What would you do on a dreary and rainy Friday night ? Last Friday night I did something different (don’t laugh now) – I went to a museum. Yes, Friday being a jeans day at the office allowed me to dress casually so at 430pm I took my camera with me, headed about 5 subway stops north and spent the evening at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). The wifey and the daughter wanted to watch a kiddie movie at a theater but I opted to go on a geeky date with my camera. Overall it was great learning experience for me, both with the exhibits and my camera. 🙂 Not a bad place to bring your real date I tell you. If she can hang around for 5 hours it means she likes you 😉
The real reason for my going was to photograph the Dead Sea Scrolls which is on exhibit until Jan 2010 but darn, cameras aren’t allowed in the special area where the scrolls are displayed. I was extremely frustrated and didn’t even purchase the ticket for the scheduled show that night. 😦 I saw no point for me to see the scrolls unless I took photos of it. The best part I enjoyed was the Earth’s Treasures section. I was in awe of the spectacular richness of the earth’s geological structures , the wonderful colors and shapes of rocks, gems and crystals that take takes eons – millions of years to form. I had fun taking close up pictures of gem stones through the glass displays. The Dinosaur and Egyptology sections were equally interesting. I took the all the shots minus the flash in an effort to capture the shadows and details that defines the objects as they are when you see them. The slide show contains a few photos from the various sections of the museum. I will try to show more detailed pics of the Earth’s Treasures and the Dinosaurs exhibits in my next posts.
THE ROM
To view the full screen, click on View All Images, Original View and Full Screen
TALKING WHILE DRIVING
Tomorrow Oct. 26th marks the first of day of the talking and texting while driving ban in this province. The police will be a little tolerant for 3 months to give the people a chance to get used to the restriction. The fine is quite hefty – $500. To me this sounds like a government sponsored stimulus plan for the cell phone retailers, where people are compelled to fork out cash to fit their phones with Bluetooth and wireless headsets. Do you think this law is fair? I could understand the silliness of texting while driving but a phone call ?? Is it really unsafe ? What if it is an emergency call ? Or someone calling you for an urgent matter at the office? A job interview ? Or someone returning your call for a date ? Opportunity only knocks once they say. 😉
THE ORGANIC HYPE
Are you one of those folks who have jumped into the “organic” bandwagon and pay a bit extra for your veggies ? I’m not yet a convert because I’m not quite sure if the stuff I’m buying are really organic. For all I know they are not but these days the marketing hype for anything healthy rocks and people are willing to pay money for anything that will lengthen their life span. Last weekend we went for snacks at a sandwich shop and since it was a bit cold, I ordered a healthy sounding soup made with “organic potatoes and mushrooms”. The order came topped with pea sprouts and my wife took the first slurp from it. She grimaced complaining that the taste was so “earthy” and the smell reminded her of the gumamela flowers she chopped when she was a little kid playing cooking game with the neighborhood girls back in Pinas. 😆 I thought maybe, the stuff was indeed organic 😉
Filed under: Human Interest |
The Warped Zone 
wow. museums. if i remember it right, i have been to about 2 or 3 museums in this lifetime so far, inaantok kasi ko sa loob eh 🙂 pero i like looking at the pics of someone who has gone there kasi in most museums here, taking photos are prohibited kaya exciting kung pano nila nailusot mga pics nila.
by the way, may sarili na ko domain, pa update naman ng link to http://www.lawstude.net 🙂 tnx.
This trip was a bit of a rush for me coz the place closes at 930pm. It’s a large museum and it will take you one day to really enjoy it including listening to videos.
Hey, naks – meron ka ng sariling domain ha. Galing 🙂
When I read your blog, the movie Night At the Musem starring Ben Stiller immediately came to my mind 🙂 Nice photos.
500? That’s way too stiff. Hey, I’m all for organic too and I trust the labels.
I saw that movie and it’s quite hilarious 🙂
Yep, 500 is too stiff. We’ve got 3 months reprieve for now. Somehow I don’t trust the labels of smaller stores but maybe big supermarkets are OK.
I don’t think its geeky going to a museum. Its quite and contains lots of interesting stuff, just like a public library.
I think its a good idea banning driving while talking on a cellphone. A lot of accident here in Riyadh is due to that.
Fortunately this museum is quite highly rated and I’ve been to really crappy ones believe me 😯
Safety first is what they say nowadays so we will have to park all our devices before getting to the wheel. Also even traditional CB radios will be phased out here. They must be converted to speakerphone types – no more handheld.
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Hahaha… at your date must really like you if she she hangs around with you in a museum for 5 hours. 🙂 But natural history museums are fun to go to naman.
So does organic mean amoy lupa? 🙂
Sure it is fun if the exhibits are OK otherwise boredom is a threat but being with someone you like you don’t need any exhibits 😆 Besides this museum has a good restaurant so me and my camera had a nice dinner 🙂
Yep, amoy lupa hehe. My wife is the complete anti-thesis to my food preference. Maybe she was expecting tokwa-baboy in that sandwich shop 😆
i think going to museums is cool. and quiet too. LOL. i think organic will not really hit big here because it is expensive LOL anything healthy is expensive LOL well, most of them anyway.
It is quiet but unlike the dead silence of a library. I enjoyed it and I thought if my wife and daughter were with me they will be a complete distraction hehe 🙂
It’s a big hit here for those health freaks who are attempting to ingest the purest form of food into their bodies 😉
“If she can hang around for 5 hours it means she likes you” – but I really can spend a day in the museum even if I don’t like my companion. Basta ba may dala akong camera. =)
Right on but what I meant was, if your date is someone else and not your your camera haha 🙂
Museums are nice when they are world class. I’ve seen museums that have nothing in them except paintings and crafts and look like nothing more than second rate art gallery.
The driving ban is good because a lot of people crazy, slowing down on the highway because they’re texting. You’re right that it is not fair but safety first rule is also good.
This one is definitely a better museum and the building is quite impressive.
Hey, the ban also includes IPODs and GPS. They want you to turn on the playlist before you start driving and never fiddle with it while you’re driving. Also portable GPS have to be mounted and not hand held while driving 😯
so i still have around 3 months to save up,get a visa and go there to see the dead sea scrolls.hehe
looks like you really enjoyed your time in the museum. 😀
Yep, you got 3 months to see the Scrolls man 😉 . I wanted to photograph it more than just seeing it because I have read a lot about it already, and dug deep into both the pro and con sides of the controversies surrounding the scrolls. I have read the Dead Sea Scrolls Deception and Messianic Legacy both written by Michael Baigent – that guy who sued Dan Brown, author of DaVinci Code, for plagiarism. Me thinks Dan Brown capitalized on his work. The books are well written and well researched and should be read by only those with unshakable faith, not the faint of heart. Yep, I enjoyed my night at the museum 🙂
The same is true with the museums here in SF. The visiting exhibits do not allow photography. Now this is when a little point and shoot gets really handy and useful. You turn off the flash and “pasimple pa” then snap some photos. I must admit I’m guilty of doing this one time.
The only organic I know are those that my friends grow in their backyards or the ones we grow on ours. Otherwise, just like you I am quite suspicious. I believe some take way too many liberties with their labeling just because the veggies are sold on open air markets.
The folks at the ROM are pretty strict on rules. In fact I had to put my backpack into storage and just carry my camera with me. They just won’t allow camera into the Scrolls area. There are specific times for the Scrolls visit and additional fee of 6 bucks which is not a big deal but I frustrated I couldn’t take a pic of the scrolls so I didn’t bother to go. I have read a lot about it that any more info would be redundant.
You bet, you’re not sure if they really are organic or not so the best way is grow them yourself. I have a huge lot but gotten rid of veggie planting. we’ve decided to only plant flowers and perennials for the aesthetic look 😉 A relative of mine has just bought a house with a real huge lot. Maybe we’ll plant veggies over there next spring 🙂
hi.. can we exchnage links with my movie review blog?
http://marian-moviereviews.blogspot.com
sure.. it’s my pleasure 🙂
Museums always tickled my interests. I’m just glad that in most modern museum nowadays, they allow photography. I had been to several museums here in the Philippines and most of it don’t allow photography. Sa Vigan naman, they allow photography as long as you don’t use flash. Ganon din sa bahay ni Jose Rizal sa Calamba.
Maganda din ang kuha mo sa loob ng Royal Ontario Museum. Para na rin akong nakapasyal don kasama mo. Yung different animal bones, very interesting…
At the ROM they also allow flash photography but I like flashless photos inside buildings because they capture a more realistic image. I have a wide angle , large aperture lens ( which cost more than the darn camera) so it allows me to shoot without flash in darker areas. The lens just makes my camera worth having 😉 I took lots of dinosaur shots and will post them later.
I visited the Egyptian museum in Cairo and in the area where the golden sarchopagus and treasures of child King Tut was located, visitors can only view them minus the camera and have to keep pace with a single line with AK-47 toting soldiers watching your every move 😉 The museum also prohibited flash photography. In fact the archelogical sites I visited also prohibited flash inside the ruins. I went in the early 90’s when digital cameras weren’t a fad yet 😯
wow! the DSS…i still have lots of posts on musems in sydney…if you think the sydney posts are all there hehe
hey, common, post those Sydney museum photos 🙂
I think the no-talk and no-text while driving rule is fair. Anything that may distract the driver is unsafe. Talking without headsets is risky especially if you’re operating an MT car. This rule shouldn’t be much of a problem since most, if not all, handsets come with headsets, right?
That’s right. Ako, I’m using the stock headset in my other phone while I use a Bluetooth headset sa isa namang phone ko. Hindi naman nakaka-distract sa pagmaneho as long as you don’t keep off your eyes from the cars ahead of you (or I mean – from the road). Para ka lang rin nakikipag-usap ng taong katabi mo lang sa loob ng sasakyan while you are still driving…
Dong – here they prohibit you to fiddle with anything handheld, be it IPOD, GPS or cell. They have to be “mounted” on the dash to be legal. Incidentally my mounted GPS has Bluetooth feature and can pair with my cell phone so it’s a plus 🙂 BTW, I am distracted when my wife talks to me while I’m driving. Sometimes I miss my highway exits kasi nga walang traffic gaano dito so mabilis lahat ang sasakyan hehe 🙂
It happened to me too! I was talking to my passenger and missed the highway exit. Nevertheless, it rarely happened to me but it did happen, Hehehe…
Abaniko –
Now legislators are attempting to define what distraction really means and they say – no talking – handheld or speakerphone while driving. In short, shut off your phone until you get to your destination. 🙂
Castles/Palaces in Russia (St Petersburg), are gold, gold, gold, and more gold – thus the Bolzhevik revolution; the poor got tired of those in power and Noypis should start one now.
You are allowed to take pictures of the museum in St Petersburg but not Windsor Castle in England.
Let those texters and cellphone addicts have their freedom, so long as they die without dragging some innocent ones six feet under.
Tried some organic eggs and other fruits, I really see no difference other than you pay more.
May revolution naman tayo sa Pinas di ba ? Peaceful pa nga – EDSA kaya lang fake hehe 🙂
No one has really quantified the accidents caused by cell phone distraction but I guess even if you have one fatal instance, it is enough for reason for legislation 😉
Right – for me it’s that fertilizer scare – but you’ll never know 😯
ROM – i think its a good place for all ages.
true. It is quite large,There is a special place for kids too.
Oh how I wish we have those kinds of museums here. The museums we have here are only good for snooze fests.
Talking and texting while on the wheel is dangerous. I should know, I’ve once rear-ended a car while talking on the phone, he he. But that was like almost two decades ago, when analog cellphones were just starting to make a splash in these shores. Buti na lang there’s the hands-free function on cellphones nowadays so it’s safer to make a call while driving.
As for the organic foods hype. Funny to note that a generation or two ago, those expensive “naturally-grown” foods were the norm. Like rice for example, di ba our lolos and lolas used to dine on brown rice rather than the shiny white ones we’re used to? Nowadays, brown rice can cost twice as much as the regular whites. WTF??
I needed at least a day to check out the whole place. The success of the museum is when you have philanthropy supporting it. This museum fortunately has a lot of support and members who pay annual dues.
Hands free certainly helps but I guess enforcement is kinda hard to do esp at night when people can make calls in the cover of darkness. But I do think that the safety first approach is better than no rule at all.
That’s what peeves me off too believe me. All of a sudden, enterprising businessmen put heavy price tags on all the healthier stuff duh . It smacks of profit taking 😦
That’s one nice museum! I would have stayed there for hours, viewing the exhibits and reading the labels. Sayang, your daughter didn’t join you. It would have been an enjoyable experience.
I didn’t know that the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit went on tour. I first saw it in Jerusalem at the Israel Museum.
*****
I’m all for the ‘no texting/talking on the phone while driving.’ It is indeed dangerous. One needs to focus while driving, especially if you’re driving in Metro Manila.
Maybe I’m biased: I’m not a cell phone person. Not at all.
I remember using a Pocketbell pager in the past. I kinda liked its one-way features. 🙂 Got job interview alerts via this pager system, actually. I like the idea of not having to respond immediately and thinking things over before you commit to anything.
there is a kiddie section which is designed for kids. I’m sure my litlle girl would find it fun 😎
As for the scrolls, I really wanted to take a photo of it . I already have information overload on it, both the historical and controversial issues related to our understanding or misunderstanding of Christianity. The two books I mentioned written by Michael Baigent are quite a shocker when one thinks that history can’t seem to backup the foundations of theology. But again, the proverbial “faith doesn’t require proof” saying rules in the minds of most people 😯
BTW the pager is an excellent concept. Problem is the cell texting feature had killed it for people really don’t want to carry another device with them. Paging is still a service but sent as text to the recepient.
I agree. With Pocketbell’s one way communication feature, you are not obliged to respond right away. I was using it in the middle of 1990s and it was a cool communication tool albeit you need a landline phone (to call the operator) when you’d like to send a message. But things change a lot. These days, you’ll be reprimanded if you couldn’t reply right away. “Bakit hindi ka nag-reply sa text ko?” 😀 It’s because of the cellphone texting feature 🙂