Monday, March 09, 2020

Harry and Meghan: A modern fairy tale and yet very real marriage


Sigh. Such a gorgeous photo of the most-talked-about married couple in the world!

I don't really have anything "expert" to say about Harry and Meghan. Almost everyone remotely interested in royalty has given their expert opinion on the Duke and Duchess' resignation from royal duties (As a former royalty magazine editor, I did here: Royal Rift! All your questions on Harry and Meghan's resignation, answered!). Many are sad, many are supportive, and many are mad. I don't know why they'd be mad. It's not like Harry's leaving them haha.

But anyway, I've been meaning to write a blog post about this particular Brexit since January but everything's been moving so fast that it's hard to comment. I finally decided that ultimately I'm very happy for them and that they're a great example for all married couples everywhere.

Every married couple should leave their families. Yes, Harry isn't part of just any normal family. As a prince, he sure isn't just like us. But he's also not THE prince. He's just the spare. And while that must rankle to be known as the spare to the heir since birth, it finally worked out for him—he can actually break free. He's not the first royal in history to choose to step away from duty. Here's a short list:

1. (UK) King Edward VIII to marry Wallis Simpson.
2. (Netherlands) Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau to marry Mabel Wisse Smit
3. (Japan) Sayako, Princess Nori, to marry Yoshiki Kuroda
4. (Japan) Princess Ayako of Takamado to marry Kei Moriya
5. (Thailand) Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya to marry Peter Ladd Jensen

Harry and Meghan didn't lose their titles but they did give up their allowance, their HRH styling, and pretty much the respect of a lot of people. Ya. For choosing love and family over prestige.

I like their decision. I know people are saying Meghan bullied Harry into doing this but if you've watched Harry at all throughout his very public life, he's not the sort of man anyone can bully. And while there's that rumor that "what Meghan wants, Meghan gets," I don't see how that's a bad thing if what Meghan wants is a peaceful life. Sure she signed up for a very public life but I don't think she signed up for such racism and hate. 


I read this book recently and I came away from it just loving and admiring these two people who loved to make a difference in people's lives. They have charities, they use their platform for good causes, they are enthusiastic about helping others. And they met each other! He was a prince. She was a strong and confident woman—not a shy virgin teenager like Diana, not a quiet and obedient Kate. She was not, what is the word, moldable. I love that she was already all woman when they met and fell in love. And I can't understand how that wholeness makes people see her as a threat to men and marriage.


Marriage should be between two people complete in themselves. Marriage shouldn't be the answer to people broken and incomplete, looking for a fix in the other. You should come into the marriage as a whole person, ready to give your all. Traditionally, women are seen as these fragile creatures that needed tending. That should make us precious. Instead, men have used this required fragility against us—abusing women and their children throughout centuries just because we needed men to survive.

Well, not anymore. Ladies, don't get married because you need a man for his money or position or his strength. Earn your own money, make your own name, be strong on your own. The man you attract won't be controlling and abusive. He'll be an amazing guy. Just like how Harry was drawn to Meghan's strength, drive, and mission. And together? Wow, they're going to make a lot of difference in the world. They're already doing it. 

That's what marriage should be about—two strong people coming together and creating an even stronger alliance. This used to happen before—an alliance of kingdoms. But we should use that as a metaphor, an inspiration, for how we should see our own marriages, too. We are a team. We are one. No one is lesser, no one is greater. We are equal.


Anyway, I finally blogged about Harry and Meghan today because it's their last day as senior royals. After today, they will disappear from public life. They have plans to still be seen out and about, working for their livelihood (just like us!), but now they'll be private citizens. They're determined to be seen as a team, as a single entity—as married couples should be.

Good luck on your new adventure, Harry and Meghan! It's not going to be easy but no marriage is unless you remember to stick it out together. If you do that, you're going to be just fine.

P.S. I just love how their outfits on their final royal appearances are all matching. Clearly telling the world they are one!

Friday, March 06, 2020

My really nice wedding gift suggestions

I love weddings for selfish reasons. (1) I get to wear my gowns, (2) I get a good reason to get away from my kids hehe, (3) because of the sermon and witnessing the couple promise each other a lifetime, I'm reminded of how wonderful marriage is, and (4) I get to eat really yummy food! Weddings are the best!!!


Vince and I were at the wedding of Edward Bugia and Trixie Esguerra. I've known Trixie for years because she was instrumental in launching my career as a blogger ((and every big blogger's, too) and she now has her own agency, Launch and Meet. Edward is the very busy chef behind Pino vegetarian restaurant, BRGR, Pi Breakfast and Pies, Mimi & Bros, and Bean and Yolk. And I am their ninang sa kasal! So I just had to get them a gift from MY MC Home!

Here are a few of the gifts I considered for their marital abode:


While I wish I could've given them a four-poster bed with a pile of pillows, it's medyo over my budget at P39,950 ehehehe. I'm actually referring to the triptych of photos on top of the bed. You can have prenup or wedding photos printed that big on real canvas (not photo paper!) at MY MC Home for just P8,700!


I think every newlywed couple should have crystal goblets. Crystal vases. Crystal candy dishes. Crsytal decanters. WALA LANG! They're so extra. Let me tell you now: Marriage can be full of drudgery. Washing dishes. Doing laundry. Taking out the trash. That's why you need to give married people pretty things that remind them that marriage is actually magical.


Okay, extra not your thing? We can go practical. Here's a useful appliance for those couples who love green smoothies or who like grinding their own coffee beans. Your newlyweds can use the Tefal Fruit Sensation for making smoothies, soups and eventually baby food!


Here's another useful appliance, a toaster! I love toast. Toasting bread not only improves the taste and texture of bread, it also lowers the glycemic index and fat content of your everyday loaf (and then you spread tons of butter on it haha). What I like about the Gorenje toaster is it's so pretty! Definitely will add color and whimsy to the young couple's kitchen.



This bar cart! So sleek. Love it! Perfect for wheeling over your favorite cocktails while you lounge on the sofa or in bed. If you don't drink alcohol, you can put your coffee or tea paraphernalia instead. Or use it as a side table. So useful!


Every married couple needs nice new sheets. Because we need to make them love sleeping together—figuratively and literally. Nice sheets are so lovely on naked skin. MY MC Home has shelves upon shelves of bedsheets! There are printed sets, too.


Might as well throw in pillows! I can't get enough of great pillows. Married couples may have had their dreams come true but everyone needs to go to dreamland and new pillows will send them off nicely.

Okay, enough shopping! Just visit MY MC Home for more gift ideas for your friends and loved ones getting married (or for your own home!). Let's watch Trixie and Edward's wedding video!



Congratulations to my inaanaks! Edward and Trixie, be good to each other. As your sermon verse said (which was the same as mine!), "[Jesus said] 'I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.'" John 15:11-12.

Medyo mataas ang peg that Jesus established, seeing as He is divine and He gave His life for us. But what is marriage but a holy commitment and a giving of one's life every day till five-ever? Congratulations and best wishes!

MY MC Home has 3 branches: Level 3 MET LIVE Mall, Diosdado Macapagal Blvd, 1302 Pasay City, at MC Home Depot San Fernando Interchange, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, 2000 San Fernando, Pampanga, and at MC Home Depot BGC, Taguig. You may also find more furniture and promos on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/mymchome and Instagram www.instagram.com/mymchome.


*This post is brought to you by My MC Home.

Monday, March 02, 2020

Hello there! My name's Frances and this is what I do to make money.

Hi everyone! I've noticed a growth in my readership and so I'm betting a lot of you are new here and don't really know who I am. Thanks for giving me a chance to be part of your life!

Today, I'll share with you what I do for a living. People ask me all the time, "What exactly do you do?"

Well, I do a lot of things but since I don't go to an office, people sometimes assume I don't work. Oh, I work a lot! I hustle for need (pay bills, send kids to school, etc) and for pleasure. I love working!

But what exactly do I do? I always say I'm a writer. That's what I do. All my jobs has writing in there somewhere. The more writing it has, the happier I am with it.

My favorite photo from my PR job last year. L-R: Cosmo.ph EIC Jill Gatcheco, Paint It Red managing director Cath David, me, and our client Dr. Candy Drilon-Dalman of Centro Holistico.  

Last year, I had an 8-month stint as a PR Manager at Paint It Red. I learned so much from that job. It was intense because I haven't been employed for 6 years and I literally didn't know anything about the PR industry. I was really lucky I had bosses who took a chance on me and were diligent in teaching the oldest member of their staff new things.


I think they didn't have an easy time (this old dog had a hard time learning new tricks!) but I did learn and I did have fun. I was surrounded by young blood and they were so masipag and mabait! I only left because I found I couldn't juggle a job with being a mommy and running my own business.

Yes, I have a legit, BIR-registered freelance writing business. My writing business earns from foreign clients and local magazine websites. I write product descriptions for e-commerce sites, write branded content for websites, do proofreading and editing of manuscripts, and - my absolute favorite - I write articles! Articles may pay the least but they nourish my soul.


My business also covers my PR consultancy work. Now that I'm no longer employed, I have more time to do freelance PR. I've decided to just focus on family-friendly brands, so my PR work now involves promoting products and services moms would like or are owned by mommies. So now, I like my PR work better because it's more meaningful (and easier) to me.

Ask me what job earns the most, however, and it's blogging hands down. It earns me more money than my job as a PR professional and my freelance writing and editing combined. And I'm not even power blogging like I did in 2013-2016! What I earn from blogging now is a third of what I used to earn and yet it still is the one that brings home the fattest bacon. My blog also lets me earn through speaking engagements and workshops, which scare the shit out of me but are fun to do anyway.

Sneak peek: New campaign involves me admiring a giant bell pepper. 

Anyway, I guess I should say I'm a blogger first and everything else after. It's not my dream job (will always be magazine editor!) but it's made my dreams come true so I can't complain. And I guess the point of this post is to say all that I do to earn money so people will stop wondering haha. I also want to say that I'm grateful I have my blog.

Everyone hates bloggers, I know, so I feel weird when I say I'm a blogger. I shouldn't because I know people have been moved by the things I write. That's a profound change in people's lives I know I've done and I am so proud of that.

Now, if you've ever read any of my blog entries, shared them, left a comment, attended my workshops, sponsored my blog, got me as brand ambassador, invited me to your events, even clicked "like" on my blog shares, THANK YOU!!! You have helped feed my family and you are a blessing to me! Love you all!

Monday, February 17, 2020

Your family will have a super fun day at Cheeky Monkeys - just like we did!

My kids love Cheeky Monkeys play place! I feel like it's a family secret because everyone else goes to other indoor play areas and they're already really crowded, which, for me, takes out a lot of fun from the play. So when we discovered Cheeky Monkeys and its vastness and newness, we fell in love! Here's a little peek!


First of all, we love Cheeky Monkeys because they thought of parents. They set aside this large area called the café just for us. We can wait for our kids within the establishment. We can have coffee or merienda. We can even work since there's free WiFi. We're accessible to the kids all the time but it's separate from the play areas so it doesn't feel chaotic. I really like that Cheeky Monkeys thought of the most important people—the parents paying for everything!!! Hahaha

Joking aside, parents really should leave their kids alone when playing. That way, the kids learn how to figure out what kind of play they like, how to play on their own, how to play with other kids, share toys, resolve conflicts if the other kids don't want to share haha

I like that the Café makes sitting down and leaving our kids alone sooooo attractive. I think it discourages helicopter parents from forever hovering over their kids. "Baby, play here. Play like this. Share that toy. Hey, other kid, share that toy with my baby! No? Bad kid! Baby, let's play somewhere else!" Good grief. But if you truly are a helicopter parent or you want to take photos of your kids playing, that's fine! The interactive play area is big enough to accommodate grownups!


Now, let's check out the 3000-sqm interactive play area! Mamas, I have more photos than these. But my kids have told me they really don't want me to post so many photos of their faces so these are the only ones I have where their faces aren't so visible. So here's what I can share:

The slide!!!
Lots of places for little arms and legs to climb!
This is quite a physical challenge as the kids cross to the other side while hanging on for dear life!
Obstacles to avoid, tunnels to crawl through!
Trampoline joy!
Twisty slide!
Bridges to cross!
Run and swing swing swing!
The pictures below are of the Clubhouse. It's separated from the play place. It's a 2-story building that houses the role-play area so your kids can play house, pretend they're shopping, stuff like that. I like that it's on the other side of the room so that the kids there can play in peace.


Now behind those doors are the party rooms. They're big and cute! I think it'll be super fun to have your kid's birthday over at Cheeky Monkeys! I know they have party packages so do check them out when you drop by.



Okay, other stuff I loved at Cheeky Monkeys:

1. The toddlers have their own area. I didn't take photos because none of my school-age kids visited the toddler area. But I think it's thoughtful—and safe!—that they separated the big kids from the little ones.

2. The kiddie activities! When we visited, there was a face-painting thing going on but my kids weren't interested because they were having too much fun playing.

3. The bathrooms. They're in the facility! No need to get a stamp, put shoes on again, walk out and run to the faraway CRs! The kids need to pee or poo? No problem! The bathrooms are clea, too. And very child-friendly.

4. It's sooooo affordable! On weekdays, it's just P350 for the first hour and the accompanying adult is free! I don't understand those play places where they won't allow you to leave your kid alone but then they'll charge you for accompanying your kid. So unjust!
    Now, to clarify, it's one kid-one adult for P350. If you have only one kid and you bring daddy, yaya, lolo, lola, auntie and uncle, well, they have to pay an entrance fee of P200 each.

5. They accept credit cards!!!

Cheeky Monkeys really have thought of everything! The only negative thing I can say about it is it's far from us. Actually, it's not. It's the traffic that makes it far. But if you're from Makati, Manila and thereabouts, MET Live at Pasay (just before Mall of Asia if you're coming from EDSA) isn't that far. Plus, there's parking!

For more details like weekend rates, check out their website: Cheeky Monkeys PH. I think they have classes and arts and crafts and stuff that your kids will love. Plus, summer is coming up fast so if you're looking for activities for your kids, check out Cheeky Monkeys!!!

Cheeky Monkeys is on the 2nd floor of MET Live Mall of Pasay City.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

I'm back! I'm still alive!

Hello, everyone!!! Just a quick note on ze blog since some of my dearest Loyal Readers have been sending me messages wondering why I've suddenly disappeared. Thank you for your love and concern!

Well, I got sick. I had a nagging cough that plagued me on and off for 3 weeks. I would feel better around Wednesday, then start coughing again when Friday hits. So weird! Since there's that awful novel coronavirus going around, I was definitely more anxious about my cough than I usually am. It wasn't bad enough to give me asthma attacks (thank You, God!), but it was bad enough so that I felt sorry for myself and for everyone around me when I coughed. Even when I wore a face mask (n95 levels!), I really saw everyone around me cringe.

I promise I don't have the nCoV, guys! It was just acute bronchitis. Still a biggie but, yeah, being sick in these times is extra anxiety-inducing than ever. Stay safe, everyone! Wash your hands and don't touch your face!

Don't touch your face!!!
So I haven't blogged in 3 weeks. Boy, I missed a lot! I have drafts here of what I think of the Harry and Meghan royal exit, how JLo and Shakira's Super Bowl performance affected me, my beauty hauls from Calyxta and BeautyMNL, our play day at Cheeky Monkeys, my suggestions for wedding gifts, and a few work-related stories like tips on blogging and freelancing. I'll still publish those, okay???

To make your visit today to the blog worth it, let me do a little Valentine's Day giveaway! Just comment down below which delayed blog post you'd like me to publish! That's all and please leave your Facebook name OR Instagram handle so I know how to contact you in case you win.

This is the prize: a K-Glow Facial with Rejuvelite from Flawless Skin & Body Clinic!!!

I'll do a review of this fabulous facial soon. It's a deeply hydrating facial that will give you that enviable glass skin of Koreans! I haven't tried it yet. I'm scheduling it last week of February and you can bet I am so excited to try it! Try it, too! Join my giveaway! I'll pick a winner on Monday. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!