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Let's try again, shall we?

2026.  It's yet another year and sadly I have badly been so inconsistent in updating my blog. At some point, I wanted to just bid Frannywanny goodbye but a part of me still wanted to hold on.  This, after all, has been a big part of me for the past decade. It saw me grew up from being a college graduate to a corporate professional to a newlywed and for some parts, a new mom.  This year, I really want to slow down. To focus on the necessary and perhaps to take up a new hobby. Who knows, right? I have my family and work enough to keep me busy so I'll try my darnest not to add anything else more into the crazy mix. I want to be more present for my kids. Gosh, they're growing up so fast. I want to have more time to be more intentional with what I do at work. I miss dreaming big and to do great things instead of just ticking off to-dos in my never-ending list.  I can't believe we're nearing the end of January. It started off incredibly tough for me. Dealt with a bad coug...

Cool down with Melona Ice Cream

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With all these K-Drama watching, I'm starting to think that I am turning Korean. From my growig love for korean food, desserts and drinks, I guess it shows as well in this blog as I realized that I sure have written a lot about Korean restaurants and cafes even as far back as two years ago.  Well, I guess it just can't be helped since Korean food and drinks are just soooo good! Take for example their ice cream called Melona . It's a simple ice popsicle but made so creamy and really refreshing. Unlike other ice popsies that's really icy and a bit hard to bite into, this has an ice cream consistency which is why my kids love love it! Our family's favorite is the strawberry followed by the classic melon. They now have more flavors to choose from -- melon, strawberry, taro, pistachio, mango and banana. The #AngTwins can't resist having Melona and can easily spot the bright colorful packaging from afar.  As the temperature continues to rise, the same goes for the nee...

Oodles for Noodles with Nongshim Shin Toomba

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 ...and I am back! I honestly thought that I was ready to hang my writing cap and end my blogging era but somehow, I really cannot get myself to stop writing and I do hope there's still someone out there reading this. :)  So how has life been? The #AngKids are growing up really fast and things are just so busy on all fronts. One thing stays the same though -- my love for kdrama. There are times though that I'd get so exhausted to watch through one episode but I still do love watching kdramas as a form to relax at the end of a busy day. Add to the fact that I normally end up craving for Korean food more often than not after watching the male or female lead enjoy cups after cups of ramyeon or as they would sink their teeth into a piece of juicy chimak.  I'm also always on a look out for new K-snacks to share with my chinggus and recently, I chanced upon this pack of new flavor from Nongshim called the Shin Toomba . It's inspired by a certain viral social media recipe that...

Premium Cafe Retro 525 : Korean-style Cafe in Angeles City

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One thing that I love about k-dramas is when I get to have a glimpse of the food trends and scene in Korea. From local coffee shops to famous restaurants in and around Seoul, I can't help but wish that I can visit South Korea soon to fully experience the k-vibe and eat to my heart's delight. * Can I just teleport myself in just a snap of a finger? * Thanks to my cousin-in-law B, who has always been my main source for food stops in Pampanga, as he recommended Premium Cafe Retro 525  which is just located along Friendship Highway. We went there for lunch with my university friends after we took our little ones to Dinosaur Island. Feeling famish and in the mood of anything cold as the weather was so warm, we were greeted by the beautiful and spacious interiors of Retro 525 . I tell you, I don't think we have cafes this big here in Metro Manila. It has a center section with a wide array of breads on display. There's an ample amount of tables available at the ground floor b...

All-Day Dining at Breezes in Nüwa at City of Dreams

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If there's one distinct trait that the #AngTwins took after us, it would be our love for staycations. They really get so excited whenever we'd tell them that we're staying a night or two at a hotel. Well, I totally can understand why. Sometimes, it is just good to take a break and to have a change in environment, right?  A few months back, Paul's aunt L called us to ask us if we're willing to stay the weekend at  Nüwa and of course, we told her YES! Even if we have no definitely plans lined up and would probably just stay in the hotel or go to the malls nearby, I know that the #AngTwins would be with this. We also love  Nüwa because there's just a lot of food options available and parking is free. It's part of the entire City of Dreams compound too so it's connected to two other hotels namely -- Nobu Hotel and Hyatt Regency Manila.  For families staying in any of these hotels, I highly recommend that you check out Dreamplay . We took the twins there d...

Noriter Chicken and Beer, Ortigas Center

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The past 3 years were filled with lots of life-changing experiences. From experiencing the first ever (and hopefully the last) pandemic in my life to being on lockdown for a really long time, to learning to accept the change and adapting to it and to finding new hobbies and interests while confined within the four walls of our home.  It was in 2020 when I discovered the Kdrama Crash Landing on You  and luckily, I had my dongsaeng (lilttle sister) J at work who shares the same interest for kdrama (or in her case, all things Korean) with me. I'm not new to watching kdrama, in fact, I have watched the likes of Full House and Winter Sonata many years back. Life just got so busy that I never got around to watching more plus it was harder back then as you had to either patiently download it on the internet or buy a DVD to watch it. Thankfully, we have Netflix now taking all our kdrama watching to a whole new level.  The show Crash Landing on You  (CLOY) took the entire n...

DIY Mommy : Narwhals and Mermaid -- the #AngTwins turned FIVE

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Time flies super fast! As I was going through my old blog posts where I documented the birthday parties of my twins, I realized that I have yet to share about their 5th birthday celebration and here we are, just half a year away from them celebrating their 6th! Ackkk..teka lang! As you know, we have been resorting to full DIY house celebrations since 2020 since we can't go out and meet our families to physically celebrate with them. We're blessed to have such supportive relatives though who were all game enough to always join us as we do a virtual candle blowing for the past 2 years. Last year, as they celebrated their 5th birthday and as restrictions were starting to ease up, we were lucky to be able to go on a trip to make it extra special for them.  Since I was in between career shifts, we took the opportunity of me being on a one-month work break to fly to our favorite city in the world -- SINGAPORE! Make sense, right? The place where we will always feel right at home, whe...