Panda's First Smile

Panda's First Smile
PandaPig's First Smile!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

OlymPig Spa Day Off!

One quiet morning in OlymPig Village...
Bhindi sniffed the fresh London aire...
And it was Good.
Meanwhile, Peter-Peanut ran off to
play with hedgehogs.
Then, something out of the ordinary happened,
and Bhindi wasn't quite certain what it was.
So, he decided not to like it.
There were things...THINGS IN HIS BED!
They were not things he could eat.
So, it was Not Good.
Definitely not good.
Then there was something good: a big,
bright, juicy, orange carrot!
And It Was Good. Again.
(So good, in fact, that he didn't even
notice mom trimming his toenails,
brushing his swirly-swirls, and
beautifying him for all his adoring fans!)
AND THAT WAS BEST.
~
Posted by Picasa

Portrait of an OlymPIG...Hopes and Dreams Beating Within His Piggy-Heart!

Behind the scenes, an ordinary guinea pig aspires to greatness.
Only he knows the hopes and dreams he keeps tucked secretly inside...dreams pigZ around him only say will - no, could! -
NEVER COME TRUE!
He puts in countless hours of practice, struggling to believe in himself.  Team-mates make fun of him, roll their eyes, and leave him alone on the bench to guard the carrots and salad...still, even
left alone, ridiculed, the butt of jokes, he practices, never losing hope, never giving up, never leaving any carrots or salad for them.
(heh-heh!)
WAIT!
TEAM-MATES ARE INJURED IN A HEAD
COLLISION, BOTH KNOCKING THE OTHER SILLY...BOTH CARRIED OFF THE FIELD,
LIKE RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, YUM-YUM'S MOMENT HAS COME! HE IS CALLED TO THE FIELD IN
OVERTIME, THE ONLY PLAYER CAPABLE
OF HEADING THE BALL INTO THE GOAL!
One guinea pig, one solitary, ridiculed guinea pig
who refused to give up hope, and it all comes down to him in the game's final seconds.
Can YumYum prove them all wrong or has he been deluding himself?
"Shake it off, pig," he whispers to himself.
"Your moment has come. This is no time for doubt.
Your moment has come!"
He prepares.
He runs, he kicks, the ball...flying over
every piggie's head with unprecedented
speed and razor-sharp precision!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD!
Always believe in yourself and
nevah, NEVAH-EVAH, give up!

WITHIN EVERY BEATING HEART
LIVES A TRUE HERO, AND THAT
TRUE HERO IS YOU!
US!
WE!
Everybody. Whoever. Or Whomever. Or Whatever. 
{Moral of Story: don't leave a guinea pig to guard your salad.}

Posted by Picasa

TEAM UNITED GUINEA PIGS TAKES GOLD!!!

In an unprecedented UPSET, Team ^ "United
Guinea Pigs" from Panda Pig's Sanctuary WIN
the GOLDEN CARROT, SHOCKING THE

WORLD of  International OlympiG competition!

SCROLL DOWN FOR OUR EXCLUSIVE "BEHIND THE SCENES" COVERAGE OF THE REMARKABLE UNDERDOG TEAM NOBODY THOUGHT HAD A CHANCE OF EVEN MAKING IT TO THE FINALS, MUCH LESS CAPTURING THEIR THIRD "GOLDEN CARROT!" WHEEEEEEEK & SQUEEE!

Posted by Picasa

OLYMPIG DOUBLES in SYNCHRONIZED WATER-DRINKING!

Head Coach YumYum prepares 
his athletes for the FINALS in Doubles 
Synchronized Water-Drinking.
Peter-Peanut and Bhindi receive
last minute instructions from Chief
Pirate Coach, YumYum...
Former team rivals Peter-Peanut and
Bhindi must now bury their grudges
and compete with Focus and Absolute
PRECISION...can YumYum
inspire them?
Vinny: "Nah...notta chance."
"Nobody asked you."
"Well, nobody asked YOU. By the way,
who ARE YOU ANYWAY?"
"I AM NBC'S 'OFFICIAL ANNOUNCER'
and nothing I say will be LIVE in real time,
give you any insight into the sport, or help
you enjoy your Olympic viewing experience
in any way! So, get lost, Punk!"

"ExSCUSE YOU? I'M VINNY-GUINEA!"

(a big UH-OH has commenced.)

"DON'T TOUCH THE FACE!
DON'T TOUCH THE FACE!"
(make-up crew arrives STAT CODE RED
on the set of NBC's "Never-Live-Anyway-So-Who-Cares?" broadcast to improve
NBC announcer's VOICE.
(what a muddle.)
Coach YumYum reads FINALS
competition rules and instructions
before eating them off mom's yoga cabinet.
Pssst! Here's how you two are gonna NAIL YOUR
LANDINGS! I not only read the strategy for 
you but have digested it so you have the BEST
most comprehensive coaching experience yet!
First, you say "OM..."
VinnyGuinea: "Oh no!"
Then you breathe IN, then you breathe OUT.
VinnyGuinea: "Holy Mother of Horks!
This is bad...wrong sport, wrong sport..."
Then say "Namaste" before attaching yourselves,
in perfect unison, to your synchronized water bottles..."
Huh? Can I take a nap now, Coach?
Coach?
(CHIEF PIRATE COACH YUM-YUM OF
TEAM U.S.A. appears to have drifted

into sleep-i-tation..."nOMmmmmm...")
Let the Games Begin.
Posted by Picasa

PETER DISCOVERS PHILOSOPHICAL PARSLEY

 
You are cordially invited to click onto the
link I have posted below to share my deep thoughts.
I am not just cute & really mom should have 
named me "Socrates" since I wax poetic and wise.
Or "Plato" hmmm, Peter-PlaToeNut...?
Plato-P-Nutty...? (sounds too much like a rapper)
Sir Socra-Philoso-Nut...?
Nah. I be Peter-Peanut, happy me!
Hope you'll watch the TED talk below.
And remember, Peter is more than just PeaNutty:
I haz deep thoughts, too, just like you!
Posted by Picasa

Giles Duley: When a reporter becomes the story | Video on TED.com

Giles Duley: When a reporter becomes the story | Video on TED.com
^^^^Press This Purply Link^^^^^^
We watched this with mom this morning. She had a premonition that she was going to be in the hospital on a certain day, told Edwin, and they planned how to get our cages doubly ready for her absence. Extra water, food, hay...all done. Then she ended up in an ambulance in the hospital, exactly as she knew she would.

But before these sorts of things happened, she was a documentary nature photojournalist, writer, and environmental educator and even her greatest inspiration and mentor, Ansel Adams, wrote to her. At the time she was working in Iowa to help preserve the 0.01% of the natural tallgrass prairies, wetlands, and the wildlife dependent upon them for survival...Ansel Adams sent her a postcard back in...maybe 1981...to encourage her and on it was a prophetic photograph he had taken of Hurricane Ridge. Hurricane Ridge is here in Washington State and one of mom's favorite places.  Back then she had never even heard of it. Then she became ill and continued trying to work until her dear friend, the editor of the newspaper, fired her for her own good but not before writing an editorial about why mom's column would no longer appear in the paper. Mom was sad.

For years, she didn't know how to find fulfillment through giving, for she felt she had nothing to give. Until PandaPig looked up at her from his miserable cage sitting on the floor of the farm store where she had gone to buy cat food for Chai. And he asked to go home with her and she was then reliant on Disabled Transport who had never transported a disabled woman with a giant guinea pig cage and a guinea pig in it, but there they were so he carried them both home to the Wildlife Refuge.

If she had remained a healthy wildlife photographer/writer, we would not have PandaPig's Sanctuary.

But now she's out here, not that far from Hurricane Ridge - how prophetic of the late Ansel Adams, who had invited her to his home in Carmel, CA then passed away before she could visit him.
We tell her that it is precisely her disability that enables her to fulfill her dreams. Because it's true, and that is also the topic of this EXTRAORDINARY TED TALK!
We are now so happy together and mom finally feel like we ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, TOGETHER, and we feel content (after our breakfast, love-time, and long runabouts where we make lots of mischief.) But this inner peace could not have happened any other way. Mom is sick but not suffering on the Inside, where it really counts.


So, we hope you'll take the time to watch this TED talk. And if you're not familiar with TED talks, perhaps you will feel inspired to learn more about them because they're each extraordinary and you are sure to find  yourself somewhere within each speakers' own experiences. These are people who care and make a difference and share their experiences and humanity openly and we love TED talks with parsley and lettuce, wheatgrass, and fresh organic carrots. Sometimes mom eats
popcorn. Just so's ya know.


Since our coach is now resting at home we are getting a break from OlympPIG competition. But when we do return, and we will, we will dazzle you! (or not.) Either way, we piggies are AWESOME! 
And, like the speaker featured here, we wouldn't be here if mom hadn't gotten sick. ENJOY.

Love,
YumYum, Vinny-Guinea, Bhindi, and Peter-Peanut