The Mind Museum – BGC, Taguig

I’ve been wanting to go in this place since I’ve heard that it has opened. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time and money for I was busy in school for the past year. So how did I ended up going anyway?

I’ve won 4 All-day Pass Tickets and 20 more discount vouchers!!! ❤ Thanks to ForeverLab.

So, I’ve won these tickets way back in December last year and its redemption period is up to December 31 only, but due to certain circumstances I was not able to go. On January, I’ve checked my e-mail inbox and  the words shone brightly, they’ve extended my redemption period up to January 31. And I was so happy that I already set the group of friends I am taking with.

 

here’s the photo that made me 4 tickets richer. woohoo!!

Moving on, the day I went there was also the first day I’ve ever set foot on Taguig. Being in Manila for quite some time now, I enjoyed going North but not South. I’ve heard the traffic is quite bad so I avoided all the South trips especially the bus rides in EDSA.

The Fort is a nice place. It’s everything.I would love to live there but I think the cost of living there will leave me broke! Moving on again, (I was just fascinated by the environment of this city) so we arrived late lunch and started wandering around. The building exterior is gray and nice. It gives a minimalist-futuristic impact. Anyway, simplicity is beauty. The staff are very accommodating. And the roaming inside begins…

The Highlights

The place is jam-packed with facts and people.  And my tired mind (just got off from work before we came)  just dozed off wanting to absorb all but only few were retained. 😦

• Phosphorescent Wall

I love their Phosphorescent wall. It’s a dim-lighted room where a camera will took a shadow picture of you printed in the wall for minutes. It is a wall treated with phosphorescent powder/paint (the one you put to make glow-in-the-dark things). I tried taking photos of it using my camera, but I failed. HA-HA! It was nothing but a shadow in a glow in the dark wall and flash won’t work on it. Sadly, our McDonald pose was only printed in my memory. I wished there’s a way to preserve that image.

• Static Ball

They say that your dry hair will stand if you touch this metal ball. (so most of my hair will?) But upon research, it says that it works best with Dry and Straight hair. For a minute, you are allowed to touch this ball and electric current will pass through your body. It says about the positive and negative charges but i didn’t seem to pick-up. I even didn’t try it but I enjoyed watching the others as they try.  So what really is happening in there? According to Steve Splangler Science,

“When two materials come in contact with each other, one material will take some of the electrons from the other. When the materials are separated, a charge imbalance happens. The material with more electrons is negatively charged and the one with more protons is positively charged. This charge imbalance is where static electricity is created. Shuffling your stocking feet across the carpet picks up the electrons. When you touch the light switch or another person, you transfer those electrons in a static charge. The charge you feel is the flow of imbalanced electrons.”

So that’s what what it says pala. 

• ForeverLab Exhibit

Will you still love me at 150? This exhibit laid a futuristic woman who is turning 150. At first, we thought she and her story is real but upon reading the facts, she is the future us. ForeverLab also exhibits photos of happiness submitted by  people around the country. It also has a booth where you are asked to answer some questions and post your answers on the hanging strings that surrounds it.

• Prehistoric Era

A museum won’t be complete without its dinosaur’s bone exhibit. Here they have one and some really more cool things like a real dino bones fragments, real fossils although some were replicas, it’s really nice to know.

• The Moon

This part is my second favorite. In this section you’ll know everything of the outer space from the moon to the planets and stars. Also,  You can be near the moon, you can even hug it if you want. (I did!)  You can choose which phase of the moon you like by just pressing a button. We love the full moon phase with its bright and round appearance. They also have a mini Planetarium show which we were not able to see for the line was already long few minutes before the show time.

• Piano Stairs

I’ve seen this on Facebook before, somewhere in Brussels where they’ve turn a staircase into something fun to encourage the people to use it instead of the escalator beside it. It was amazing that I jumped up and down the treads and made me some do-re-mi. Weee. No pictures here. I just enjoyed that part. It was my favorite that I neglect all the things that came after that. ha-ha!

I always feel exhausted after going from a museum. It was really tiring after all. With all that feelings that you can’t contain. The amazement, the learning that  you want to make sik-sik in between every neurons as possible, a place where sitting is almost impossible. But above the exhaustion is a happiness that is difficult to explain. ❤

More museum doors to enter soon! 😀

How to get there:

So we went there via Shaw-C-5 Road since we came from Mandaluyong but if you’re commuting the BGC Bus is available at  Ayala Avenue in Makati, this will take you straight to BGC. I don’t know much about the jeepney routes in this place.

For more info visit Mind Museum @
Website: themindmuseum.org
Address: JY Campos Park, 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Opens: Tuesdays to Sundays 9:00am till 6:00pm
Entrance fee:
Adult All-day Pass – P750
Adult (3 hrs) – P675
Children – 475php
*******Tripod and extra lighting are NOT allowed.*******

 

Sidetrips: Venice Piazza, McKinley

Pambansang Museo (National Museum .ph)

October is the National Museum of the Philippines anniversary month. So every October the museum opens its doors to the masses for free. This is applicable to the national museum itself and to all its regional museums. So before the month ends we decided to try, to catch a glimpse of the past.

Established in 1901, the Neo-classical buildings of the museum stood elegantly along Taft Avenue, Ermita,Manila neighboring Rizal Park (Luneta Park), Intramuros (The Walled City) and  Manila City Hall. The building is exquisite in any way but did we know or did we even noticed the National Museum’s beautiful logo? Wondering? It comes from the stylized baybayin (an old Philippine writing) of the syllable “pa” – for Pamana or Heritage.

After the Heneral Luna craze, this country began to thirst more of its rich history. So when we arrived there a long line of people are already waiting outside the Gallery. Maybe they are there to see the famous Spolarium, painted by the infamous Juan Luna-brother of General Luna. The painting is said to be portrayed in the death scene of General Luna in the movie. Moving on, so we, we decided to just go to the Anthropology and Natural History (or the museum  of the Filipino People as they call it). The 5-storey building is annexed on the  left side of The Gallery (going to Pasay). On its lower ground is the library and the taxidermy section which are both off-limits by the time we’ve come. Also, on the lower ground is a fully-furnished Ifugao Hut. The hut looked like a nipa hut from the materials used in it but the difference is obvious, the roofing.

As we go higher to this building, we are fed with so many facts from the past. There are collection of jars, pots and porcelain wares which were found in a sunken ship, canons and cannon balls, ship models. Also,this country cannot live without rice in a day so they have a collection of rice varieties from different parts of the countries. There is also a tv ad which shows the projection for every two tablespoon of rice thrown, that it can feed millions of people so we must not waste rice.

A part of the Berlin Wall is also there where you can see two different sides, one side is filled with colorful graffitis and the other remained blank with one or two black lines. The colorful side is said to be facing West Berlin where people used it as a canvass to express their feelings while the blank side faced East Berlin where people are not allowed to stay near the wall. Read more of the Berlin Wall here.

Garing: The Philippines at the Crossroads of Ivory Trade is now part of the permanent exhibits of the museum. Garing is a Filipino word which means ivory in English. The exhibit contain vast collection of elephant tusk which is the main source of good ivory. The trade is prohibited by law to protect the poor elephants. Lastly, a collection of the colorful Filipino costumes from datus to their wives and child to the elegant Filipiñana and also part of the exhibit are the weaving tools which portrays how Filipinos managed to have their colorful costumes.

My favorite part, of course, is the Language section where there is even a table to practice your Baybayin. How I wish this was still in use like most asian countries are does with their own. Maybe colonialism have really changed this country. Maybe we accept change fully that we forgot our ownselves. We just wanted to belong to a whole new world. But maybe it is also time that we dig up what we used to have and start anew with our own country. NATIONALISM is what most Filipinos are neglecting or worst, forgotten in this era. I often see people comparing governments and leaders in Facebook. But did they compare themselves to the people of the same country? We need a better government , yes, but we also need people who are disciplined and follow the law. We used to love our country by heart unlike today where the love for country is just expressed on social media and sadly, remain that way. Anyways enough of the rants, I think that a good step to start is that Baybayin should be taught in school. The teachers must be trained for I heard that only few Filipinos now mastered the Language. But we nust not forget that Baybayin is made by Filipinos for the Filipino people and we are Filipinos so it runs in our blood. We just need determination and all.

Do you wanna see what I’ve seen?
Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph
Address: Taft Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000 Metro Manila
Opens: Tuesdays to Sundays @ 10:00am to 5:00pm
Entrance fee:
Student – 50php
Senior Citizen – 120php
Adult – 150php
Admission is FREE on Sundays

How did I get there:
So there are many ways to get there, it is so accessible in all directions.
But we came from Legarda, so we walked near San Sebastian Church and rode a San Miguel-Ikot route jeepney to SM Manila and walked a few blocks passing the Manila City Hall and there it was, the country’s windows to the past. 🙂

Here are some of the photos taken during the visit.

Art in Island (in the city)

Home of the dozens of 3D interactive paintings, this museum lies within the Metro. It is a collaboration of different Asian artists mainly Koreans and inside it’s like being adventurous without being one. (ha-ha!) I went there with my best NU bud, Cathy and her cutie princess, Daphne. We met at Gateway Mall and took a cab from there. We arrived there 5 minutes later. Now that was fast! lol (It is so near we could actually walk, but since it’s nearing 12 noon we decided to took a cab.)

Outside, the parking lot is already crammed  with parked cars,hinted us that a lot of people are actually inside then. We bought us tickets,surrendered our shoes(mandatory) and started wandering. I have here the necessities you must have! (taken from their FB page – Art in Island)

List:

• Camera – Of Course! Feel free to take photos.It’s what you’ve came for,e? Any will do, as long as you have extra batteries or power banks with you.It’ll sure drain your batteries out.
• Jacket and socks – for those who easily get cold. Actually, the floor is the one really cold, like if you walked barefooted or wore thin socks you might actually have a literal coldfeet. I suggest you bring thick ones or you can buy at their Shoe baggage for only Php150,which looks like really comfy.
• Friends- yes it’s a plural! This place actually gets better with many to share with.
• Also, Tripod – It is allowed as long as you are willing take take the risk of it getting bumped. I used our bags as a counterweight to resist tipping. The good side is it can let you take photos as many as you want without minding who will actually push the shutter.

Inside,the place is massive with different theme in every chamber. To get the perfect angle you have to look for the right floor sticker with an arrow that points to the 3D Art. It is located at some distance from the art. Most of the time, there will only be one but there are also some that can be taken at multiple angles. This post is going to have of pictures I guess but I will only select a few shots to make this post shorter than it should have if I include all. (lol) Just a few favorites.

• Optical Art Illusion
  • Best viewed in a large screen
  • You could see the dots moving in a circling motion. I don’t really get the black hole effect ’cause it’s not too dark and I can still see the edge but maybe it is the focus point. When you stare at it the motion starts and that amazed me! Wow! Really!

The next chamber is anything about water. It even had a Poseidon altar, a surfer’s tide, big blue whale, octopus and its crazy tentacles and an Angler Fish that is ready to eat you alive! Believe me, it’s an Angler fish, my friend called it a Lantern fish but her daughter corrected it and insist that is an angler fish. Afterwards, I went googling and she’s correct! Bright kid! Tita is now a fact smarter than the others. Yay!

• The Mermaid

Girls without a top on or girls wearing just bras, long hair and massive fish tail. Our ideas of a typical mermaid. Here you become one, perched on a top of  huge stone behind is a very colorful under the sea background. Doing some backflip and the conventional mermaid pose, these two nailed it! ❤ ❤

• The Angler Fish and the Surfer’s Tide respectively

FACT : The angler fish is not the Lantern fish. No, it isn’t.

The Lantern fish

This is the lantern fish is a small mesopelagic (meaning in lives in the middle depth of the of the ocean) organism and  it is aptly known for their aptly use of  bioluminescence

The Angler fish with its lighted esca

And the angler fish, on the other hand, is a pelagic and benthic organism (meaning it dwells from mid-depth to the deepest floors) that has an illicium which serves as a fishing rod, and most of the adult females emit light through their esca , the lantern-like end of the illicium – this organ  is what they use to lure prey in the dark.

Back to the museum, we managed to get a photo of one of the entrance neatly. Meaning without someone else in the background! Yay. Taking good pictures when there are lot of people inside to dwell with is hard. We have to secure the site first and take shots fast for there will be a long line once they see you taking a nice one. I observed that people take shots to the artwork as closely as possible. But that’s not how is it done, isn’t it. you’ll never get the right angle if you’re that near. Once we’ve try a run-for-your-lives-it-is-a-stampede pose but as we’ve got farther to the wall, there’s one Lola who put her apo near the wall and we have them both as our background, funny but true. So we have to take it again, and again, there’s another Mommy who did the same. *facepalm* On our third try, fortunately we had this one clean shot and it is posted below. We’ve tried to ran like hell in order to escape different  stampedes, tried to finish a chariot race, passed through a hanging bridge without falling, and we’ve been through heaven and hell.

                   

         

We’ve alse been through Arabia, Rome, Venice and country-side Italy in a day…

         

                   

How about an artwork inside an artwork? Have you imagined yourselves inside the Starry Starry Night by Van Gogh? Well it’s not here but most likely. How about the scene in Inkheart where you’ll be burned alive by a fire-breathing dragon or being trapped in a witch’s lair like Hansel and Gretel? Have you ever imagined yourselves being favored by the King or the Queen, took an oath to them like Lady Brienne to Renley Baratheon or Catelyn Stark in Game of thrones? Well, we’ve captured some of our littlest fantasies here, not exactly but almost!

         

         

In the middle of our adventure, we found our hungry selves on its way the cafeteria but sadly, most of their food is not available so we just settled for a hotdog sandwich and a good bottle of water and iced tea. The café is nice, there were paint cans that serves as table stand, colorful tables and chairs, wall  arts and the people are very accommodating.

There are so much more like The Chair, which gives an illusion of a small person and a giant,but the line here was so long and people are so impatient that time. We got annoyed so we moved on. We tried floating in the ocean in a bottle, weighed ourselves in gold etcera etcera. They also have 3d rooms but I ‘ll be ending it here or else this will be twice as long as already it is. ❤ ❤

At the end of the day i found my exhausted self already wanting to take a good nap for I am so exhausted. So I bid them goodbye as they are bound to watch Heneral Luna with the fam. :O

If you decided to drop-by, any information that you’ll be needing is here again so you don’t need to scroll up again.

Until next post!! XX ❤ ❤ ❤