Frannywanny

This year flew by at record speed (and I feel that I've been saying this every single year) but seriously, with all the things that's been keeping us super busy in our lives, I can't believe that we're nearing the end of 2019 and we're less than a month away to welcome the new year. The holiday feasting and partying have surely began two weeks ago for me when I met up with my bestest friends. We've been best of friends since we were in high school so that means we've been friends for more than 2 decades already. Back when we were young (and silly), our group went by several names -- 4 Musketeers, Phantombunnies, The Mosquito Gang (don't ask me about this one haha) and many more. It shows how crazy we were but despite that, it shows how we just wanted a name that would bind the four of us together..forever. If you really think about it, we're four women with very different personalities. One is the analytical thinker, the smartest girl in our bark...

Just a few hours ago, as I was scrolling on my phone, I got a notification to look at several photos taken on the same day as today but 2 and 3 years ago. The first photo was that of my sister with my barely-a-month-old niece A. Oh, how A has grown into a smart little toddler who can easily surpass her daily word count and would delight us with the funny things that she would say. The second photo was of my twins, a few days after their first month celebration and it reminded me of how tiny and fragile they were before. We truly came a long long way from that to our active two year old toddlers now who are starting to talk a lot more each day. One thing that I'll never forget about being a new mom to my twins was my breastfeeding journey. I've mentioned this several times here that I actually had very low expectations of myself breastfeeding. I guess it's because my mom didn't breastfed (and it wasn't that widely practiced back then) and my sister struggled with l...

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney This was the quote that inspired the Uy siblings to strive and to pursue their dream of building their company, Superb Catch Inc. , 20 years ago. As I was listening to the speech of their president, Ms. Jennifer Uy Ampon , I suddenly got teary-eyed as flashes of memories of how me and my sister Pan started our own little business when we were still both in university. Not known to many, our mom had a mild stroke TWICE as in two weeks in a row and with the doctor giving her strict orders of going easy at work and Papa was on semi-retirement already then, we knew we had to do something in order for our parents to not worry about our family's finances. After all, they've worked so hard to give me and my sister a comfortable life and most of all, the best education possible; so we knew that we had to be proactive in at least covering for our weekly school allowances and whatever misc...

Long time readers of this blog will know how much Paul and I love going on staycations. Back when we were a young, newlywed couple, we would go around town spending our weekends at various hotels in and outside of Metro Manila. Even when we moved to Singapore, we would still go on staycations to celebrate our anniversary or either of our birthdays. Things change when you have kids, that's true. Of course, we spent their first year learning the ropes of twin parenthood and going on a staycation is no longer as simple as packing a small carry-on bag with clothes good for two to three days and to just head out the door with no specific itinerary in mind. Going for an overnight stay away from home with our twins takes a whole different production level. It's about packing their clothes ahead of time taking into consideration bringing at least 3 sets of clothes as buffer, getting them to choose only a handful of toys and trying to negotiate while doing so as they want to bring their...

Before anything else, let's get some things straight -- I'm not a beauty blogger/vlogger and boy, do I have so much respect and admiration for all of them after creating this 6 minute video. *salute* Listening to my raspy voice while editing the video made me cringe BIG TIME and I actually contemplated multiple times whether or not to publicize this video for everyone to see but well, I've been sharing a good part of my life with you all for the past 12 years so I hope you'll all forgive me (or at least my voice haha). No judgements, right? Anyway, the reason why I thought of creating this video is because I recently tried this new skin care brand called Secret Nature  which I purchased via Lazada and I'm loving the effect it has on my skin. Secondly, I do value having a good skin care routine as I believe that genetics can only go as far as if you also give your skin the TLC that it deserves. Just a brief background, for many years I've been using a sp...

"If you can dream it, you can do it."- Walt Disney Life has been extremely busy for all of us. Balancing responsibilities at home, at work and elsewhere. Often times I feel that 24 hours in a day is not enough to do everything that you have and would like to do. As we grow up, we also tend to complicate things. Being around my twins made me realize that sometimes, we just have to remind ourselves to find the joy in the simplest things. How we have to stop complaining, comparing and to find contentment in what we have and what we are given. I thank my twins for reminding me that there's beauty in the world around us and I just have to take a step back to be less critical. As I watch them play, I love how they just let their imagination run wild. From trying to lick their pretend ice cream and to use Lia's beaded necklace as a stethoscope. My only hope for my twins is for them to live their dream. I promise to be the kind of mom who will be their biggest cheerleader...

I got to say that with a little more than a month left as we close 2019, The Grid Food Market was indeed one of my favorite foodie places this year. What's there not to love about it? It has a very good selection of food choices and I'd say, they didn't stop at being "good" but they really went above and beyond by getting the best in the industry. Here, you get only the most authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice, the yummiest Laksa , the highly desired Lobster Roll and of course, you finish off with the best Chocolate in town and award-winning cake selections too. Even my twins love it so much that we spent almost the entire day last Saturday dining at The Grid . We had lunch, merienda and dinner there and we never got tired of it as there were just a lot of options to choose from. For my part 2, let me focus on 3 homegrown brands that has quickly made a name for itself in the foodie circle. One was first known for their ooey gooey, super sinful brownies. Anothe...

I recently discovered how much I enjoyed planning the birthday parties of my twins. Whether we have decided to make the party big or small, I love thinking of fun and creative ways to celebrate their special day. I have an entire year to plan for their 3rd birthday but I'm starting to list down some ideas already. Time flies like a speeding bullet and before you know it, my adorable twosome will turn another year older *sniffle* . Can they stay my babies for a little while longer? Anyway, the day after their birthday, we were invited by Greenwich Pizza to join their Pizza Making Camp  together with fellow foodie friends. It was only recently that we have re-discovered Greenwich pizza and we just love the Hawaiian Overload pizza . Yep, we are that kind of people who loves pineapples on our pizza.  I was so game to learn how to make my own Greenwich pizza and I had my little L who was ready to help me too. All participants of the Pizza Making Camp  gets their o...

Get ready to jump into muddy puddles and celebrate with us! You'll probably be familiar with the phrase "muddy puddles" if you have toddler kids like us. Yes, Peppa Pig is in the house and this was our theme for the second birthday of the twins. After the big party last year, Paul and I decided to keep things simple this year for two reasons: 1) My beloved Angkong just passed away a little more than 100 years ago and.. 2) We just wanted to keep this year's celebration intimate yet fun with family around. I started planning for their birthday as early as March. Yes, not wanting to cram (which I still always end up doing) I started considering various venue options. One, a simple DIY swimming party with cousins where we can prepare fun snacks for kids and a heavy afternoon merienda for our adult guests, another option was to just eat out minus the frills and this, a party that's somewhere in the middle -- that's fun, simple yet memorable. Back in Mar...

I never thought that I'd be the type of mom who loves throwing parties for my little ones. Sure I love to plan but I never thought I'd actually enjoy going through the whole process of thinking of a theme, planning the decor, the food and even the cake. I guess, motherhood can really change you and for me, it has made me a more creative and resourceful mom. Since my twins have just celebrated their 2nd birthday. I thought of doing a throwback and sharing with you how we celebrated their first birthday . As you know, first birthdays are a BIG thing here in our country. It's normally when the parents would really allot a bigger amount of budget and would go through the trouble of securing a venue months or even a year in advance. I don't blame them, after all, a baby turns 1 only once (haha) and well it's also a good way to celebrate 12 full months of sleepless nights parenthood. What more for us as we celebrated 12 full months of surviving twin parenting! Hoor...

I can't remember the exact date when I last had my hair colored. Most probably it was sometime in 2016 as I have stopped my annual hair color treatment from the moment I got pregnant with my twins early in 2017 and all the way till I breastfed them. It's so funny because I have tiny white hairs sticking out around my "sideburns" area and when I told my cousin-in-law J that we're finally expecting a baby, he told me this "do me a favor, color your hair so that you'll be a pretty pregnant lady" . I had to explain to him that doing hair color is a no-no especially when you'll be exposing yourself to harmful chemicals that might endanger your baby. He was really serious about his advice that he even sent me a whole package of facial mask. J, this is one reason why I love you! ♥ So anyway, we've heard a lot of things about Aveda hair products and one thing that stood out to me was how it makes use of all organic ingredients. That means, it...

Here are 3 main reasons why I love salmon: - It's rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, protein and all the good things making it good for your heart. - It's almost always served boneless which is perfect for people like me who do not like deboning their fish. - It's so easy to prepare and so versatile too! Regardless if you steam, bake, fry, pan-fry or grill it, you're pretty much assured of having a good salmon dish. So, when I received several packs of Seaking frozen salmon cuts a month ago, I was so happy! Well, it was perfect timing too that it arrived just in time for Paul's birthday and you all know how I love going the extra mile for his birthdays so I decided, we have a nice fancy dinner with Baked Salmon as part of the menu. Do you still remember the Baked Salmon dish that I've shared some time back? No? Don't fret, just click on this link to refresh your memory! Anyway, I used the same recipe but since Seaking makes use of Wil...

Dearest J & L, Where did the days go? Just last year, I remembered throwing your first birthday party together with our family and our closest friends. I can't believe it has been a year since then and you're now blowing out two candles from your cake.  This year, Mommy and Daddy became really busy with work. I still feel bad that I no longer can spend every waking hour with the two of you but someday, I hope you'll understand why Mommy had to go to the office or when Daddy and I had to leave you with Ama and Kongkong to attend meetings. Everything that we do now is for the two of you and as I reach home at night, nothing makes my stress and fatigue go away in a snap than with your warm hugs and never-ending kisses. I love it when you would continue to increase your daily count of saying "Mama" day after day. Mama loves you both super duper duper too. 

If there's one thing that I probably took after my Kongkong aside for his love for food, it's being passionate about entertaining and planning parties. I'm not talking about the glitzy and glamorous parties but rather more of intimate house parties with the best food, non-stop laughter and great stories shared all night long. Since coming home to Manila and having my twins, I haven't had the chance to entertain guests at home. However, this doesn't stop me from keeping myself updated with the best food suppliers in the metro. "You'll never know when you'll need one"  is one thing that I always keep in mind. I always believe that the secret to having the best party is to have the yummiest food. We remember how great a party was because of the food that we got to enjoy coupled with the fun experience that we had. This was also why Paul and I agreed to prioritize our food during our wedding reception as we do not want our guests heading straight to ...

Milk teas...Nai Chai... Bobba Tea... Called in various ways all over the world but it's pretty much the same. A cold, refreshing drink made out of brewed tea with milk and with a generous amount of sago / pearls or whatever sinkers at the bottom of the cup. You all know how much I love my milk tea from the time I discovered this back in 2010. Such perfect (or I would say, bad) timing that I just had to get so addicted months before our BIG day that my dreams of walking down the aisle in a slimmer frame went kapoof!  Anyway, I'm just glad that Paul loves me in all my chubbiness glory. Seriously though, I really have to get in shape. Gained so much after I've stopped breastfeeding the twins. *sigh*  Any tips out there? Recently, I discovered a new milk tea brand in Greenhills called Xing Fu Tang . I guess, it's because this place targets a lot of Filipino-Chinese students, families and even senior citizens that we sure have an abundant amount of milk tea brands all ...

My twins, just like their mom, are huge snackers! Meal time can sometimes be stressful especially for my little girl L who can get super picky but when it comes to giving them snacks, they'd grab this with a big big smile. From yogurt to fruits, from bread to their favorite cocoa pops, they love munching and snacking at any given time of the day. One of their favorite thing to snack on is Nosh Baby Munchables  which, I first introduced to them when they were 8 months old. I waited a few months after they got used to eating solids and from that moment that they had their first taste of Nosh , this has been their #1 snack choice till today. Nosh is one of the yummiest and healthiest rice crackers in the market. In fact, I even had a yaya before who would also eat Nosh which was intended for the twins. She's long gone now (thank goodness) but it shows how good it was. We've tried pretty much all the flavors available -- Banana Mango , Strawberry Beet , Blueberry and Pom...

I still remember how the food scene was just two years ago. As soon as we landed in Manila, the first thing that I asked my sister-in-law Achi J and my brother-in-law Ahia J was... "so what are the must eats here in Manila?" This was when they told us about the rising trend of food parks -- small, hole in the wall, highly instagrammable food concepts normally found in small neighborhood garage and built using old container shells. "Interesting" , I thought to myself. Achi J told me about several must-try concepts such as one with nachos topped with melted cheese, another with Iced Tea served in fish bowls that's good for 3-4 people to share. Somehow, it reminded me of Timbre+ in Singapore which, I'm happy to report, is still doing so well up until today. I wasted no time and brought my preggy self to try one of those much-talked-about food parks. Let's just say that after one short visit, I came to the conclusion that outdoor, al fresco dining in con...

Here I am again, reliving my love for quiet afternoon tea breaks at one of my favorite hotels in Manila. If you've been reading my blog for sometime now, you'd be pretty much aware of how often I'd spend my Saturday afternoons in the Lion City with my girl friends as we would enjoy a good variety of savory and sweet finger treats . From tea sandwiches to canapes, from fruity tarts to sinful mini donuts, afternoon tea time was my favorite weekend activity and I'm so glad to be able to do it again at The Peninsula Manila , no less. Of course, it was also because we wanted to continue celebrating Paul's birthday as I just felt like a one day celebration is not enough for this amazing guy. I've also been planning to take my twins to The Peninsula Manila as I remember spending a lot of time with the family when I was a kid then. It was at The Pen where I had the best tasting Strawberry Sorbet and I was so thrilled to find out that they still have that. I have ye...

The food and beverage business is a fast rising industry where brands and come and go. Yearly, we see new restaurants and food stores opening left and right and at the end of the year, we see a good percentage of them close shop as well. It's an exciting yet challenging industry that only the strong ones last for years. Here in the Philippines, we're lucky to have a couple of home brands that has survived the test of time for more than a decade. Some are still around for 20, 30 or even 40 years. What makes it also more amazing it when I would get to meet servers who have been loyal to the said restaurant since the beginning. Anyway, when it comes to cream puffs, only one brand comes to mind -- Beard Papa . I often wonder where Beard Papa originated. After all, not only is it available here in the Philippines but you can find it in Singapore, Japan and even as far as North America. A quick search on Google led me to their story. It began in Fukuoka, Japan in 1999 by a man na...

It was been said so many times before that being a mom is no easy feat. Put aside all the sleepless nights, the big and small sacrifices that you have to do, the pain, the anxiety... lately, I realized that no matter how hard you try to shield your babies from all the viruses in the world. That's just not possible. My twins have been falling sick for the past month. They caught a bad cold three weeks ago and quickly recovered from it then Paul got sick and just as he was about to recover, my twins caught the bug AGAIN. It's one of those moments that I just want to pull my hair and raise my hand to surrender. I love the rainy season but I got to admit that together with it comes the rise of flu and even more scary diseases like Dengue.  I still remember how awful I felt when I had dengue. I was 7 years old then and I remembered  drinking Slurpee one afternoon with my cousin and the next morning I woke up with really bad headache, high fever and a painful tummy. I initi...

If you're familiar with the story of King Midas who's a man that turns everything that he touches into gold, then the Japanese, I believe, are the type that turns everything that they create into something that's super cute and pleasing to the eye. I love how the Japanese gives so much attention to detail that even a regular gift-wrapped item turns into a work of art. Then there's their sushi and sashimi creations that just never fails to wow everyone. It's the precision, the balance and how they continues to achieve perfection no matter what. That said, my heart skipped a beat when I received a beautiful present from Kumori Philippines about a month ago. It's a box of Puffy-O Donuts  and it's available in 3 flavors -- Banana Walnut, Chocolate Caramel and Cheese. I was actually out when this beautiful box arrived so our reliable helper decided to store these in the refrigerator in order to prolong its life. So, as soon as my family and I were ready to...

Just like that, the Ber months have officially begun. Slowly. we're starting to take our Christmas decors out from their usual hiding spot, dusting them to bring back their sparkle and soon enough, I'm sure we can start to hear Christmas carols playing all over town again. It will be my twins' 3rd Christmas and I hope I can make it extra special for them. Anyway, new month, new recipe! Recently, I experimented with a new main ingredient. One that I would always have in my freezer but all I do is to ask our helper to fry it. I'm talking about our National Fish -- Bangus  (Milkfish). I still remember learning about this little fact back in grade school. True enough, I think bangus is one of those fish that makes your dining table truly Pinoy . In fact, I had a hard time looking for bangus when I was in Singapore and I would ask my mom to bring me boxes of Rellenong Bangus  every time she and Papa would visit. We love boneless bangus as I honestly do not have the patie...

It's raining quite hard as I type this. The twins and I just woke up from our lazy Sunday nap and after playing with their Mega Bloks which ended up with a little fight as L tried to "demolish" her twin brother's beautiful architectural creation. I swear, I love it when I watch J working his creativity with the Mega Bloks, somehow I feel I'll have a future architect and he'll someday build our dream house. Anyway, I honestly like the sound of the rain gently pitter-pattering on our window pane (that wasn't really intended to sound like a song lyrics) but growing up, my heart would leap with joy whenever I'd wake up to a rainy morning hoping that classes will be suspended that day. I'm pretty sure a lot of you were like that too! As a mom though, days of rain means more challenge in drying our laundry and worst, the fear of it smelling like malodor (kulob) . I have a very strong sense of smell and sometimes I feel that my nose is directly atta...

I really love how more and more brands we love while residing in the Lion City are also making their way to the Philippines! Case in point, fashion and home-wise we got H&M, Muji, Uniqlo, Forever New and even Pottery Barn present in some of the biggest malls in the country and when it comes to the food scene, oh we got a lot! There's Kam's Roast , Ippudo , Llao Llao , Pezzo and just recently.. Popeyes made a comeback! Hold a meeting on top of Popeyes? Why not! The opening of Popeyes clearly stirred a lot of excitement as we've been seeing numerous board ups all over the metro yet there's really no specific announcement made on when it will open. Finally, its first outlet in Arcovia City  opened its doors in May and we've been hearing about the long queue and the wait that can go on for an hour. With my kids in tow, I really don't think it would be wise to join in the long queue so Paul and I decided to wait it out a bit more. Finally, sometime in Jul...

I'm back! It's been a really busy month and yet every time I remind myself about our upcoming trip to the Lion City, I get this sudden surge of adrenaline rush and excitement. Finally, after two long years, Paul and I went back to our second home and what made this trip extra special was having our twins with us too. I knew that we will be back (for a visit at least) and I was really determined to take my twins with me in order for them to meet their aunties, uncles and playmates who were like family to us when we were still based there. No yayas with us so it was just me, Paul and our twins. I knew also that it will be extra tiring and physically draining but I was up for that challenge. This is probably one of the rare times in their young lives that J & L got our undivided attention for one full week. In fact, a week is indeed to short to meet up with everyone and to go to all the places on my list. Also, I realized that it's the first time that I'm visiting Si...

Remember a few weeks ago, I shared with you the super cute tie-up between my favorite milk tea brand, Serenitea and the very iconic Sesame Street ? Well, as their promotion for those adorable metal straws has come to an end, the fun continues this time for all trivia lovers out there! If you're the type who just loves to test your knowledge on a wide range of topics from pop culture, sports, politics and more or if you're just super competitive like me, well this is one event that you shouldn't miss! The Serenitea Trivia Night will run every Thursday night at a particular Serenitea outlet in the metro. They started last August 22 at Serenitea UP Town Center and today, (yes TODAY ), you can join in the fun at Serenitea Robinsons Cyberscape Gamma in Ortigas. I'll share the rest of the schedule below. So basically, all you have to do is to register and sign up at the host branch at least 2 weeks before the event. They can only accept a limited number of participants...

Just tonight, I came across a funny joke. It goes like this: Me: I'm good at multi-tasking God: Here, have twins. I must admit that I have said this line way too many times during job interviews from the time that I've graduated from my university up until my days in the Lion City. Funny thing is, I don't recall telling this to my current boss when she interviewed me last year. Can't really remember why I didn't but well, my plate has been overloaded from the day my twins came into this world and I think that will remain that way up until they probably graduate from college or when I retire..whichever comes first. Thankfully though, being a multi-tasker is normal in today's world. Gone are the days when we have the luxury to do one task at a time. In order to get things done while keeping your sanity intact, you just gotta hustle all day, every day.  I got to thank technology for making our lives easier. Not wanting to sound like a tech-crazy mille...

Remember how Paul and I went to check out the MaArte Fair at The Peninsula Manila last year and while it's an annual fundraising event showcasing a perfected curated line up of local vendors and artists selling their home and fashion masterpieces, I stumbled upon two food finds namely Tsaa Laya  and Buen Provencho by O&M  as I was making my rounds then. This year, MaArte oPen House  will open on August 16 to 18, 2019, once again, at The Peninsula Manila  and they got not 1, not 2 but 6 exciting food vendors joining in the mix! We were so lucky to be invited to an intimate afternoon tea party where we got to sample some of the products that will be up on sale this coming weekend. There's Green Babes  which was established in 2011 and is the brainchild of good friends Bopeep Arroyo and Zerla Mayuga. They have been sourcing various delicious products all over the country and for MaArte oPen House , be ready to try their Organic Eggs which, I promis...

Sunny Day Sweepin' the clouds away On my way to where the air is sweet Can you tell me how to get? How to get to Sesame Street This song has been our household background music every single weekday morning 30 plus years ago. With just the opening tune, my sister Pan and I would rush over in front of the TV and sit there quietly for the next 30 minutes. In fact, that's the only time we would watch TV and after the show is over, we'd continue with our pretend game of bahay-bahayan  or teacher teacher . Back in the day, we didn't had YouTube so that's pretty much the only screen time we get and we didn't mind at all. My favorite character has always been Cookie Monster followed by the duo Bert and Ernie . Unfortunately, I was never fond of feathered animals so Big Bird somehow terrifies me. For some reason, Elmo wasn't so popular then instead we had Oscar the Grouch who lives in a trash bin and Count Dracula who taught us how to count. One metal stra...

"If there were no love, there's be no grief." - Zig Ziglar It just felt like a movie on repeat. The entire family inside a hospital room, quietly wiping away our tears, giving each other supportive hugs as we watch the numbers on the monitor slowly going down. One by one, we each walked closer to the hospital bed as we whispered I love yous, thank yous and basically our last messages. Four years ago, it was my beautiful Ama lying on the hospital bed. After a mad rush home from the Lion City followed by a stressful drive from the airport to the hospital, I made it in time to say my final goodbyes to the woman whom I proudly call my grandmother. Together with my parents and my sister, she and Kongkong were the center of my world for 30+ years. Her death brought about so much "what ifs", "if only" and painful acceptance that she's no longer physically here with us. Of course, the most painful of all was to see my dear Kongkong cope with the death of...

"I miss this." This was what Paul told me one afternoon as we were driving to an event without the kids. Recently, I learned something new about marriage. No matter how many kids you already have, never forget your role as a husband/wife to your other half. Since I gave birth to my twins, I guess it's pretty obvious that they became the center of our world. Day in and out, we have been so busy helping each other in taking care of them. Add to the fact that we have been quite unlucky in getting a reliable nanny till lately as we finally have Yaya M. Thankful also for my in laws who willingly help us watch the twins as we work and go about our day, Paul and I took a quick lunch date one day. I was also badly craving for sushi and I got to admit that it's hard to find a reasonably priced sushi that's of good quality too. Most of the reputable Japanese restaurants that we got in our area have menu items priced pretty steep. This made me recall one of the lunch dat...

So yesterday, I raved about my newest kitchen appliance -- the Instant Pot Duo 6QT  which I think is an answered prayer for all home cooks who are living in small spaces or are always on the go.  Of course, I wasted no time and started to put this baby on a road test. As soon as I got my Instant Pot , my mom told me that it's the perfect appliance to have given that I always make sure to have soup available for my kids in every meal. It's where we've made delicious beef soup, creamy pumpkin soup that L loves so much and a few months back, I discovered that you can also make pasta here without the use of multiple pots. It's truly your machine for those one-pot wonder dishes. Let me share with you one recipe that I've tried making using my Instant Pot and I was very pleased with the outcome. It's yummy, healthy and so easy to make. Instant Pot Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese  (source: here ) Here's what you'll need: - macaroni or any short pasta...

Finally, the long long long wait is over and this is one news that I've been soooo excited to share with you all. In fact, I had to keep it a secret for more than a year but now, the cat is out of the bag and here's the BIG news. The famous Instant Pot  is finally here in the Philippines and it's 220v ready!  Okay, perhaps not a lot of you are familiar with the Instant Pot  but let me tell you this, it's the newest innovation in home cooking where you can pressure cook, boil, steam, cook rice, make yogurt, saute and more. Back in the day when we would have the old school pressure cooker and my mom would warn us about getting close to it.  "I have a friend who's daughter opened the pressure cooker and sago shot up her nose and she needed to undergo surgery. So be very  careful, Frances."    I would still remember Mommy telling me this horrendous story and how that vision of mini sago (tapioca pearls) flying all around the room and one ...

I remembered back when I was based in the Lion City, despite not having kids then, our day-to-day life still remained equally busy. For example, after a busy day at work, I would literally rush home at 6pm. Sometimes, I even have to squeeze in a quick trip to the grocery if I'm running low in ingredients and make sure that I get home by 7pm. As soon as I step into our empty apartment unit, I would be on auto-pilot. Cook the rice, chop, wash, mince, prepare the pan, saute, bake, boil, steam, check if the rice has been cooked, set the table, serve the dishes and wait for Paul. The goal is the moment Paul walks in the house, dinner will be ready for him. After dinner, I would then take on the role of dish washing while he takes care of other household chores like doing the laundry, folding the dry clothes and ironing. We would then take a quick shower by 10pm and while drying my hair, I'd be blogging or catching up on work. Our normal bedtime would still be past 12 every single ni...

Every night, I thank Him for leading me to Paul 16 years ago. How he became my first serious and last boyfriend. Our love story is something that I just love telling over and over again. Apart from meeting and eventually marrying him, I am also thankful for gaining a new family who loved me like their own. I am blessed to have the best in laws who continuous to support me in whatever I do. So much so that they all were so game when I sent them this message a few hours before our Father's Day dinner last weekend: "I got a bag filled with 6 bottles of Tabasco. Let's do a Tabasco tasting challenge later, ok?" Within minutes, I got replies from Paul's siblings all saying yes! Aren't they just the best? We had so much fun doing the challenge that even Daddy happily watched on and even helped me with the mechanics. Even my nephew J appointed himself as our game master and scorer, if you listen closely, you'll hear his cute commentator lines.

Hello everyone! It's finally June and it's my birthday month. Soon, we're pretty much halfway through 2019. Time is zooming by so fast again, don't you think?  Anyway, let me backtrack a bit and tell you about my first ever experience doing Lazada Live . I guess everyone all know what Lazada  is as today's world is all about online shopping and basically doing everything and anything online. Before I had my twins, I remember attending an event where moms and (then, this momma to be) were asked to stand up and share two of their guilty pleasures . Mine was a no brainer -- chips and carbs. These are still my guilty pleasures till today, actually. Well, most moms mentioned "online shopping" and in my mind, I was like.. "What?!" Back then, I felt uncomfortable trusting online sellers with my money...worst, my credit card details. I had a million and one questions then like "what if the item was fake?", "what if no item gets delivered...