Daddy, you have a tummy like Kung Fu Panda

I was minding my own business watching basketball on TV last Sunday night when my 6-year old son butted in, "Daddy, you have a tummy like Kung Fu Panda."

Charles must have been watching me caressing my just-had-dinner stomach while lying in bed.  I just smiled at my little boy and asked him to play outside the room with his cousins instead of staring at my belly.

How could this boy be that insensitive after bringing him to the special advance screening of Kung Fu Panda 3 at SM Megamall Imax Theater courtesy of the generous people from 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Dreamworks, Dream Play and WWF Philippines (I just have to thank them this way because we really had a great time last weekend).

That's my son (nope, not the Panda) with his newly-met friends during the advance screening of Kung Fu Panda 3 in 3D.

Just in case you don't know, Kung Fu Panda is one of the most successful animated film of all-time featuring the voice of ace comedian Jack Black as the clumsy yet heroic Panda named Po. For the third installment of the series, other Hollywood heavyweights were included in the cast namely Dustin Hoffman as Shifu; Angelina Jolie as Tigress; Jackie Chan as Monkey; Seth Rogen  as Mantis; Lucy Liu as Viper; Kate Hudson as Mei Mei; and a lot more.

Now, I'm starting to think the what my son said s actually a compliment. Imagine how many big stars were assembled just for a Panda film. Now here's one trivia you might want to know (no matter how useless it may sound): In the movie, Po is known as the Dragon Warrior. But did you know that Panda's has a list of aliases?  The Chinese call giant pandas daxiongmao or “large bear cat.” Pandas have also been known as “beast of prey,” “white leopard,” “iron eating beast,” and “bamboo bear.

Now, if you still have a few minute to spend reading, here are three more interesting Panda trivia that you can pass on to your child:

1. A panda mother is 900 times bigger than her newborn cub, which weighs less than 5 oz. In comparison, an 8-pound human baby would have a mother that weighed 7,200 pounds.

2. On average, a panda eats 25-30 pounds of bamboo in one day. In the spring, a panda may eat 100 pounds in a day.

3. Under its fur, the skin of a giant panda is black where its fur is black, and pink where its fur is white.

Coo, right? Anyways, just in case you want to catch Kung Fu Panda 3 in your favorite movie house, regular screening nationwide starts on March 9.

Panda trivia source: facts.randomhistory.com.

My Pen is Panda, what's yours?

I grew up with Pandas. 

No, I’m not Jack Black nor a zookeeper’s son.  What I’m trying to say is that I am a laking Panda ballpen and it is instrumental in my journey towards a career in writing.  Well, you can check the walls of my parent’s bedroom if you want some proof.

From elementary to college and up to now, I am one proud fan of the brand. It’s just sad that I don’t see that many Pandas today. It may not look as fancy as the other pens but what’s important is that I can write smoothly with it and it is definitely budget-friendly.  I also like its simple design and it is really light weight.  It’s no wonder why a lot of Filipinos, me included, from the last generation used the word Panda to refer to the product it is associated with -- the ballpen. “Uy, peram nga ng Panda mo” or “Ano ba tong Panda mo nagta-tae.”

And besides, I had fond memories with Panda.  I lost count of how many love letters I have written using this pen… how many slam book request I have responded... how many school exams and assignments I have answered… how many stories I have drafted.

You think fun stops when it runs out of ink?  You really don’t know your Panda if you just throw it right away.  As a kid growing up in the 80’s, I have to be creative with the limited stuff around me.  Imagine there’s no cable TV, PSP, cellphones and internet.  Together with my friends, we make toys out of just about anything. 

The body or tube of Panda can be use to produce bubbles.  Just mix soap and hibiscus or gumamela flowers in water and use the tube as a bubble maker.  The tube can also produce prism or rainbow light if you place it under sunlight.  A more manly game is by using it as toy-weapon.  Place monggo seeds in the tube and with a big blow, a big “ouch” to anyone that will be hit.  (But kids, please don’t try this at home. I can attest, it hurts)  The cap and other parts of the pen can be used in shaping toy clay. 

I may have sounded like one of those hosts of Art Attack but it just shows that Panda has been more than just a pen for me and for everyone out there who are using the pen up to now.

I have received imported, branded and expensive pens in the past during different occasions. I also got free (?) pens from meeting and events held in hotels that if I compile will be sort of a collection.  I did use them of course.  But no pen can ever place the big smile I have on my face every time I use Panda.  (I can still remember how I made a big bully cry with a monggo seed.)

This is NOT a sponsored post and I was not persuaded by anyone to published this. Nagtae kasi ballpen ko kanina and naalala ko lang si Panda.  The last Panda on Earth is probably found HERE.