Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Mind Museum


Moon watching

The Mind Museum at Taguig is a science museum located at the Fort.  It has displays and exhibits under five themes: 1.The Story of the Universe: Its Beginning and Majesty, 2.The Story of the Earth: Its Story Across the Breadth of Time, 3.The Story of Life: The Exuberant Varieties of Life, 4.The Story of the Atom: The Strange World of the Very Small and 5.The Story of Technology: The Showcase of Human Ingenuity.


Dinosaur!
The admission fee is very generous to teachers (P150.00) compared to private students (P450.00). The regular fee is P600.00. So when we visited the place, Apple and I payed only P300.00 while Geof and Julia paid P900.00.

There are interesting exhibits and attractions. Julia like the digging for the fossils and the star chairs. Geof played video games and love to cross the "rotating" tunnel. Apple and I were puzzled by the challenge to arrange 11 cubes in a given space. We missed the movie screening bacause there were very limited slots per screening - the management should organize the queue for the screening.


Melty chocolate

Pharaoh
It is a new museum which just opened last March 2012 but it has already many exhibits which are "under repair." Maybe it is still in the soft opening phase. We hope the museum will be properly maintained and more interactive exhibits will be installed.

Geof inside the rotating tunnel

Here is a write-up by Geof about his experience at the museum.
The Mind Museum has 5 sections: Atoms, The Earth, The Galaxy, The Prehistoric History of our World, and Inventions of Mankind. First, we went to the atom section. There, we saw the nature of physics and atoms. Then, we went to the earth and prehistoric history of our world. We learned about dinosaurs, cavemen, and much more. We also marvelled at the power and size of our planet. After that, we went to the galaxy section. We “oohed” and “aahed” at the stars, planets, and comets. Finally, we went to the inventions made by mankind.  We tried out an old printing press, arcade games and much more. Finally, we went to the Science-in-a- park where  I had fun making dams, waterwheels, and saw through the eyes of many animals. I and Julia went home with new knowledge about science.

Embracing the moon

Julia and Apple solve a 3D puzzle

Mind Museum is new - but you will see these messages in a number of exhibits.

Splash!


Splash Island is a theme park resort at Southwoods Ecocentrum in Binan, Laguna. The park consists of  slides, rides and attractions designed to provide guests with a day filled with aqua thrills and adventure. This summer, Splash Island entrance fees were reduced to almost 50%. So we took advantage of the special offer and brought the kids to a day of water adventure. The attractions we enjoyed were the wave simulation, kayak and the slides using a floater.


Kayaking



Saturday, April 7, 2012

Dining at Black Soup Cafe


Bold posters at Black Soup Cafe.
Not shown in this photo is a poster of a boy showing his privates.

The blackboard displays the menu
February 27, 2012. It was our 13th wedding anniversary. Black Soup Cafe + Artspace at Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village, QC was an appropriate venue for dinner. It's a cozy place which is difficult to find since it is inside a compound. A good dating place if you want privacy. The cafe's walls are emblazoned with colorful and bold posters of the 70's to 80's. You would think that it's a meeting place of activitists circa Martial law years.

We had the place for ourselves

Cheers!
Apple and I ordered pasta, lamb chop, mongo soup, grilled salmon and turon for dessert. We were the only customers then - it appears that we reserved the place for the special occasion. The food is good but not outstanding. The ambience though was relaxing. We enjoyed the night reminiscing our colorful thirteen years as a couple and as parents. Cheers!
Lamb Chop - quite bare, isn't it?

Pasta
Grilled Fish


Turon and Ice Cream

A very creative clock decoration at the cafe.
The pop culture art decor is nice.


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The kids love Cafe Mary Grace's pasta

Cafe Mary Grace is popular for its ensaymada. But in our case we eat at Mary Grace because of their salad and pasta. The kids, Geof and Julia, love their pasta. In our last visit at Mary Grace (Trinoma), Geof ordered the Leek Saffron Cream with Fillet of Cream Dory which is described by the menu as "a fillet of cream dory, fish that simply melts in the mouth atop linguini noodles covered with a light creamy sauce flavored with leeks and a hint of saffron" while Julia and I ordered the Seafood Pasta, "a medley of fresh clams, shrimp, squid, mussels, and cream dory lend their flavors to a tomato-based sauce enhanced with herbs, olives, and mushrooms." 

Leek Saffron Cream with Fillet of Cream Dory

Seafood Pasta

Messages on the table
The decorations and tables at Mary Grace are elegant - traditional wooden tables with a touch of antiquity but blended with modern decorations like messages written by the customers displayed on the tables. The service at Mary Grace is superb. The waiters are properly trained in arranging the plates and utensils and serving the food. The waiters are alert and ready to serve your needs. The price range is P100 - P300.
Geof: Hmmm. Tasty. Julia: My pasta is yummy.