Monday, August 04, 2008

Six and a Half Hours at the ROM

I know that I haven't been regularly updating this blog for some time now.... the truth is that lately, nothing much inspires me to do so.... plus, I've been in the zone for so long (the USMLE zone that is), that any prolonged diversion from the zone inevitably ends in stress and anxiety... we all know what happens once in the blogosphere right?.... it's hard to get out.... I have become classically conditioned to associate blog with said anxiety that even when I do have free time, I usually don't spend it in the blog world anymore....

Luckily, for this much neglected blog, the drought seems to be over.... at least for a while anyways.... This is thanks to blogging friends Gina and Leah, who are now officially real world friends as they became the first bloggers I have ever met in person.... Leah and Gina were kind enough to invite me to join them and their families for an adventure at the Royal Ontario Museum aka the ROM.... I have been eagerly awaiting the return of the dinosaurs since they closed the dinosaur exhibit a few years ago to prepare them for the big move to their new home in the Crystal.... they've been settling into their new home since December now, but like I said I've been in the zone....

I immediately recognized Gina and Tony as they walked towards the ticket line where I was standing.... with a warm greeting hello, I was happy to finally put a voice to the blog.... soon after, Leah, Andrew, and Samantha made their way towards us.... it felt like I knew them all already even though we'd never met in person... with the formalities out of the way, we made our way to find us some lunch... food before dinosaurs, I always say.... we ended up at a sushi place in Yorkville.... Gina even took a picture of my chirashi lunch.... mmmm chirashi.... thanks for the pics Gina!
With full bellies, we headed for the ROM to work it off....Hmmm is this really a museum caliber artifact? I've got a few of those in my closet....
I love salakot....reminds me of a wall in my bedroom....Say cheese...The ROM's old facade peeking through the new Crystal walls....Tibetan scriptures... FREE TIBET! This is the mummy of Antjau circa 715-525 BC....
He was the son of Ankhhor, and the husband of Tjesnitperet..... He was not given any titles, but may have been a wealthy landowner or trader....He was a descendant of Libyan mercenaries on his mother's side....
Gina poses by an Egyptian tomb.....
Turn around Gina and Tony....Say cheese....Contemplating Anciet Egypt.....Discussing Ancient Egypt.....
Tony, Leah and I contemplating Ancient Egypt.... (pic pilfered from Gina, thanks Gina!)Little boy contemplates Ancient Egypt....
slow down lady, take the time to contemplate the wonders of the ancient world.....Don't rest on your laurels, no matter how golden they may be.... from the Ancient Rome and Greece collection ....
Hark! Are the Dinos back?.....
Yes they are! Tyrannosaurus rex.....
Say cheese.... yikes, never mind!
Big ass Barosaurus lentus.... His name is Gordo...



















Gordo was "discovered" in the ROM vaults in 2007.... he had been in the ROM since 1962, but had been stored away as separate collections of bones..... when it was realized that he was actually one big skeleton, he was mounted to make the largest dinosaur skeleton on display in Canada.... he is 27 m (90 feet) long....
And to think, Gordo was a vegetarian.... How you get so big eating food of this kind?
Say cheese Gordo.....
A baby Gordo.....
Stegosaurus sp. ....
Horned dinosaur, Chasmosaurus belli....
Allosaurus fragilis.....
Giant Sea Turtle Archelon ischyodus....
Giant Fish Xiphactinus audax.... Mushu's distant cousin?
Albertosaurus libratus beside a smaller "Toronto" Raptor (Deinonychus antirrhopus Torontonius)....
Sorry, can you tell I like dinosaurs? Last one I promise.... This is Q, he's a Pterosaur or Pterydactyl Quetzalcoatlus northropi.... one of the largest known flying creatures of all time.... Q has a wingspan of 12 m or 39 feet....
I lied, a couple more... Pteranodon sternbergi....
Say cheese...
okay bye dinos....hello bats....
Are you looking at me?....
Galapagos Giant Tortoise.... these guys were alive and kickin' it pretty good in front of everybody to see.... Leah told Samantha that the boy tortoise was just itchy.... ba-dump-bump....
Say cheese....
Despite all the well deserved hype about the architectural wonder of the new ROM Crystal, my favourite architectural wonder of the ROM is still the rotunda.... the old main entrance....
That All Men May Know His Work.....
Wow that was a lot of pictures eh? Well, it was a 6 hour day afterall. A great day, I even got a present at the end from Leah, and Gina and Tony drove me home.... What a great bunch of peeps eh?Thanks again guys, hope you had a great long weekend.... until the next adventure I'll see you in the blogosphere. Cheers!

Say cheese....
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25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very nice Angelo! It was great fun and lots of relics and artifacts discovered for sure.

The most fun is meeting you ofcourse plus Gina and Tony.

I was hoping you'd post first and yeay! You did! thanks for these photos and the story that goes with it.

Yeah, hope to see you more often in the blogosphere and in the world outside. Afterall, we are only less than an hour away from each other.

Anonymous said...

Leah: Thanks again Leah! Can't wait to see your latest blog post :)

Gina said...

I'll always look back to our outing with fondness. It is so nice to meet wonderful and lovely people like you and Leah and her family. Extra bonus was meeting your folks and seeing Nermal's new jumping the hoop trick!

I love all the pictures!

We hope to see more of you in the blogosphere and in the 'real world' someday soon.

Warmest regards from Tony and me.

Anonymous said...

Gina: Ditto Gina! Thanks :) Nermal was happy to meet you and Tony, hopefully we can film it an post it finally. Can't wait to read your next post! c ya around :)

Puss-in-Boots said...

Hi Angelo, good to see you blogging again. I know what you mean by meeting bloggers face to face...it's not like meeting people for the first time, is it? It's like meeting friends you haven't seen for a while...and you just pick up from the last time you blogged.

You and my grandson will get on well. Harry loves dinosaurs and can name them all...well the ones we have here anyway.

What a lovely museum... I have seen photos of it before but it's just a lovely building.

Hope we see a bit more of you.

Cheers. Robyn, Mitzi & Bella

Anonymous said...

para na rin kaming nagtour...thx to u angelo, kahit nasa pinas lang ako...my eyes had been open to the other beauty of the world...actually, this s why blogging is really nice...

Anonymous said...

Robyn: Hi Robyn! Hope to see you, Mitzi, and Bella around a bit more as well. Nermal says meeeooow!

Anonymous said...

Cielo: Thanks Cielo and you're welcome. I wish I could see the wonders of the Philippines, but it's just so expensive. Hopefully soon. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

hi, angelo. bloghopped from leah. those are nice pics you took and posted here in your blog.

it seems that it's fun meeting (or having EB) with bloggers. havent done that yet. to think that i've been bloggin for years.

love the photos.

Anonymous said...

bingskee: Hi Bingskee, thanks for dropping by. It's great to meet online friends. I'm glad it finally did. Cheers!

x said...

nice pic and funny captions, kuya angelo!!! i've never seen a real mummy before.

Jinx said...

OH I have been wanting to go! This is very encouragable. Thanks... it looks great.

I think you need to come with me and be my escort. Looked like a lot of fun.

Anonymous said...

Acey: Thanks Acey, ya I was hesitant at first about taking his picture. I didn't want to pick up any curse of some kind.

Jinx: Anytime Foofs, just let me know!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I'd love to go there, too! aybe someday. lol. The mummies sure look scary, and the dino artifacts amazed me. :)

Thanks for sharing those wonderful pictures. All of you really had a great time in ROM. :)

Anonymous said...

bitpazar: thanks man.

Mel: Anytime you're in Toronto Mel, it's about time we had an EB ourselves.

Anonymous said...

Finally...Ive made my way up here ;)

and finally,your first EB with bloggers,Angelo!!wowwww!

Its so nice to meet your blog friends in real ano?seemed like you`ve known them for ages even for just a first meeting...hmm,im losing my english yata,haha..

can i post my comment in Japanese,Angelo?lol...

ok,never mind my grammar...

anyway,i just realized how much i miss your blog,Nermal and you,of course!good to know you had a blast with Leah and Gina. :)

now,i wonder when shall we meet?haha

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting the pictures,Angelo and the amusing captions.well,i was imagining the movie "The Lost World" while looking at your favorites. ;)

I remember the Giant Galapagos at Ueno Zoo,it was bigger than that one,but the video?haha..people who saw them "at work" were just lucky???lol

I feel like I was one of you.Thanx for the tour,Angelo dear!!

hugs!!
Nermal,missed you!!

Anonymous said...

Ghee: Ghee! I've always known that Leah and Gina would be the first bloggers I would meet in person. The geography makes it a no-brainer. I also have always known that we would meet in person one day. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Until then, there's the blogosphere. Glad to hear that you are just busy in the real world.

You know what, I actually found out that that is not a Galapagos Tortoise, but some kind of African Tortoise. That's probably why it looks so small compared to the Giant Tortoise. I remember seeing one at a Kawasaki Zoo, it was huge.

And don't berate your English grammar, it is very good. Blogging is supposed to help us improve our writing skills. I know this newly found blog voice of mine is helping me to write all those application essays arrrgggh!

Can't wait to see your next post Ghee. Cheers for now from me and Nermal!

Anonymous said...

Im here again,Angelo! :)

yeah,its nice to see bloggers have fun in the real world.Sure thing,you`re both in the same country :)

you really like Sushi pala ano? ;)

Oh yes,I shud not quit blogging to improve my skill.Ahh,African Tortoise,though they look the same eh?

I know...we would meet one day...but dont be surprise coz I laugh scandalously,haha!

cheers Angelo!!

Anonymous said...

Ghee: Ohayou Ghee! Ya SUSHI=OISHI! Can't wait to hear your laugh in person :)

Anonymous said...

Wow. Nice post you have here from Philippines - Egypt - Tibet - to dinosaurs.

you sure have a thing for Dino's.

and you sure had fun meeting up with 2 bloggers.. wow. real life friends na talaga kayo...

you saw a mummy.. i did not get to see one when I was in Egypt. funny. hehehe.

glad to see a post from you!!

Anonymous said...

i love museums and the one you went to looks like a beaut ;-) i'm impressed that they have a filipiniana collection on display. cool!

Anonymous said...

Aha, your first eb! It was exciting ano? I felt that way when I attended my first batch of ebs. When are you going to the Philippines ha? :)

Dennis Villegas said...

Ah buti pa kayo nag-eb na huh? Sayang nasa Pinas ako kung hindi eh sumama na sana ako...hehehe... Nice to see you Angelo---ang gwapo mo pala! Gina and Leah look beautiful too. Regards bro!

Angelo said...

Tina: Hi Tina, thanks, it great to see you on here too :)

Caryn: Ya I thought that was cool too.

Sasha: Hi Sasha, you'll be the first to know! :)

Dennis: Hi Dennis, thanks man. Nice to see you again. Just let us know next time you're in Toronto!