BRAG BOOK
After much thought, and taking everybody else's picture-posting advice into consideration, I have finally decided to get my own Fotopage.
God knows I already have two other blogs, thanks to Ate Sienna, my web-ninang at Pansitan.net. And since I am the first to admit to sometimes being remiss in the task of updating, why on earth would I exert even MORE pressure upon myself, by adding yet another blog?
The answer is actually quite simple, and surprisingly domestic.
Because Prada Mama is the proud owner of a new digital camera, and she delights in posting pictures of her progeny in the worldwide web. And since she is unfamiliar with the concept of conserving bandwidth, she desperately needs a site where she can showcase her brood in wild abandon without: 1) alienating her neighbors, and 2) paying Flick'r's exorbitant fees. (Beta my foot).
THAT'S why!
And so, for those of you who have not yet had your fill of my family, Lorenzo, Lance, Troy and Reanna join me in welcoming you to my latest offering, Prada Mama's BRAG BOOK, which you can find in
http://pradamama.fotopages.com.
Allow me to propose a toast to myself, while I offer you a plateful of yummy CHEESIN' QUACKERS.
Cheers!
(PLUGGING: "Indoor Camping", my latest post-n-picture at The Prada Mama Chronicles, and "Cheesin' Quackers", the first entry in my photoblog, BRAG BOOK.)
Monday, January 17, 2005
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
THE MIGHTY DUCKS
Okay, I'm playing around with this picture here, one of my many favorites featuring my two boys, Lance and Troy.
Thanks, by the way, to all of you who gave your input and advice on posting pictures online using alternatives to Hello. I'm trying out Flick'r, which seems to be highly recommended.
To those of you who are also using Flick'r, please show me how to maximize the use of this free service. Their directions do not seem to be as user-friendly as Hello's. For instance, how do I post pictures clumped together in a group?
Once again, this is a call for assistance, directed to my many Blogger friends out there.
And to those of you who responded so promptly the last time, THANK YOU.
(PLUGGING: "Mrs. Incredible", my latest in The Prada Mama Chronicles.)
Okay, I'm playing around with this picture here, one of my many favorites featuring my two boys, Lance and Troy.
Thanks, by the way, to all of you who gave your input and advice on posting pictures online using alternatives to Hello. I'm trying out Flick'r, which seems to be highly recommended.
To those of you who are also using Flick'r, please show me how to maximize the use of this free service. Their directions do not seem to be as user-friendly as Hello's. For instance, how do I post pictures clumped together in a group?
Once again, this is a call for assistance, directed to my many Blogger friends out there.
And to those of you who responded so promptly the last time, THANK YOU.
(PLUGGING: "Mrs. Incredible", my latest in The Prada Mama Chronicles.)
Saturday, January 08, 2005
A SOBERING START
We're back from our Disneyland holiday.
Truth be told, we've been back for days. Yet, with the exception of a picture-posting test gone awry in Prada Mama, I haven't had the heart to blog about anything at all.
Oh, we had a marvelous time in Southern California. In fact, everyone had so much fun that we ended up extending a day, just to see more of the Magic Kingdom. Of course, we had to forego our return flight, but driving our rented minivan back to Oakland Airport proved to be just as enjoyable.
It was during this trip back when I first learned about the deadly tsunami in the Indian Ocean. By then, it had already been three days since the first killer wave struck.
To think that when it happened, it was still Christmas Day where we were.
Disneyland was full that day, and they were turning people away, us included. The kids were disappointed, and I remember being quite angry at myself for not buying tickets beforehand. Instead, we ended up watching "The Incredibles" at Downtown Disneyland, catching the park's fireworks display after the movie before eating Christmas dinner at the nearby Rainforest Cafe, all of us unaware of the tragic events unfolding in the other side of the world.
Since we were on holiday, I didn't really get to see news accounts of the tragedy. I guess it's just as well. Reading about it is heartwrenching enough.
Which brings us to why I heven't posted anything in both of my blogs lately. Yes, life goes on. But wounds are still raw, and worlds are still upturned. And I can't in all conscience write about my mundane existence while other mothers in Indonesia and India, Thailand and Sri Lanka mourn the loss of their husbands and children.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I have two whole digital video tapes and two SD cards full of pictures waiting to be shared. But doing it now, while people are still in the shaky process of recovery, would somehow trivialize their suffering.
So for now, I resolve to hold my husband and children just a little bit tighter...
...while I thank the Lord that I still have my family about me.
Here's to a happy and healthy 2005, and most importantly, a SAFE one for all.
(Okay, so the moment has passed. PLUGGING: "Mrs. Incredible" and "My Left Ear (x3)!", my latest posts in The Prada Mama Chronicles.)
We're back from our Disneyland holiday.
Truth be told, we've been back for days. Yet, with the exception of a picture-posting test gone awry in Prada Mama, I haven't had the heart to blog about anything at all.
Oh, we had a marvelous time in Southern California. In fact, everyone had so much fun that we ended up extending a day, just to see more of the Magic Kingdom. Of course, we had to forego our return flight, but driving our rented minivan back to Oakland Airport proved to be just as enjoyable.
It was during this trip back when I first learned about the deadly tsunami in the Indian Ocean. By then, it had already been three days since the first killer wave struck.
To think that when it happened, it was still Christmas Day where we were.
Disneyland was full that day, and they were turning people away, us included. The kids were disappointed, and I remember being quite angry at myself for not buying tickets beforehand. Instead, we ended up watching "The Incredibles" at Downtown Disneyland, catching the park's fireworks display after the movie before eating Christmas dinner at the nearby Rainforest Cafe, all of us unaware of the tragic events unfolding in the other side of the world.
Since we were on holiday, I didn't really get to see news accounts of the tragedy. I guess it's just as well. Reading about it is heartwrenching enough.
Which brings us to why I heven't posted anything in both of my blogs lately. Yes, life goes on. But wounds are still raw, and worlds are still upturned. And I can't in all conscience write about my mundane existence while other mothers in Indonesia and India, Thailand and Sri Lanka mourn the loss of their husbands and children.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I have two whole digital video tapes and two SD cards full of pictures waiting to be shared. But doing it now, while people are still in the shaky process of recovery, would somehow trivialize their suffering.
So for now, I resolve to hold my husband and children just a little bit tighter...
...while I thank the Lord that I still have my family about me.
Here's to a happy and healthy 2005, and most importantly, a SAFE one for all.
(Okay, so the moment has passed. PLUGGING: "Mrs. Incredible" and "My Left Ear (x3)!", my latest posts in The Prada Mama Chronicles.)
Friday, December 17, 2004
HAPPY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
"Happy Merry Christmas!"
Lance used to say this when he was a baby. And then Troy followed suit.
Maybe it was because they were so cute. Maybe it was because it sounded so heartfelt. Or maybe it was because it was usually accompanied with a shy smile and large shining eyes. For whatever reason, nobody (us included) had the heart to correct my two boys.
Lance is now a five-year-old who eschews baby talk, but he still says it.
Troy is a proud big brother to his baby sister, Reanna, but he still says it.
And I know that when Reanna gets older, she WILL be saying it.
In fact, the rest of the household now says "Happy Merry Christmas".
We know it's grammatically incorrect. But somehow, through repeated sayings, it doesn't sound quite as awkward anymore. Lorenzo and I now find ourselves saying it like it's the most natural thing on earth.
And so, from our family to yours, my husband and I wish you all a
Happy Merry Christmas!
Lance, 5, with Santa.
Troy, 3, with Santa.
Reanna, 6 months, with Santa.
"Happy Merry Christmas!"
Lance used to say this when he was a baby. And then Troy followed suit.
Maybe it was because they were so cute. Maybe it was because it sounded so heartfelt. Or maybe it was because it was usually accompanied with a shy smile and large shining eyes. For whatever reason, nobody (us included) had the heart to correct my two boys.
Lance is now a five-year-old who eschews baby talk, but he still says it.
Troy is a proud big brother to his baby sister, Reanna, but he still says it.
And I know that when Reanna gets older, she WILL be saying it.
In fact, the rest of the household now says "Happy Merry Christmas".
We know it's grammatically incorrect. But somehow, through repeated sayings, it doesn't sound quite as awkward anymore. Lorenzo and I now find ourselves saying it like it's the most natural thing on earth.
And so, from our family to yours, my husband and I wish you all a
Happy Merry Christmas!
Lance, 5, with Santa.
Troy, 3, with Santa.
Reanna, 6 months, with Santa.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
HAVING MY BABY
(Part Two of THE REANNA MONOLOGUES)
The verdict is in: Scott Peterson has been found guilty of first degree murder for the killing of his wife, Laci, and second degree murder, for causing the death of their unborn son, Conner. Laci was in her last month of pregnancy when she died.
To the very end, I had hoped that he would be found innocent, not because he resembles Ben Affleck, but because there is a part of me that refuses to believe someone could be so evil as to kill his pregnant wife, knowing he would be taking two lives in one fell swoop.
As these events unfolded in public, here in Modesto, no less, something else involving the life of an unborn child was hitting closer to home. I wrote about it in my previous post, but had to strike it from my blog in the interest of "privacy". Nevertheless, I ask those of you who read it to continue praying for that person, and the tiny life she is carrying. (Two words: Street Views.)
This is why I find Scott Peterson's crime so reprehensible. It's one thing to kill your own wife, but how can you be so arrogant as to take your unborn son's life away, without even giving him a chance to take in that first breath of air? Do you realize how many women out there struggle with difficult pregnancies? How dare you terminate a perfectly healthy one, just to get out of a marriage you obviously didn't want to be in? Who made YOU God?
My heart goes out to Laci, who eagerly stood at the threshold of motherhood without quite making it there. The happiest days of my life took place when I was pregnant. There is just something so sacred about carrying a new life for nine whole months.
Alas, for some of us, those nine months are fraught with uncertainty. With me, for instance, it's making it to nine months that's a problem. Now, whenever I look at Reanna, I hold her just a little bit tighter, thanking the Lord that my experience had a happy ending.
It is because I can now carry my literal "happy ending" in my arms that I finally have the luxury of reliving key dates in my pregnancy in this post, the latest installment in "THE REANNA MONOLOGUES".
(Warning: This post contains the lyrics to the Paul Anka song of the same title, which, I've been told, was named one of the cheesiest songs of all time. Consider me a hopeless romantic, but I beg to differ. I happen to think it's the sweetest tribute to pregnancy, and impending motherhood, ever written. Since it topped the charts in 1974, staying at Number 1 for three weeks, I think a lot of women would agree.)
(You're) Having My Baby
(Performed by Paul Anka in a duet with Odia Coates.)
Lyrics and music: Paul Anka
Libretto: Renee Sereno
Pictures: Lorenzo and Renee's camera phones
(Director's Note: Just imagine a music video unfolding in your mind, with the occasional narration and fuzzy pictures. I realize this may be a stretch of the imagination, especially for those born after the 70's, since they may not even know this song at all. However, I believe these lyrics are strong enough to stand on their own, even without the catchy melody.)
(You're) Having my baby
What a lovely way of saying
How much you love me.
Having my baby
What a lovely way of saying
What you're thinking of me.
DATE: a weekday, around the first half of October last year
SETTING: Costco Wholesale Club
CAST: Renee and her sisters-in-law, Selina and Grace
SCENE: Selina gets a pregnancy kit from the shelf, telling her companions she might be pregnant because she hasn't had her period yet. Renee keeps silent. SHE hasn't had her period either, but she's on the pill, so she doubts she is pregnant. Lorenzo, on the other hand, is already certain she is...
I can see it
Your face is glowing
I can see it in your eyes.
And I'm happy in knowing...
DATE: Wednesday, October 22, 2003
SETTING: The Sereno Residence
CAST: Lorenzo and Renee Sereno
SCENE: After watching "Jumanji" with Lorenzo and the kids, Renee retires to the master bath with an e.p.t. she bought at Target. She left Lorenzo napping downstairs, lest he be disappointed with the test results. At this point, Renee is still POSITIVE she is not pregnant, and is genuinely surprised that her test came out...positive! She tells Lorenzo the good news, and they celebrate over The Works burgers at Sweet River.
That you're having my baby.
You're the woman I love
And I love what it's doing to you.
Having my baby
You're a woman in love
And I love what's going through you.
DATE: Sunday, December 28, 2003
SETTING: Emanuel Hospital, Turlock, CA
CAST: Lorenzo and Renee Sereno, Kaiser OB-Gyn Dr. Ishii
SCENE: At 17 weeks, Renee starts feeling contractions three days after Christmas. When they hadn't subsided by late evening, Lorenzo takes her to the hospital. It is their first major scare in this pregnancy. Two days later, Renee has a sonogram and they find out she is carrying a GIRL!
The need inside you
I see it showing
Oh, the seed inside you
Baby, do you feel it growing?
Are you happy in knowing
That you're having my baby?
DATE: Monday, March 22, 2004
SETTING: Monterey and Carmel, CA
CAST: The Sereno family.
SCENE: Lorenzo and Renee go to Monterey on a whim, to celebrate Renee's 36th birthday. They ended up staying the night at Carmel, in what was to be their last vacation before Renee was placed on strict bed rest.
(At the beach in Monterey.)
(Our cottage in Carmel.)
(17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach.)
I'm a woman in love
And I love what it's doin' to me.
(Having my baby...)
I'm a woman in love
And I love what's goin' through me.
DATE: Friday, March 26, 2003
SETTING: LDR, Doctors Hospital, Modesto, CA
CAST: The Sereno family
SCENE: After a trip to the mall (where Lorenzo buys Renee a whole new maternity wardrobe for her birthday), the family goes to Doctors Hospital to monitor more contractions. Renee is ordered to go on bed rest, since she is just at 30 weeks gestation. Meanwhile, Selina finalizes preparations for Renee's surprise birthday party/baby shower the next day.
Didn't have to keep it
Wouldn't put you through it.
You could have swept it from your life
But you wouldn't do it
No, you wouldn't do it.
And you're having my baby.
DATE: Friday, April 23, 2004
SETTING: Examination Room 1, Doctors Hospital, Modesto, CA
CAST: Lorenzo and Renee, with Lance and Troy
SCENE: More contractions send Renee back to the hospital at 34 weeks, the same age Lance was born. This time, she is prescribed a two-week supply of the drug terbutaline to calm her irritable uterus.
I'm a woman in love
And I love what it's doin' to me.
(Having my baby...)
I'm a woman in love
And I love what's goin' through me.
DATE: Wednesday, May 12, 2004
SETTING: Master bedroom, Sereno Residence in Modesto
CAST: The Sereno Family
FINAL SCENE: Over yummy dishes of spaghetti cooked by Daddy, the family waits with bated breath for the name of the latest "American Idol" contestant to be ousted. Renee's favorite, La Toya London is chosen to leave over Jasmine Trias. Renee feels more contractions and sees some spotting, but attributes it to disappointment at the lack of taste of the American voting public. Little did she know that it was already the start of the "bloody show", which would also describe the rest of the "American Idol" season after La Toya left.
Reanna Loren Sereno was born the next day, Thursday, May 13, 2004, sporting dimples just like La Toya's...
And lungs just as formidable.
(Part Two of THE REANNA MONOLOGUES)
The verdict is in: Scott Peterson has been found guilty of first degree murder for the killing of his wife, Laci, and second degree murder, for causing the death of their unborn son, Conner. Laci was in her last month of pregnancy when she died.
To the very end, I had hoped that he would be found innocent, not because he resembles Ben Affleck, but because there is a part of me that refuses to believe someone could be so evil as to kill his pregnant wife, knowing he would be taking two lives in one fell swoop.
As these events unfolded in public, here in Modesto, no less, something else involving the life of an unborn child was hitting closer to home. I wrote about it in my previous post, but had to strike it from my blog in the interest of "privacy". Nevertheless, I ask those of you who read it to continue praying for that person, and the tiny life she is carrying. (Two words: Street Views.)
This is why I find Scott Peterson's crime so reprehensible. It's one thing to kill your own wife, but how can you be so arrogant as to take your unborn son's life away, without even giving him a chance to take in that first breath of air? Do you realize how many women out there struggle with difficult pregnancies? How dare you terminate a perfectly healthy one, just to get out of a marriage you obviously didn't want to be in? Who made YOU God?
My heart goes out to Laci, who eagerly stood at the threshold of motherhood without quite making it there. The happiest days of my life took place when I was pregnant. There is just something so sacred about carrying a new life for nine whole months.
Alas, for some of us, those nine months are fraught with uncertainty. With me, for instance, it's making it to nine months that's a problem. Now, whenever I look at Reanna, I hold her just a little bit tighter, thanking the Lord that my experience had a happy ending.
It is because I can now carry my literal "happy ending" in my arms that I finally have the luxury of reliving key dates in my pregnancy in this post, the latest installment in "THE REANNA MONOLOGUES".
(Warning: This post contains the lyrics to the Paul Anka song of the same title, which, I've been told, was named one of the cheesiest songs of all time. Consider me a hopeless romantic, but I beg to differ. I happen to think it's the sweetest tribute to pregnancy, and impending motherhood, ever written. Since it topped the charts in 1974, staying at Number 1 for three weeks, I think a lot of women would agree.)
(You're) Having My Baby
(Performed by Paul Anka in a duet with Odia Coates.)
Lyrics and music: Paul Anka
Libretto: Renee Sereno
Pictures: Lorenzo and Renee's camera phones
(Director's Note: Just imagine a music video unfolding in your mind, with the occasional narration and fuzzy pictures. I realize this may be a stretch of the imagination, especially for those born after the 70's, since they may not even know this song at all. However, I believe these lyrics are strong enough to stand on their own, even without the catchy melody.)
(You're) Having my baby
What a lovely way of saying
How much you love me.
Having my baby
What a lovely way of saying
What you're thinking of me.
DATE: a weekday, around the first half of October last year
SETTING: Costco Wholesale Club
CAST: Renee and her sisters-in-law, Selina and Grace
SCENE: Selina gets a pregnancy kit from the shelf, telling her companions she might be pregnant because she hasn't had her period yet. Renee keeps silent. SHE hasn't had her period either, but she's on the pill, so she doubts she is pregnant. Lorenzo, on the other hand, is already certain she is...
I can see it
Your face is glowing
I can see it in your eyes.
And I'm happy in knowing...
DATE: Wednesday, October 22, 2003
SETTING: The Sereno Residence
CAST: Lorenzo and Renee Sereno
SCENE: After watching "Jumanji" with Lorenzo and the kids, Renee retires to the master bath with an e.p.t. she bought at Target. She left Lorenzo napping downstairs, lest he be disappointed with the test results. At this point, Renee is still POSITIVE she is not pregnant, and is genuinely surprised that her test came out...positive! She tells Lorenzo the good news, and they celebrate over The Works burgers at Sweet River.
That you're having my baby.
You're the woman I love
And I love what it's doing to you.
Having my baby
You're a woman in love
And I love what's going through you.
DATE: Sunday, December 28, 2003
SETTING: Emanuel Hospital, Turlock, CA
CAST: Lorenzo and Renee Sereno, Kaiser OB-Gyn Dr. Ishii
SCENE: At 17 weeks, Renee starts feeling contractions three days after Christmas. When they hadn't subsided by late evening, Lorenzo takes her to the hospital. It is their first major scare in this pregnancy. Two days later, Renee has a sonogram and they find out she is carrying a GIRL!
The need inside you
I see it showing
Oh, the seed inside you
Baby, do you feel it growing?
Are you happy in knowing
That you're having my baby?
DATE: Monday, March 22, 2004
SETTING: Monterey and Carmel, CA
CAST: The Sereno family.
SCENE: Lorenzo and Renee go to Monterey on a whim, to celebrate Renee's 36th birthday. They ended up staying the night at Carmel, in what was to be their last vacation before Renee was placed on strict bed rest.
(At the beach in Monterey.)
(Our cottage in Carmel.)
(17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach.)
I'm a woman in love
And I love what it's doin' to me.
(Having my baby...)
I'm a woman in love
And I love what's goin' through me.
DATE: Friday, March 26, 2003
SETTING: LDR, Doctors Hospital, Modesto, CA
CAST: The Sereno family
SCENE: After a trip to the mall (where Lorenzo buys Renee a whole new maternity wardrobe for her birthday), the family goes to Doctors Hospital to monitor more contractions. Renee is ordered to go on bed rest, since she is just at 30 weeks gestation. Meanwhile, Selina finalizes preparations for Renee's surprise birthday party/baby shower the next day.
Didn't have to keep it
Wouldn't put you through it.
You could have swept it from your life
But you wouldn't do it
No, you wouldn't do it.
And you're having my baby.
DATE: Friday, April 23, 2004
SETTING: Examination Room 1, Doctors Hospital, Modesto, CA
CAST: Lorenzo and Renee, with Lance and Troy
SCENE: More contractions send Renee back to the hospital at 34 weeks, the same age Lance was born. This time, she is prescribed a two-week supply of the drug terbutaline to calm her irritable uterus.
I'm a woman in love
And I love what it's doin' to me.
(Having my baby...)
I'm a woman in love
And I love what's goin' through me.
DATE: Wednesday, May 12, 2004
SETTING: Master bedroom, Sereno Residence in Modesto
CAST: The Sereno Family
FINAL SCENE: Over yummy dishes of spaghetti cooked by Daddy, the family waits with bated breath for the name of the latest "American Idol" contestant to be ousted. Renee's favorite, La Toya London is chosen to leave over Jasmine Trias. Renee feels more contractions and sees some spotting, but attributes it to disappointment at the lack of taste of the American voting public. Little did she know that it was already the start of the "bloody show", which would also describe the rest of the "American Idol" season after La Toya left.
Reanna Loren Sereno was born the next day, Thursday, May 13, 2004, sporting dimples just like La Toya's...
And lungs just as formidable.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
FOR SOVANNA
This post has been edited in the interest of "privacy". (See TagBoard comments.) I would, however, like to convey my thanks to those of you who prayed for Sovanna and her family, and request that you continue to remember them in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Renee Sereno
November 14, 2004
Modesto, CA
This post has been edited in the interest of "privacy". (See TagBoard comments.) I would, however, like to convey my thanks to those of you who prayed for Sovanna and her family, and request that you continue to remember them in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Renee Sereno
November 14, 2004
Modesto, CA
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