Ayala Malls Lure Drop Party

Disclaimer: I am not a player of Pokemon Go but I am publishing this article for the benefit of diehard fans out there. So Pokemon hunters, prep up and hunt down all your favorite pocket monsters this weekend!
 By Maricris Irene V. Tamolang

 DAYS after Pokemon Go has officially been made available in the country, players have gone gaga over the augmented reality game that has virtually taken over the world.

 As it continuously makes quite a stir among smartphone users, more and more Filipinos are jumping on the bandwagon as they download the free-to-play mobile app and become Pokemon hunters in an instant.

 Joining the latest craze in town is Ayala Malls with its “Lure Drop Party” happening on Aug. 12-14 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4 p.m.-7 p.m. in six of its biggest shopping malls.

 To rev up the growing excitement of diehard fans, the real estate subsidiary of Ayala Land has listed down 64 PokeStops that players can flock to where Pokemon creatures could be captured through a non-stop Lure drop, and 4 PokeGyms where they can take their catch to battle against other gamers with.

Trainers know the drill all too well. Pokemon Go that works both in Android and iOs, makes use of GPS (global positioning system) for a real-world location and augmented reality, allowing them to move around and explore areas where pocket monsters may pop up.

Gamers can also opt to drop by PokeStops. These are usually landmarks where players can get items from, or specified locations where they can drop Lure Modules to attract more Pokemon creatures.

Pokemon hunters of all ages will surely be in for more fun and surprises over the weekend. Any trainer who is into arts can head straight to the Mosaic Giraffe Contemporary Art at Glorietta 4, or walk by Glorietta Leaves at Glorietta 5, which are both located at the Glorietta Mall in Makati City.

 Players living in the outskirts of the metropolis such as Angeles City in Pampanga also stand a chance of making a good catch of more pocket monsters by attending a Mass at the Chapel of our Lady of Perpetual Help on the third level of the MarQueeMall starting late Sunday morning. Families can also dine out in any restaurant at the shopping mall and drop by the MarQuee Park Fountain for a round of friendly Pokemon battle.

 Art enthusiasts who frequent the Greenbelt Mall can linger by the Homage to Noguchi in front of the Ayala Museum or take a stroll along Greenbelt 3 Park near the Chapel area and pay the Chapel Bell of Hope a visit.

 Residents at the south of metropolis can show off their personalized Pokemons at a PokeGym such as the street between Chili’s and Nanbantei at Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa City. Kid gamers can also enjoy a carousel ride at the mall’s Activity Center or stay near the fountain at the Town Plaza while in search of more Pokemon creatures.

 Pokemon hunters living in Quezon City can head to the Starbucks fountain on the 4^th level of TriNoMa, visit the Central Garden near Shakey’s (On app: Project Pie Graffiti Wall) or drop by at the Central Garden mango tree (on app: Black kneeling sculptural horse) at the Fairview Terraces in Fairview, Quezon City.

 With a little twist thrown into it, the event features the “Pokemon Go Revenge” that would have random Pikachus going around the malls with large inflatable PokeBalls and hit random players.

 Whoever is hit during the day gets an Amore Card, a credit card and privilege card in one that allows shoppers to enjoy mall perks and privileges while letting them earn shopping rebates as they spend in their favorite shops, restaurants, and establishments at Ayala Malls.

 So Pokemon hunters, what are you waiting for? Prep up to hunt down all your favorite pocket monsters this weekend so you can add them up to your Pokedex and battle them with other trainers.  This even will surely give you more opportunities to forge new friendships and widen your network while having fun.

Ghost tales from a spirit questor

Disclaimer: I am re-publishing all of my stories written for the Inquirer here, and thus, Inquirer is still the owner of these stories. Though I am the writer and I own this blog, I am not entitled to claim that this blog is the publisher. Re-publishing them here is for the mere purpose of sharing my written articles to the public. Read more at: Ghost tales from a spirit questor - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Ghost tales from a spirit questor
By Maricris Irene V. Tamolang
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:01:00 10/30/2010

MANILA, Philippine--Brave enough for ghost-hunting? Then have a strong faith and bring with you some experts. Sounds exciting, right?

"Just don't do it for fun. It is not some kind of a game," warned Carlo Tolentino, 25, a spirit questor whose third eye has been open since birth and a member of a breakaway group from a student organization dealing with paranormal activity at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

His first encounter with spirits of dead people dates back to his early years in grade school but he started doing quests only in year 2006 when he decided to join a group of student spirit questors.

By then, he said, he could no longer bear seeing souls and bloodied faces of dead people around. "I would see white ladies in my dreams, I would hear souls calling my name. Some were even asking for help."

He recounted hearing cries of babies at night, seeing souls of acquaintances depart from their bodies on their deathbeds. "At times they would stare at me, old and young alike; females and males."

Really scary
 
And he even remembered finding them sitting beside him when he was awake. "I see them everywhere, in school, at home and even when I am inside the malls. It was really scary."

Retelling the case of a ghost story that has been successfully closed three years ago, Tolentino revealed handling 15 cases himself but was able to solve only six of them.

On a mission on a Thursday night in February 2007, with him were two other members gifted with a third eye or the ability to see spirits around, he recalled. But all three were not in for a thrill but they were there to help a soul finally find its resting place.

"Our team leader was invited by a group of students in an all-girls school in Makati City," he said. "They were doing a documentary on paranormal activity and I was one of the two asked to tag along."

With seven psychology majors in tow, he said, they started the quest at 7:30 p.m. The initial rounds inside the campus revealed nothing until an hour later, they felt the presence of another being.

"And there he was standing by the white board in a drafting room in one of the buildings near the university gymnasium," he said. "It was a male spirit probably in mid-20s to early 30s of age."

Quite unusual

He described the figure being translucent, but its features were recognizable. And though all lights were out, the figure of a man was highly visible, he said. "It was quite unusual though since it was an all-girls school, so we decided to communicate with the soul."

And though the temperature inside the classroom was a little cold, he noted the absence of stench and breeze that usually come with every encounter.

Tolentino said that questors usually include a spirit locator, a healer, a clairvoyant and sometimes a writer, terms only a few might understand.

"Clairvoyant ones have the ability to see spirits, feel their presence, smell their odor and hear voices or noises they create," he explained. He was declared to be clairvoyant by his group upon assessment, he recalled.

Rommel Martinez, 45, a healer and a new member of a team he is forming, can see auras of people, on the other hand. "I perform healing through laying of hands over the head while saying a prayer to St. Michael," Martinez said. "But other prayers such as the Lord's prayer will do."

Locators, however, tell the spot where the spirit is and writers either write down on a paper whatever they receive through the energy surrounding the site.

"But my group usually uses incense and salt in performing the cleansing," Tolentino said. But during that particular case, he said they were wearing St. Benedict medallions, believed to be some sort of protection from evil and other nature spirits in different forms.

Case-to-case basis
 
"We started performing the ritual at 8:30 in the evening and finished by 9:30 p.m.," he recalled. But it is a case-to-case basis, depending on the nature of the spirit.
He said the longest may take days and the shortest can be a couple of hours.

"We start rituals by planning what to do and how we can help," he said. "Then we start locating the soul and communicating with it mentally."

"If the soul allows us to help, we proceed with the ritual proper," he added. Otherwise, they just leave it and the case remains unsolved.

In handling that particular case, their team leader sprinkled salt all over the room and around the soul, Tolentino said. He said salt, believed to be sacred, drives away evil spirits.

Convincing the male spirit who, according to Tolentino, was stuck there for eight years since the day of his death in 1999, was a bit easier.

"We told him that he must leave the place since his sister, who he believed was still in third year college, was no longer studying in that school."

Sense of time

Tolentino said that though spirits may know they were dead, some don't have a sense of time. Others know they were dead, but some don't. And that explains their continuous presence in a particular place.

After performing certain rituals, which Tolentino asked to be withheld, the three of them surrounded the soul and hand-in-hand they said a certain prayer for the passing of the spirit to the light, he said. And that was one case considered solved.

Tolentino further discussed that a soul has crossed over to the other side when its presence can no longer be felt, even in places where the person died.

Tolentino admitted it was definitely difficult being a spirit questor. It comes with great courage in facing the fear of the unknown, strong faith in God and willingness to help wandering souls who want to finally rest in peace.

Add to that the responsibility of respecting every place where they perform quests and protecting fellow questors during the ritual proper.

But since he joined the group of student-questors in the state university, he has mastered his fear of the spirits and has gotten used to it, he said.

He said at present, he is in the process of recruiting members so he can put his own team of another five spirit questors.

Copyright 2014 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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