (despite impulsive) decisions that I've made this year. Whenever I travel, I would rely on my phone to help me navigate my way around. I would easily log on to the internet anytime, anywhere in the country. Recently, I chanced upon a new free iPhone application called looloo that allows me to search the neighborhood for restaurants. Take for example the time Paul and I stayed the night in Alabang, I was able to quickly search for the nearest coffee shop and to rea...

A week ago, I made the quickest and one of the biggest purchase this year -- I bought myself a new phone and it's not just any phone in the market but one that I have been considering to have for months! I bought myself an iPhone 4S ! I wouldn't consider it an impulse buy but rather, I just know a good deal when I see one. Negotiations were done in less than 20 minutes and shortly after, this pretty looking box was already placed safely inside my bag as we drove home. Some friends were wondering why I didn't wait for the new iPhone 5 to come out as this was released to the public just a few days ago. Well, I am the type who would rather wait for the reviews to come in and when a product deems to be worthy of my hard-earned money then I buy it than to give in impulse and trend pressure then to regret it later. It has been a week since and I've so happy with the functionality of my new phone. The sleek performance as I do my calls, send text messages, snap up photo...

I must admit I can't live without the internet . Ever since I was introduced to it back in the late 90s, logging into the internet has been part of my daily routine. Papa would wonder why do I have to check my email every single day given that I was just a student back then. Before, being connected to the internet was pretty much limited to you having to be physically present in front of your computer. Today, one can be connected 24/7. How? Through the wonderful creations of smart phones and tablets of course! :) My day job entails doing a number of presentations to clients. More often than not, I have to bring my laptop with me as all my files as stored in there and there is also no way I would want my presentation to be ruined with incompatible fonts as the file gets transferred around with a USB stick. I'd rather kill my shoulders and carry my laptop around than to have a mediocre looking presentation, agree? My colleague L was smarter though. All she had was her handy t...

During one of my seminars at work, I was asked this question: If you were to be stranded in an island, what would be the three things that you'd bring? Without thinking, I jotted these three items down in my paper: Laptop - Camera - Broadband Stick Yes, I truly am a blogger at heart and no matter where I'll be, I want to be able to document every minute of it. It was only when I was given more time to think that my practical self kicked in and took over making me change my answers to: Lighter - Water - Food . In reality though, I can't live without my camera. Imagine not being able to capture all those memorable moments or that mouthwatering dish that you want to keep as a remembrance forever? I'm lucky that I'm married to such a talented photographer who's works you see in most of my blog entries. Paul also knows his way around a camera thus I normally just rely on him to configure my camera to the right settings making it easy for me to just point and sho...