The Kung Fu Panda 2 Review of Awesomeness!

Kung Fu Panda 1 --while a completely fun watch-- left us with some hanging questions:
Why was Po REALLY chosen to be the Dragon Warrior?
Why was he the only panda in the village?
Why doesn't he have a love interest?
More importantly, why the hell does he have a  goose for a father?

Well, Kung Fu Panda 2 answers these questions in the most awesome way possible.
See this poster?  It happens to be my favorite part in the movie.  But I digress.

Po is the Dragon Warrior because despite his stubborness and tubbiness, he does learn fast.  His instincts scream Dragon Warrior.  It was demonstrated in Kung Fu Panda 1 and again in Kung Fu Panda 2.  But the 2nd installment made it grand!  We're not talking about fighting for a mere title anymore.  We're saving China!  With this huge weight on the panda's shoulders, the climax has breathlessly cinematic.  And we got that.  Oooh, we got that.

He's the only panda in the village because he's not from there.  Duh.  The village was populated by farm animals and then here's a panda?  In a cartoon flashback, Kung Fu Panda 2 takes us to Po's past.  The beautiful back story lets us take a peak into the bigness behind Po's ascent to Kung Fu warrior status.  Secrets were revealed, secrets were still kept --which pretty much sets you up for a part 3.

He doesn't have a love interest... yet.   Dun-dun-duuuuun....

He has a goose for a dad to provide comic relief?  Oh it's more than that now.  It's heartwarming how the relationship between an adoptive parent and an adopted child took on a very emotional and realistic turn here.  Ok, that wasn't a spoiler.  Unless you actually thought the goose was the panda's biological pops.

My boys like Kung Fu Panda 2 better than the first because there were more fight scenes this time around.  Death-defying ones.  Why, Kenji couldn't keep his butt on the movie seat due to the excitement.  The story has more depth (Uh-huh, like an old man, Miro actually said that) and yet maintained its comedy.  The boys thought it was funnier even.
And there were cooler bad guys.

Speaking of cool and positively bad, I am impressed that this movie managed to make an evil villain out of a dainty beast such as the peacock.  I am even more impressed that this peacock came with the voice of Gary Oldman.  Right there and I'm sold!

A family must-see --that's Kung Fu Panda 2.  Great second run!  If you thought Kung Fu Panda 1 was cute, this one... oh, this one... THIS is AWESOME!

Fashion Beats to the Bark of Hobbes and Landes

I have one dream that will never, ever come true in this cruel lifetime:  To be a Supermodel.
*guffaw!!!* 
(What, whaaaat!  I'm entitled to my own madness! And I can see you rolling your eyes, mom!)

But thanks to Hobbes and Landes, I managed to pseudo-live that loopy dream vicariously through Alpha. How, you ask?  The Style Origin Fashion Beats Fashion Review hit the catwalk on May 21 to showcase Bonifacio High Street's high end fashion faves --one of which is Alpha's beloved pet palace, Hobbes and Landes.  And wouldn't you know it, Alpha got chosen to be one of the ramp models!  You go, baybeeh!

We even have the labeled stage pass to prove it!  (This is for you, mom.  Mwahaha!)

Pet and owner came in matching costumes they obviously went to town with.

Presenting Casual Chic.

Ballroom Beaus.

Summer Sizzlers.

Diva Duo.

Alien Allies.

And Rocker Royalties.
The Hobbes and Landes pet products we strutted down the runway with were awesome, too!  Like this sweet heart-shaped puppy stroller.

And then there's the fabulous music by Brass Munkeys!

So fab, in fact, it had Alpha dancing --which had the audience cheering and us almost getting entangled in her leash and falling offstage. *egad!*  Ah, the hazards of professional modeling.  Haha!

Overall, it's the bomb of an experience.  That's what we love about Hobbes and Landes.  It loves our pets just as much as we do.  And, yes, it makes impossible dreams (like mine, lol!) come true.

Jing (proud father and paparazzi) and I can't wait for the next pet event.  Come on, Hobbes and Landes --like a dog, we're begging for more!

Have you flipped for Flapjack?

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack on Cartoon Network.
It's been on for a while now and, honestly, it took me almost forever to warm up to it.

It's not really that likable on the get-go.  First of all, it's got creepy artwork.

Then, it's got creepy characters.
Ranging from a selfish, wooden-limbed, butt-less maple syrup guzzler called Cap'n K'nuckles.

To a Doctor-Barber (the resident doctor AND barber) whose prime obsession is surgery and creating hairy animal abominations in his basement.

To a candy store owner named Peppermint Larry who's married to the very pretty, very inanimate Candy Wife (YES!  She literally IS made out of candy!).

To a mobile home named Bubbie --a whale whose tongue, teeth, and uvula provide shelter for Flapjack and K'nuckles.  Kinda like a Moby Dick tribute there.

And finally, to the lead character, Flapjack --who's just plain annoying.

It's a band of marine misfits whose ultimate goal in the show is to find the most coveted Candied Island.  Uh-huh, this whole harbor runs on candy.  Candy is their lifeblood.  Which, for the overly strict parent, does not throw positive signals to their healthy, little young'uns.  Me, I'm game with that.  It's just a show, for pete's sake.  I was more concerned about the cartoon being too weird. 

And then, it dawned on me.  Deep within all that weirdness is the wonderful story of ...wait for it... friendship.  It's how a dysfunctional pair of sailors, Cap'n K'nuckles and his cabin boy Flapjack, survive misadventure after misadventure with the power of trust and compassion for one another.
When I finally caught that premise, the cartoon became not half bad.  In fact, eventually --and I mean the longish eventually-- it became great.

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.  It's an acquired taste.  Your kids will like it instantly, thanks to their love for the bizarre.  But you... you'll need to take it with an open mind and a little wasabi.

Pet Mom Gone Practical

Pet mommies with a knack for fashion and practicality... this blog is for you.

You know that joy-joy feeling you get when you realize you can fit into your old clothes again?  And then this feeling is overshadowed by a spasmic cringe when you realize your old clothes are just so '80's beyond good taste?
Here's an easy cure.

I've got this over-the-hill Madonna-type lace and denim ensemble which can actually be passable for a casual rocker chick theme... if it weren't a floor-length Siouxie and the Banshees number.  Egad!  All that lace and denim can send an innocent bystander to hurl!

Quick fix --quick trim.
But what the hell do you do with all that chopped-off fabric?  Ah, here is where your quiet little pet --who a few minutes ago was minding her own business in a corner-- gets dragged into the mess.  With nothing more than your old Home Economics sewing kit, start measuring, snipping, and getting your needle and thread motion going. 

Hey, presto!  Instant park dress for the family pooch, Alpha! 
I made use of a couple of buttons to clasp the whole thing up top.  Then cut off a couple of strips for shoulder straps affixing them with buttons and tying them together in a rough bow.  I made use of mismatched buttons, by the way.  Just to match the zany disposition of the lace and denim combo.
ALPHA:  "Why do I need a dress for??  I love nudity!"

I kept the bottom part free to accommodate Alpha's leg movements.  Hey, just because she's dressed like a lady, it doesn't mean she's going to move demurely.  Keeping the bottom part free also allows the dress to billow nicely.
ALPHA:  "Ok, nobody consulted me about this!  I want my lawyer!"

Oh, goody!  Now we have matching outfits for a glorious day out in the park!
ALPHA:  "Oh dear God!  Don't embarrass me, woman..."

Inflatably Emotional

It must be freaky to go nostalgic on an inflatable pool.  But look at it from a mother's point of view.  The pool comes out only once a year,  in summer.  And so essentially, as soon as the kids dive in --the inflatable pool transforms into a  growth chart.  It tells you in one quick glance how your sweet, little babies have grown into big kids the past year.  Or, if you choose to be delusional, how your pool shrunk during storage.

I remember when Jing came home with that green inflatable wonder a few summers ago.  The boys were ecstatic.  It was HUGE!  It was an Olympic pool to them!  Swimming went on for hours!

The next summer, they were still thrilled when the pool came out.  They didn't even notice that it's become slightly smaller for them.  But of course, I did.

On its third year, the pool made it out again.  And this time, the change is just so obvious.  No longer an Olympic-sized pool but a mere jacuzzi, the inflatable still received the same happy welcome... but the swimming session didn't last for hours this time around.  Guess there just wasn't much space to do much now. 

While I lamented on the fact that my boys are no longer babies -as clearly slapped on my face by this damn sturdy inflatable pool-- my husband stands by his opinion that the pool only seemed cramped because this year, the dog joined in.

Maybe. 
Sometimes it is better to be a little delusional.

The Phineas and Ferb Factor

Today on our TV show review, it's that wacky Disney ratings monster entitled... *drum roll*... Phineas and Ferb!
WTH!  This show has kids (and adults with a good sense of humor) eating out of its cartoon hands!  And why?  They've covered just about everything in kiddie programming.

It's all about action-packed sibling mischief and getting in trouble.  What kid doesn't want that, huh?  Miro and Kenji can totally relate to Phineas' and Ferb's ridiculously wild imagination.  The way they want to invent things for the ...well, my boys would invent for the greater bad than the greater good, but that's beside the point.

It's got a super spy in the guise of a platypus.  What can be more poetic than that?  And, of course, kids love spies and living double lives.  Plus, we as a family believe Perry can pin the dorkiness that is Agent Oso to the ground in one effortless sweep.

It has an evil genius!  Kids love evil geniuses.  I love evil geniuses!  Doctor Doofenshmirtz adds more relish to the stereotype though by being a bumbling idiot at the same time.  But he is hilarious!  He's our favorite, in fact.  As my kids say, he's the Rockinator!

It has Candace... bust-you-to-hell sister.  She may sound like a cliche bully to you, but she's not.  She's a regular teenager who falls in love and falls into the grip of madness when on the verge of exposing her brothers' over-the-top backyard inventions.  We love her for her issues, and her insanity is very charming.

The mastermind is in the characterization.  Each has a fun, quirky personality that's just impossible not to love.  Kinda like seeing a cute little puppy at the pet store window.  There's a connection.  Even the show's minor players have amazing personality depths.  Balijeet, the boys' nerdy, frequently bullied friend, never fails to give us gas.

And the music!  Wow.  Just wow.  They always have brilliantly crafted songs in the show which my boys bug me to download.  There should really be a website for that.  

Obviously, this show caught my giddybug parenting thumbs-up because I can't stop blabbering again.
To close, just allow me to offer one interesting bit of trivia.
Due to the show's popularity and recurring airtime, the opening theme line 'There's a hundred and four days of summer vacation' is no longer true.  As Miro pointed out, "Heeey... Phineas and Ferb have a longer summer vacation than we do!  That's so unfair!"

Yes, my son.  Yes, it is.

It's a Bert Lozada Summah!

Holy Rashguard, Batman!  I finally found the right summer camp for Kenji!
After much researching and free trial classes, my little ball of manic energy finally settled in on the famous Bert Lozada Swim Camp as his summer's source of adventure.  Whew!

Looking for an activity for Kenji is like looking for an action film in a DVD shop.  His requirements are nerve-racking:  It has to keep his attention --and everyone else's.  It has to be physical.  It has to make him feel like an action hero.  And it has to be just a tad death-defying.

My requirement is less complex:  It has to make my money's worth!

And so far, Bert Lozada is delivering.

I mean, the camp's professional ID surely got Kenji's interest.  He takes pride in flashing the plastic card every time we walk into the swim venue.  It's like an NCIS badge to him. 

It's hell physical!  On Kenji's first day, he was immediately drilled into routines in 3 different pools.  By choice.  Kenji kept running away from the instructor (for kicks, really) so the man had to chase him and work with him in every pool they landed on.  The instructor wasn't taking no for an answer.

The instructor was also quick to laud him for every challenge he'd put Kenji through.  Kenji finds fun and fulfillment at every turn.  And of course, it made him feel like all bad ass.

At 4-feet of water on his second day --yeah, it's kinda death defying.  Specially for me whose sole swimming skill can only be likened to a tea bag intermittently dipping in hot water.  Kenji screamed his head off the whole time and I felt like a helpless twig.  So it was quite a study on insanity when after that 'near-death experience', Kenji goes, "That was fun, Mimi!  I wanna do it again!"

So am I getting my money's worth?  I can happily say I am --and more.

Bert Lozada has swim venues all over the city and I chose one that's just a few minutes away from home to save on gas.  They have a choice of session schemes and I chose the relatively affordable one.  Kenji got assigned to an awesome instructor who's really good at taming Tasmanian devils.  Kenji's rocking his new rashguard, goggles, and kickboard like a pro.

And more importantly, Kenji's learning fast and having looooads of fun!  That's all that matters in a summer camp after all.

Uh-huh, I'm pretty proud of myself right now.  I own you, summer!
Mimi... you da MOM!