Museum Musings: Mind our "belongings"

For centuries, we have seen a constant battle between Science and Religion. The Church has constantly branded scientists as subversives or blasphemers for claiming that the world started from something, that man came from apes, and that God did not really create the world just as it was written in the Bible.

Whatever beliefs or faith one has, I would say that a visit to the Mind Museum will sweep away the differences (hopefully).

Last Saturday (April 28, 2012), Kay and I had the chance to visit the newly-opened mind museum. Thankfully, they have a special rate for teachers (P150 for a 3-hour tour) which is P450 cheaper than the original rate of P600. (It pays being a teacher! YEAH!). I must say that more than the photo opps, a visit to the Mind Museum is worthwhile. As an "adult" I have enjoyed "playing" with the science stuffs that are exhibited and marveled at how vast the world is compared to how small we are compared to it. (I somehow had a glimpse of the Chinese Taoists view by looking at how small we are compared to nature.)

In this blog, I wish to present some tips and critiques that might be helpful to some travelers, teachers, or any individual who are (like us) fond of reading travel and food blogs as a sort of a "guide". I hope that after reading this, you'll have some sort of idea on how and why to go there.

A. Buying tickets


The Mind Museum is very systematic. (Whenever we experience services coming from private companies, we cannot help but wonder why and how the private sector manages to systematize everything, and the government cannot. The irony of it all.) You can buy your ticket online and pay through credit card or PayPal systems to avoid long lines and secure a slot during the 3-hour tour.

Click: BUY TICKET to know more about how to buy your tickets. Upon payment, you will be E-mailed by the system; an electronic ticket is attached in that email. All you need is to print the electronic ticket, and you're good to go!

If you're not so techie, you can simply go there any buy your tickets on the ticket booth.

B. Going There


For those who are not so aware about it, the Mind Museum is located at JY Campos Park, 3rd Avenue
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig  But if you haven't been there. Here's the "easiest" and "safest" route:

1. Take the MRT and go to Ayala Station.
2. Exit the Ayala station going NORTHBOUND. (Do not go to the Ayala-SM side. Upon going down the stairs of MRT AYALA station, there's a small street to your right, go straight ahead and you will see a bus terminal going to Bonifacio Global City. The bus terminal has a ticket booth where you pay the fare. P12 is the cost of the ticket which is relatively cheap given the comfortable ride in the Mercedez-Benz-Air-conditioned Bus (which looks like an MRT coach, by the way).
3. Take the WEST ROUTE bus and tell the friendly driver that you're going to the Mind Museum. Travel time from Ayala station (because it's vacation and there's not much traffic when we visited) is about 10-15 minutes only.

C. Minding about nothing


Upon entering the Museum, you will be greeted by AEDI, a robot who would give some tips and a little bit of orientation about the museum. You will then be guided by a tour guide, but in reality, you don't need them because once you get into the "portals of science" You can do whatever you want (almost).

There are a number of sections like Earth, Universe, and Atoms where you can unravel Science concepts (and in my case, realize that you have forgotten them!). There are a lot of interactive activities that would make you understand things and think "why in the world didn't my teacher tell us about this before?"

Think about it, have we been thinking?

Kay's trying to review her chemistry by combining atoms and creating compounds...

Love the EARTH!

Could man-robot society be far behind?

Long before Movies were made, people had been entertained by these moving pictures...

Kay loves skeletal beings.

I can't help but think if this is the same spaceship that Son Gokou boarded...

Kay knows what my heartbeat says... ^__^

If you think about it, some exhibits have also been featured in the "90's science museums" like the Science Centrum, the Planetarium, and the Museong Pambata. However, there are new exhibits and activities that can be done in the Mind Museum.

It's not as big as anyone would expect, but I would say that it's an experience Filipino students MUST have. I would also want to take this opportunity to call the attention of my fellow educators: PLEASE STOP the culture of nonsensical "educational trips".

Please stop bringing our students to Showtime because aside from the fact that they could go there anytime they want, we are not teaching them anything but creating a delusion that show business is a good "career" (if we could call it a career).

Please stop bringing them to Mall of Asia because aside from the fact that it is a waste of time, money, and effort, we are not teaching them anything. We are merely making them dependent and addicted to malls, making them think that there are nowhere else to go but malls, where in fact there are a lot of museums that have been collecting dusts and cobwebs instead of funds that would augment their facilities and improve their sevices.

The burden of education must be carried by everyone: teachers, parents, students, and the whole society. This in turn would hopefully make our planet more livable.

Atlas shrugged.

PLEASE MAKE THE EDUCATIONAL TRIPS EDUCATIONAL. Or else...

....we might end up going back to where we (allegedly) came from...