AYALA MUSEUM - THE MUSEUM AT THE SHOPPING MALL

30th AUGUST 2017 ~ We first saw Ayala Museum when we went to the Greenbelt Shopping Mall on our first day in Manila. It was not opened on Monday unfortunately so we had to go back on the third day. And it was worth the long walk all the way from the hostel and back.

We had to pay entrance fees at the counter and had to pay extra to get access to third floor where exhibitions on the history of gold and ceramics were held. However, photography was not allowed at this section.

On the first floor was the diorama exhibits which unfolded the history of the Philippines from time immemorial. I found the the display was done according to a lengthy and detailed timeline. I should have learned the history of the country better and by the time I left the Philippines, I was more like a historian rather than a tourist. Everything was truly impressive.

This should be the very last place in the itinerary before we went home. We spent more time walking at the malls looking for souvenirs after that. And there were many more museums in Manila that we did not go due to time constraint but this should be a good reason to make a comeback in the future.

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ANGKLUNG PERFORMANCE AT KOTA ISKANDAR FOR "EKSPO JOHOR BERKEMAJUAN" [PART 2]

[CONTINUATION OF PART 1]

7th OCTOBER 2017 ~ Everything was set and we were ready to perform for the visitors to "Ekspo Johor Berkemajuan" [TRANSLATE: Developing Johor Expo]. There were just too many people walking past us and a few stopped to either take our photos or to get themselves photographed together with us.

the Prime Minister is here BUT he is not even looking

The climax of the whole plan was the Prime Minister stopping by for a short while to watch us play angklung but that did not happen. He seemed to walk past very quickly without even looking. We still saw a glimpse of him in person and that should make us happy at least.

another Minister who was not looking at us

The reason we were here was Puan Kamisah Ghazali, an old friend from UPM of the TESL batch 1993. She was the one recommending the group to perform during the exposition. Thanks a lot for giving us the chance.

ex-SMKTUN batch 2005

ex-SMKTUN of SPM batch 2010

We played about ten songs this time and stopped by 1:30 p.m. All's well that ends well.

This should be one of the moments that we should always cherish for many more years to come. Congratulations to all the Angklung Group members for another job well done.

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ANGKLUNG PERFORMANCE AT KOTA ISKANDAR FOR "EKSPO JOHOR BERKEMAJUAN" [PART 1]

We, the Angklung Group of SMK Taman Universiti, were invited to perform at one of the booths at Kota Iskandar for "Ekspo Johor Berkemajuan" [TRANSLATE: Developing Johor Expo] today. The organizer, Perbadanan Pengangkutan Awam Johor, provided us a bus and every member was excited as usual to travel together even though it was just a short distance.

However, our happiness was short-lived. At first, there was a very bad traffic jam on the highway to Kota Iskandar, all the vehicles seemed to be heading to the same place. Students were already telling they smelt something burning in the bus. And finally the bus came to a complete halt as it could not move anymore, on the busy highway. We were actually behind time so we had to wait for another bus to pick us up.

Then, the driver went out of the bus and stopped another bus for us on the road. We had to get into the other bus and unload and reload all the angklung and the other equipment.

The road congestion was not getting any better and the new bus driver told us we had to get down at this one place in the middle of the road and walk to the expo. It was not near at all and with all our musical instruments, this should be something challenging for us.

Malaysia is a very hot country. Nevertheless, just imagine what would happen to us if it rained. I just got my vitamin D supply reloaded today.

I met a new friend who joined our group walking from the main entrance. He even took my phone number as he was interested with our music ensemble group.

And we finally arrived at the venue, Dataran Mahkota. *sigh*

The place was actually quite small and crowded. That should not be a problem as we could always adapt well to the environment and make the place like home. There was also another choir group from SMK Scientex Masai performing.

some sort of rehearsal for us

the choir group

receiving souvenirs from a railway company from China

We then had to wait some more for the Prime Minister to walk into the "space" we were in.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2 ...

SWIMMING WITH THE FISH AT MANILA OCEAN PARK

29th AUGUST 2017 ~ The last place of the second day itinerary was Manila Ocean Park. It was all actually interconnected to one another - Intramuros, Rizal Park, Ocean Park and Manila Bay. We were there quite late and there seemed not to be many people around at that time. We were lucky as there was a big discount given to visitors on that day.

We first went to see the penguins but the glasses of the sanctuary was foggy/dirty so everything was not that clear.

Then there was this place, which was adorned with Christmas decorations (in August). People could pose at a few sections which looked like the North Pole. The best part was the artificial snow that fell from the sky and kids and adults alike got excited catching it.

Then we went into the theater to watch a show. I was expecting animal show like dolphins, seals or sea lions, but I was wrong. It was just a show of lights and music - definitely not my cup of tea. I even dozed off a few times but the other people seemed to enjoy this very much. I must have been tired walking all day long.

Lastly, we entered the aquarium to see the fish and other marine lives. We were among the last ones to be there as they had already switched off the air-condition when we were still inside.

After visiting a few other similar places like the ones in Bangkok and Osaka, I was not that impressed. My review did not sound positive enough most probably because I got very hungry already. This could be a place if you are around the Manila Bay or Rizal Park as it is just withing a walking distance.

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