The Road to 40 Day 83/365: Exploring Mind Museum

Vino had a countdown for Mind Museum Thursday, and the day is finally here.

Neo apparently missed out on a school trip to Mind Museum because he was sick, and he’s been wanting to visit the place ever since. July 31 was a holiday in Ateneo, so we figured this was going to be an ideal date.

I prepared breakfast before Che went to work, and while there are still a lot of things to talk about, I didn’t want to force it because there may be a lot more pressing things for her to deal with.

We’ll get to it sometime soon, but life has to go on.

Vino got up around 10-ish, which is a bit earlier than usual. Kali later advised that they left past 11am already and it will just be Neo coming.

Neo is turning 10 in September, while his older brother, Inno, is around 13. While Vino enjoys playing with both, he gravitates more towards Neo because they have more similar interests and I guess a closer age group.

Kali had gift certificates for us to use – all day passes that we could use to go in and out until 6pm if we choose.

This is not Vino’s first time there, but everything always feels like the first time for him whenever he’s with a different person.

I was trying to read through the things out loud so that they understood what the exhibitions were about, but they weren’t too interested. They liked the interactive displays and what things they could do, but the educational things, not much.

Kids their age are very fast-paced and while I can rein one in, I can’t pull both of them to stop and listen to what the things were about. I mean, I couldn’t even get a decent photo of them. 

We went to a planetarium that talked about the solar system. Even then, the boys were talking a lot about what they saw. It’s nice because at least I got them to sit and I got to sleep a bit – not a good example, but hey, I felt I needed it.

We went around a bit more and then we got the chance to watch some dancing robots. The kids were hungry, so we went out. Both agreed we should get Jollibee, which was just right beside Mind Museum.

I thought I’d bring them somewhere new thought. Well, not new, but old-new.

Growing up in Marikina and Cainta, Tropical Hut Hamburgers was a fixture in my life. It was a clear landmark around our area. It’s not always the best, but it has its moments, especially if you’re so used to Jollibee and McDonalds.

They had cheese hotdog sandwiches, which Vino and Neo had. Meanwhile, I had the classic burger and the macaroni salad.

They seemed to like it, at least. Walking to the place maybe helped with their appetite.

Funny as we went home that Vino kept trying to hold on to Neo while Neo kept subtly trying to brush it off. Vino is a very touchy kid – loves hugs, holding hands while walking, whispering, and putting hands over his friend’s shoulder. This is a very common thing in the international schools that I’ve observed kids doing. 

Here in the PH, we’re not traditionally raised like that, especially to friends of the same gender. I guess Vino still has to learn that and give more respect to “personal space” of his friends. While he understands this concept, he usually forgets it the closer he is to a friend. 

I’m happy that I’m with friends who are very secure with their masculinity to say “love you, pare” because we just do. Not all of us were raised to be this expressive, but knowing that I have friends who are dads who do this make me feel positive that kids will grow up to be more expressive.

God knows how keeping things inside and not speaking up have blown up a lot of relationships before. 

Even with the current predicament with Che, I feel like the easy thing to do is say “sorry” but if I tried to justify what I did, then it would probably sound like I’m not really sorry, right? In the same way, I feel like Che knows she’s not entirely right, but she also knows that admitting fault will invalidate her feelings. 

It’s why I feel like the emotions have to blow over first before we talk, so we can speak on this incident rationally. 

Going back to our day, we went back to the hotel, where we all played 99 Nights in the Forest before the internet failed us. The kids then played with the football pillow until I told them that Kali was nearby to pick Neo up.

Vino was complaining that it was a short playdate, but Neo had school the next day so it couldn’t be helped.

I prepared dinner when Che came home and had an early night in the room. I subscribed to HBO Max so that Vino can watch the Minecraft movie. After we got that done, we went on to watch The Wild Robot again.

For those who haven’t seen The Wild Robot, you have to. It’s animated, but it hits hard.

We’ll have a free day tomorrow. Hopefully, the sun’s out so we can swim and walk around.

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