Frannywanny

April 25, 2008 (Friday) at exactly 2PM marked the start of my first ever gastronomic experience as a blogger. Thanks to Spot.ph and my dear friend Sophie , who forwarded the invite to me, I joined 100 bloggers as we toured around one part of Trinoma Mall visiting 18 (yes e-i-g-h-t-e-e-n ) food establishments and learning about the story behind each restaurant and trying out their best sellers as well. Thankfully, the event was well organized complete with a very impressive set-up by the registration table. After signing up, we were directed to an area for the briefing. Since I had to play dual personality for that day: part a blogger and another part a Starbucks partner, I found myself running around and up and down for almost 3/4ths of the time. Good thing too because I get to burn off what I eat from time to time. The event took us 5 whole hours but there was not a dull moment because I was able to mingle and getting acquainted with fellow bloggers who share the same love for food! ...

I will always remember my childhood and I have my loving parents to thank for. They were the ones who made sure my sister and I had the time of our lives through frequent food trips, memorable tours and loads of pleasant surprises. They allowed our imaginations to run free and wild as we played and expressed ourselves openly. We were given nothing but the best education to sharpen our minds and to equip us for the future. Someday, I KNOW I want to be someone like them. To be the best mom who'll teach her kids about life but making sure they'll enjoy their childhood as this will only come once. *sigh* Oh...to be a kid again Ü

photo taken in Saud Beach, February 2008 Mine would definitely be at around 530PM when the sun is about to set. Around this time is when I finish up my work, clear my desk and call it a day. It is also during this time that I am most relaxed. :) How about you? What is your favorite time of the day?

I've always wanted to try my thumb (or hand actually) in gardening. I dream of having my own tiny herb garden where I'd be able to get fresh basils, cilantros and mints from. Finally, I had my chance. While checking out the Rockwell Urban Bazaar last weekend. The only thing that caught my eye was the booth that sells Egglings . Egglings are tiny eggs...NOT Well..not quite. They are actually white porous ceramic containers that resembles that of an EGG. In here, my first plant will someday grow. I chatted with Jean (hope I got her name right) ,the girl who brought these tiny wonders into our shores straight from Japan. She told me how I can actually grow a wild herb or flowers out from the eggs. WOW! I looked closely at the samples and true enough I see egglings growing tiny strawberries, thyme and italian parsleys! She handed me her card and I noticed that there are different types of egglings available. At this point I am currently having a hard time choosing which one to get....

It's way past the Lenten season and still, fish and other types of seafoods continues to take a lead role in our dining table. However, this was not the scenario 10 years ago. Although we were really more of a seafood loving family over being a carnivore since way back, there was a more frequent intake of what I'd call the best kid's meal ever: buttery beef steaks, crispy deep-fried chicken and juicy slabs of ribs. Believe me, as a kid I thought I was in food heaven. This was until Mom had a mild stroke that shook us all up into the harsh reality that yes, fats and cholesterol CAN kill...or in Mom's case, can keep you confined for two weeks and under medication FOR LIFE. :( Since then, we became more careful in what we eat. No more mayo, butter and deep frying. Steaks and ribs also took a back seat and was rarely seen in our freezer. Instead, we stocked up on veggies, fruits and seafoods. You'd probably wonder how can I continue to love food with all these things to...

It's backkkkkkk!!! Hope i can find a nice customized pair again this year! Make Your Own Havaianas is an event which will run from May 2 to 4, 2008 at the Rockwell Tent where you can customize your own pair of flip-flops. You can create your very own pair following these easy steps: 1. Choose your sole. 2. Choose your strap. 3. Choose your embellishments – letter-pins to spell out your name, lifestyle pins to reflect your personality, Swarovskis to express your chic. 4. Our friendly staff will assemble your special pair on the spot. 5. If you wish to embellish your pair with Swarovskis, proceed to the designated station. 6. Lacinhos (“little laces”) are also available to dress up your customized pair. 7. Purchase your exclusive creation for only P795.00 (Adults sizes from 33/4 to 45/6) and P745.00 (Kids sizes from 25/6 to 31/2) without embellishments; an additional P50.00 for each pin or each Swarovski will be charged. Purchase of lacinhos will be...

Hooray! Starbucks Coffee Philippines loves Mother Earth! ON APRIL 22, 2008 , Earth Day, Starbucks will be treating you to a Php 40 discount if you USE YOUR OWN TUMBLER/MUG in purchasing any of your favorite beverage at any Starbucks store in the Philippines. • We recommend customers participating in this campaign to bring tumblers that have the proper insulation for either warm or cold drinks. • Bottled water and pre-packed juices are not included in this campaign.

What?! Three days and two nights in Tagaytay? Won't you get bored with that? This is pretty much a common reaction I would get from friends who would ask me where I'm off to for the coming long weekend. For a small place like Tagaytay, I guess it might be hard to imagine that my family and I can actually stay for two consecutive nights and still find ourselves wishing that we can extend our vacation for another day. I guess we have found quite a number of interesting must-dos from the frequency of our visit. Let me share my top 3 must-do while in Tagaytay: #1 Go church hopping One visit to Tagaytay and you'd instantly notice that the place has quite a number of churches and retreat houses. Most probably due to the cool weather and the peaceful ambiance, it is very much fit to meditate and to cleanse your spiritual being. We have two favorite churches namely the Pink Sisters Convent that has a grotto on a man-made hill overlooking the church and the Transfiguration Chapel...

Dining in a lush garden surrounded by the most colorful flowers imaginable, the soft breeze of the wind and a breathtaking view of the Taal.... This is one reason why we just love dining at Tagaytay. The cool weather, the just-right atmosphere and the feeling that we have once again discovered a new culinary secret not known to many. With this, I'm dedicating one entire entry to share with you the must-eats in Tagaytay. 1) Buon Giorno Located at the Cliffhouse along Aguinaldo Highway, this quaint Italian restaurant has the best tasting Salmon Risotto in that part of Luzon. Operated by a lady whom I believed is a food stylist, it's no surprise that you'll find your tummy growling just as you begin to flip through the heavy wooden menu. Everything just seems so good and believe me, it really does! Aside from the risotto, our order always consists of the Smoked Salmon with Mango Dill Sauce , Frito Misto de Mare (assorted seafood), Quattro Formaggi (four cheese) pizza , and t...

I've mentioned quite often that Tagaytay has been and still is currently my family's favorite getaway. Its close proximity makes going there easy and its cool temperature has always been very inviting for us, city dwellers. This will be my first major blog project, my goal is to share with you the beauty of Tagaytay and the reasons why we just adore the place. I will show you the different places and food stops that we frequent and hopefully, soon you'll also see why Tagaytay is a great city getaway. How to get there? Driving at an average speed of 60kmh, Tagaytay is estimately an hour away from Metro Manila. Our normal route is through the SLEX (South Luzon Expressway) where we would normally take a 15 minute break at any of the gas stations to grab our early morning coffee. Passing through the SLEX is a breeze as long as there's no major construction going on. We would turn right at the Sta. Rosa Exit where we'd see the Coca-Cola plant to our right. At the exit, ...

Admittedly, I am not really a fan of sodas as I would prefer a glass of iced cold clear water over the carbonated, sugar-loaded kind anyday. Perhaps it's just me but I do not like the overly sweet, caramelly after taste I usually get after finishing a glass of soda. However, I've learned to appreciate Coke Light. The less-sweet variant of Coca Cola that promises less calories as well. I would normally get this if the quality of the drinking water deems questionable in a certain restaurant or place. Then came Coke Zero . I've heard mixed reviews about this new drink before having the chance to try it out myself. Hard core soda afficionados would say its too bland and, in fact, a waste of money while others loved it and instantly has switched loyalty from drinking regular Coke to Coke Zero. Luckily, I had my chance last week when we were at a conference in Antipolo. I'd say the best time to drink a cold glass of soda is when the weather is unreasonably warm even at night...

Hear ye! Hear ye! Sharing this great find to all foodies out there Ü and here are some of the photos that I took when my mom and i went yesterday i'm definitely going back for Florabel's BBQ, the takoyaki and Chef Gino's yummy dishes! Ü Hope to see you there too!!