Frannywanny

Paul and I stayed overnight only in Macau. Our first day after checking in at Hotel Sintra , was spent at the Cotai Strip where we checked out the City of Dreams and the ever-famous Venetian Hotel. We were initially planning to stay at the Venetian after hearing my Kongkong rave endlessly about it. But since Kongkong had a bigger traveling budget than us, we opted to just stay at the other side of the island but made sure to still spend some time explore this much-talked about hotel. Since it was my first time in Macau and I hardly had time to research prior to our trip thus, our first day dining choices were quite disappointing. Not that it tastes bad but it definitely wasn't memorable enough. You see, we had lunch at McDonald's and dinner at Fat Burger. Not very Macanese at all. So, I woke up the next day with a plan. We have to dine at an authentic Macanese or Portuguese restaurant before we fly back home. The question is, where to? Thanks to the impressively fast WiFi co...

As soon as our plane safely landed at the Macau International Airport , Paul and I took a cab to head directly to the jetty port as we will be spending the first leg of our trip in Hong Kong . I initially wanted to take the CotaiJet as I read that it sails smoothly than its competitor Turbojet . Sadly, we got to Macau quite late and only Turbojet was issuing tickets then. Popping a tablet of Bonamin (anti-nausea), I prayed that the waves would be kind to me. Contrary to write-ups, I did enjoyed the ride. It was a quick one and I didn't feel dizzy at all It must have helped that we were seated at the middle of the boat so I couldn't feel the movement of the waves that much. We got a one way ticket in hopes that we will be able to try CotaiJet on our way back to Macau. Click here to see the schedules and boat fares for Turbojet. So let me talk about our Macau trip first as this was actually the highlight given that it was both our first time in this city. Macau , as we all k...

Last year, Paul and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary in two of Asia's busiest cities -- Hong Kong and Macau. We have been regular visitors of Hong Kong, frequenting this place even when we were kids. As for Macau, it was both our first time there and we're both so excited to explore this small island that's easily accessible via a ferry ride from Hong Kong. Since Air Asia Philippines began offering really cheap flights to Macau via Clark and we luckily got free ticket vouchers from attending their launch , we thought of giving it a try! To be honest, family members all gave us quizzical looks when we told them that we're flying out at the Diosdado Macapagal Airport . With NAIA just a quick 20-30 mins drive from home, they're probably all thinking that we're being silly for wanting to take that extra hour and a half drive to Clark. Well, the best things in life are indeed free and while we initially were thinking of just booking a flight with an airl...

I must admit I'm such a sucker for love stories. The cheezier, the sappier, the better! I love it when I get to cry while watching the movie, it's such a good emotional release for me despite the slight humiliation of leaving the movie theater with red, puffy eyes. I guess, it's the romantic bone in me that I still believe that we all have our own happy ever afters, that our very own prince charming exists and when the right moment comes, he'll be there to sweep you off your feet. Cynics may think that's crazy and it's all a fairy tale but hey, my own dreams came true! Once, I was in the mood to do a movie marathon and wanting to watch something different, I googled this -- "best romantic films of all times." Lo and behold, I got a number of lists that later on served as my guide on what videos to watch out for. Each list has its own suggestions but there are a number of movies that remains to be constant across all those list. This includes the c...

Remember I was telling you about my MIL’s superb taste in food? Well, here’s a perfect example that the apple sure doesn’t fall far from the tree. My husband Paul has inherited this special trait and this is why I’m so lucky to have someone who totally supports my food tripping ways. Not that I want to stereotype but I believe that people who belongs to a certain area shares a number of common characteristics and behaviors. I don’t have to go far to prove this point. Since the Philippines has a total of 81 provinces, you can see how different one can be from another. They say the Ilonggos of Ilo-Ilo have an extremely sweet demeanor and I can attest to this by just listening to my friend T speak. She would talk in a sing-song voice even when she’s annoyed or mad. Amazing, I tell you. As for Paul, they hail from Pampanga where, to me, is the land of yumminess that's located north of Metro Manila. This is where you can experience having a lunch feast that could last for hours on...

Do you have a collection? I do! Back when I was a kid, I used to collect stickers and stationary sets. My dad has always been very supportive as he would bring home all sorts of stickers to fill my album. From fuzzy to shiny ones, we would even buy whenever we would have our family vacations abroad. Later on, I moved on to collecting Starbucks City Mugs. I really get all giddy whenever I get to bring home a new mug to add to my collection. Each mug reminds me of all the fun travel adventures that I had in those cities. Ever since I bought my iPhone 4S, I began a new collection. Thanks to my ever supportive sister and in laws, I now have a growing iPhone casing collection! I love matching my casing to my outfits or changing it to suit the occasion. My MIL even got me bejeweled ones which I love very much despite the additional weight it gives to my bag. It's just so classy! I'd call it fate that I chanced upon Stamped PH . It has been months since I've had a new casing...

This week will be a happy one! More family members are coming to visit and I'm feeling all giddy all day. Speaking of family, let me tell you about this delicious dinner that I had with my in laws on our last day in Manila a few months ago. I have to tell you that my MIL has great taste in food. It need not be over-the-top expensive but she really has the eye (or shall I say the nose and the taste buds) in finding really yummy finds from weekend markets to hole-in-the-wall eateries in Chinatown. *sigh* no wonder I'll never achieve my 23 inch dream waist line. For as long as I'm home, I have both my Mom and my MIL force feeding me everyday. Hehehe... Dinner was held at Ginzadon Restaurant inside Resorts World Manila in Pasay. I've been eyeing this restaurant for almost 2 years now but since Resorts World isn't exactly what I would call accessible from my house, Paul and I never really found the time to purposely drive all the way here to eat. I'm so glad M...

One night, while working late at the office, I blurted out loud: " where can I get good burgers here? " By that I meant, not the fast food kind and more of the ones with thick all-beef patty topped with good quality cheese and sandwiched in between pillowy soft buns. While my office area is perfectly located at the heart of what I'd call a food mecca , all I can see around are soup kitchens, a hawker centres with all the local dishes and a couple of Asian eateries here and there. A colleague tried to help by giving me a couple of must-try burger joints but none of those he mentioned were accessible by foot. Then, I came across the Two Blur Guys . Taking the same question home, I asked my equally food-loving flatmates where do they go for good burgers here in Singapore and they suggested that we go try Two Blur Guys out. Located at the ground floor of the Orchid Hotel near the Tanjong Pagar MRT station, I was able to get there after taking a short 15 minutes walk f...

*SPONSORED POST* Let me tell you why I love talking about food. Putting aside the fact that it nourishes people and it gives us the energy to keep us on the go, I always see eating as a very positive and happy activity. Like what I mentioned before, people eat to celebrate or whenever there’s an occasion. When we’re feeling down, more often than not, we rely on food to uplift our spirits. There’s no right or wrong answers when it comes to food. Food and taste is very subjective. You can’t say that someone is wrong before he or she doesn’t have the same judgement as you do on a certain dish. What may be ultimately delicious for you may not sit well with the person beside you. Nonetheless, there’s no reason to debate over it as our taste buds are all different from one another. Thus, when the conversation for the best pizza comes around, I stand by my long time favourite – Shakey’s Thin Crust Pizza . What are my favourite flavours? Definitely Hawaiian and Friday’s Special . My ...

Following our Saturdate hawker challenge at Tiong Bahru Food Market , Paul and I ventured out again the next Saturday this time to Chinatown . We really enjoy being able to challenge ourselves to a try a different set of hawker specialties given a set budget of S$15. Will we be successful again this time? Chinatown is such a fun place to be. There's this old world meets modern city feel that I really love. Growing up, our trips to Singapore would never be complete without visiting this area. Mommy totally loves this store called Yue Hwa which, believe it or not, still exists at present. The store must have been around for more than 20 years! Here, she would buy our super soft and fluffy comforters, beddings and all sorts of Chinese-style linens and products that you can think of. I think it was also here where I bought my chongsam blouse, once upon a time, when I was crazy enough to think I wanted to channel Mulan. Anyway, so one Saturday night in Chinatown, Paul and I walked...

June was a fun month for me. It began with a bang where in I celebrated my birthday for the first time here in the Lion City. This was followed by a quick visit by my friend Leslie  and finally the week that I've long been waiting for has arrived. My family came over to visit too! I tell you, it was the happiest week of my life! I didn't mind that I get to go home later than usual and Paul and I would normally end up sleeping past midnight. We'd also be really exhausted from all that walking and commuting too. I also didn't mind that we had to do all those touristy stuff and get all sweaty and sticky due to the Singapore heat. In other words, I was just too happy to mind. I couldn't be home for Father's Day but I made it a point to celebrate this with my dear Papa a few days in advance. It was a no-brainer on where to take my dad out for dinner. He loves steak so I began researching on where are the good yet affordable steak places in town.  Then c...

Last weekend, our dear friends C and I finally tied the knot. Paul and I were feeling a bit glum that we were not present to witness this beautiful union. As such, I kept myself updated by viewing all their lovely photos on Instagram. *sigh* Then, I had an idea. We should surprise them and welcome them back to Singapore as the new Mr. and Mrs. J! Now the question is…HOW??? I paced around the house trying to come up with an idea on what we can do that will surely surprise them. Remember that I recently made C a birthday banner so I needed to do something else. Then I thought of checking the Canon Singapore page out. *Ding!!!* Welcome to the Canon Creative Park ! I clapped my hands in glee and jumped around the house (okay fine..it’s more like prance around) as if I found a goldmine…well it sure does feel like it. Okay, now what to do? *rubbing her hands together* I just love how the website has ready templates and instructions for you to do your arts and craft projects. It ...

I hope my blog entry title got your attention. :) Rarely do I boldly call one to be the best...unless they really are the best . I got to say that one reason why I truly enjoy going to work everyday (yes, I'm a nerd that way hihi) is aside from the fact that I love what I'm doing at the moment, I also look forward to lunch breaks. You see, my office is within Singapore's Central Business District and this just means it's literally surrounded by close to a hundred food options! Not even counting Amoy Food Centre which is just a few skips and hops away, our office neighborhood has a good mix of restaurants to satisfy whatever we may be craving for at the moment. From Indian to Italian, we even have a nice French bakery and a delicious Korean bbq restaurant too. The choices are truly endless! One restaurant that I love is Kamal . It's an Indian restaurant that's famous for their Fried Chicken Briyani (around S$5.5-6). I've tried all sorts of briyanis b...

Remember the first ever blog post that my sister Pan wrote here at Frannywanny.com? It was about her Top 10 Tokyo Sights which you can read about here and here . Well, looks like someone had loads of fun sharing her travel adventures with you all that she decided to write more! Today, the one and only Blue Eagle in the family would like to share with you her first ever restaurant review on Chubby Chicken -- a casual university food stop located right across her alma mater in Katipunan Avenue. To make things more exciting, we're also treating one lucky ready to an all-out Chubby Chicken meal worth Php 500!!!  Now, that's my cue to stop writing and to give the virtual stage to my sister Pannywanny. :) It has been a few years back where Katipunan has been my second home, studying at Starbucks, buying last minute items at National Bookstore and having breakfast, lunch and dinners in the different food establishments available. It is, after all, just a foot bridge or a trike ...

If there's one mantra that my parents live by, it would be this: "The family that eats together, stays together." Given our busy schedules, we all make it a point to at least have dinner together. At home, dinner time would last for more than 2 hours as we would take this opportuntiy to update everyone how our day went and basically what's going on with our lives. I have to say that having these moments allowed us to stay very close as a family. I guess, this is the reason why I miss my family so much now that I'm miles and miles away. I think of them every single day and most especially during dinner time. A few months ago, I availed the Casa Marcos coupon from Deal Grocer . For only Php. 799 (from Php. 1,500++), we got a paella of our choice and a caraffe of sangria too! We all love paella so this dinner was definitely highly anticipated by everyone. When I told my parents that we made dinner reservations at Casa Marcos , Mommy got so excited as she reme...

Let's play a little game! Before that though, allow me to let you in on a little secret. This is one trivia about me that I'm pretty sure not a lot of people know about -- okay, here goes: I have a secret pasttime .  Wanna know what?  I love watching Pinoy entertainment talkshows and I continue to keep myself updated with "current events" via this website and this magazine . Just imagine how happy I was when our local cable provider here suddenly opened all channels which includes The Filipino Channel two weekends ago. Paul seriously had a hard time dragging me out of the house as I was glued to The Buzz all afternoon. The fun part about keeping myself update with local showbiz news is sometimes I would come across blind items which I love playing Sherlock Holmes too as I would piece out the clues to make my wise guess.  Given that, let me tell you about our experience at the Spa at Traders Hotel in Singapore and to make things exciting, I'll t...