Lost In Past Jungle.

Nobody hates history unless it is their own history. -Robert Langdon, Da Vinci's Code

Personally I am not a fan of Philippines History. I am not even sure how I passed my History subject back in College. hahahaha! Though that does not mean I am not well-informed (hey kids! Being uninterested does not give you the excuse not to study, ayt!) So anyway to make me feel a little closer to our ascendants I thought why not visit places where I could get hold of our past treasures. Fortunate enough, my new workplace seatmate is one hell of a history junkie. "Move aside Carlos Celdran-- there's a new guy in town."

For those wondering, I am also a self-confessed history junkie but not with our own. We can actually talk about world history particularly World War II the whole day. Yes. I prefer morbid discussions rather than colonization stuffs. hahahaha.

Going back, our first stop of 'learning tour' was in The National Museum, Manila. Hey! What better way to know your history is in the museums, right?

Finally!!! The Spolarium. Right on flesh.

It's actually a dream for me to see the world famous Spolarium by Filipino artist Juan Luna. This is one of the first international recognition we received. Somehow, this painting depicts not only artistry but also the 333 years of our country.

What people don't know about me is I used to paint (emphasize on the term 'used to'). I once became a student of Fernando Sena and yah... I made couple of good sketches and paintings. *sigh. Gone were the days of talent. hahahaha! That includes my former talent in playing the piano (insert: Gone with the wind peg). Seeing all these beautiful masterpieces made me realize what I took for granted before. But who knows, I could probably retrieve old skills buried deep in my soul.... That's if I still have time to retrieve it. hahaha! Perhaps after law school... perhaps!

Never in my life I thought I'll appreciate Architectures. But ever since I became an church aficionado, I started reading building styles and became a fan of Baroque and Gothic. Isn't  it a wonder.

The flooring is also amaze-balls.

There are so many sees in the National Museum. You can enjoy renaissance paintings to modern abstracts then jump to Architecture and eventually swing to Sculptures. It's like a complete visualization of arts.

Meet the next Carlos Celdran- Mike Sta Ana of www.whatmichaellikes.com/.

Everything about the National Museum is art. The whole building is like a perfect photo shoot location including the stairs. You know right what a vain girl like me will do on a beautiful staircase like this. Shoot away!

What surprised me a lot is to discover that the Old House of Senate was actually on the second floor of the National Museum. Based on the designs itself, you can guess that this was used during the Commonwealth Period of President Manuel L. Quezon. The entire hall is a beauty-- very far from what the House of Senate looks like now (the Senate is now located in Pasay City right at the back of GSIS Building). 

Again and again, with a beautiful interior like this-- PHOTOSHOOT!!!

There are actually two buildings used for the Museum. The first was more of art while second reserves as a repository of relics from a discovered galleon ship. I bet aspiring Archaeologist like me would be mesmerized seeing old plates and bones. Not all people can understand but these kind of stuffs give me goosebumps. I actually intend to study archaeology before but my dad rescind the idea. He said it's not that exciting as the ones showed in movies- The Mummy. Hence, I ended taking pre-law. Through the course of reading and getting to know me, you will learn that being a law student is not my first love. It was only a developed romance (will blog about it some other time).

For those who intends to pay National Museum a visit, you could actually bring your camera with you (compared to other museums). It is also very interactive since there are some artifacts that you can actually hold. FYI: Do not touch the paintings or else... Bawal ang pasaway!

By the way, as I've said, meet Mike Sta Ana of www.whatmichaellikes.com. Commonly, you would see me hanging out with fashion and beauty bloggers but this time... a different to appease my randomness. hahahaaha!

For more info about The National Museum, you can check its official website. Hope co-Filipinos would start appreciating more of our culture. After this day, I am more open to learning more and deeper our history. You guys should too...

Love,
Katerina Bianca




p.s. Credit Mike for the photos. :)