Happy Halloween 2022! 🎃 🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️ 👻

We love Ed & Ein from Cowboy Bebop

We just got back from our first Halloween in two years! 

There were hundreds of kids roaming around our neighborhood having a wonderful time. The weather was nice & cool. Candy, chocolates, and cool drinks were being passed around. 

Lots of Anya & Yor Forgers, Nezukos, some Genshin kids, Spider-Men, Ghosts, Tarkovs, and a couple of zombies to boot. Cosplay is a big deal over here. 

There were even some wonderful people giving away free pork barbecue on a stick, popcorn, and ice cream to everyone! 

Some whole areas were preparing more than a few house parties for the little ones. 

From a survivor's point of view, seeing carefree and happy children is the greatest reward and defiance against a pandemic finally on its heels.

 

*****

What have we been up to? 

PANDEMIC IN RETROSPECT

The worst seems to be over. The virus has been far less lethal with each passing month since Omicron first appeared. We are still on-guard. We dine indoors now with absolute confidence. Its been two years now and none of us have gotten the bug. 

The hardest part was keeping our seniors mentally healthy and free from the awful fake news spreading over social media. 

I am extremely lucky and grateful for it. Some very close friends had suffered great losses to their families. 

What worked for us? Outdoor gatherings were the best. We avoided close-in gatherings and large amusement parks. Hospitals from 2020 to late 2021 were to be avoided. Staying healthy by eating well and home exercise were our MVPs. 

I even managed to finish a few of the games in my Steam library that had gone unplayed for years. Mental health is 🔑. 

PRACTICAL SHOOTING

We have been intensifying our practical shooting training all year. I can't believe we've been going non-stop since January. 

We even got to shoot and win some awards at the USPSA 2021 Oregon State Championship in Bend and hang out at the Route 66 Shooting Sports Park in San Bernardino, CA in 2022. 

There is an ongoing crisis for reloading components, particularly with the cost and supply of primers. They cost more than 3x than what they did in early 2020! 

The US ammo shortage is the primary culprit but I am very sure that a few big players in the country are also hoarding them and exacerbating the situation for their own benefit. Vile scumbags. 

OUR FIRST DRONE: THE DJI MINI 2 

We bought it when the drone was newly released in December 2020. Just in time for the pandemic lockdown. 

Having a drone opens up a new dimension of options for survival. For one thing, it fits in my go-bag very easily. Being able to fly over anything and do so unobserved is a dream come true. Its also incredibly easy to fly. 

There were a few instances of house fires near our residence in the past two years. We launched little Dronie upon hearing the sound of fire truck sirens and got a lot of useful intel. 

For reconnaissance, nothing beats having a pocket sized aircraft. This is one of the very best things a survivalist can add to their kit. 

Its versatility is off the charts. Go get one already. 

CRYE JPC, BATTLE BELT, QORE ICEPLATE, Etc.

I've refined the loadout of my plate carrier and battle belt. The now-venerable Crye JPC is still the gold standard and I have not made significant changes to its configuration even after rolling in the dirt with it for several occasions this year. 

We had a few live-fire sessions at our new range and I am very happy with its overall weight distribution. 

Even in full kit I am almost as nimble as I need to be. The Qore Performance Iceplate served me well in the hot sun. I didn't freeze it but I was noticeably cooler even if the water turned lukewarm in less than an hour. I think it still prevents overheating even with regular water. 

We have been using locally-made smoke grenades and I am satisfied with their performance. Having one or two of them on your kit can definitely come in handy. Stay tuned for a full review! 

VANQUEST IBEX 26

This is one of my best scores of the year. I purchased this at the closeout section of Forged Philippines at 50% off. The value of this backpack even at full price is out of this world. 

The hallmark of modern backpack is ease of accessibility. 

The Ibex is a clamshell-style opener. I can't count how many times Ive quickly grabbed my gear in mere seconds. I marvel at this feature every single time. Its got side compartments and loops galore without looking too tactical. 

The internal compartment is roomy and Vanquest has modular cubes that you may attach nearly anywhere inside by hook & loop or molle to suit any mission. 

It has a plastic insert to hold its ergonomics together. Combined with the kidney strap, this feels half as heavy on your back. 

I use this primarily to hold my go-gear, or as an assault pack. Things that will sustain me for 3-4 days while Im off doing something very important. 

Did I say that this thing was built tough? I mean its also Mordor-and-back durable. 1k Cordura in structural places, and 500 for the rest. 

More details to follow. 

NEW FIREARMS

Buying a gun in the Philippines is a very deliberate and un-spontaneous event, thanks to our onerous gun laws. That being said, we have acquired a second 9mm 1911 to compliment my daughter's competition gear. She now has two of them and I think its a brilliant firearm. 

We are also expecting to receive our first Pistol Caliber Carbine PCC very soon. 

It is her firearm too. A partner if you will to my AR15. Practically the same manual of arms except in 9mm. 

We went with the "buy once cry once" route this time around. 

*****

To our Doctors, Nurses, volunteers and Medical Professionals

The pandemic is fading. Some didn't make it out. I am grateful for the luck we have had for the past two years. 

If there is anything I could take away from this whole experience is that it takes a community to survive big calamities. 

From Taal Volcano's eruption, to Covid-19, and the various environmental calamities that came along, people helping each other is what really carries the day. 

For the doctors, nurses, and medical staff who risked it all to save others. You have my sincerest gratitude. How does one say "thank you" to people who have seen it all? Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from their selflessness. 

Stay Vigilant! 

Happy Halloween!

I. Family Time

When I started this blog my kid was still tiny. Now she's a tall 8 year old and has grown accusomed to dealing with zombies every year. Here she is with this really cool family doing the Día de los Muertos theme. Nicely done! They even had cold drinks for the grown-ups.

This time we saw more Walkers. Maybe because Glenn and Abraham's deaths were traumatic. I saw a Negan or two, but far too many Harley Quinns. I think the zombie ratio went up this year and the number of Twilight characters are nearly next to zero. Good numbers if you ask me. Keep in mind that this is the Philippines. I wish our weather was a little cooler so we can have more options for costumes, but I'm not really complaining.

I took the opportunity to walk in full kit (without the magazines and ammo and my firearms). However I did take along an air rifle (the Gamo Whisper IGT) that kinda looks like a sniper rifle to complete the look. I also had my bow.

For the 1st leg of Trick or Treat, Mrs. Zombe Hunter was wearing my chest rig while I went with an archery setuo. It was cool coz she looked really nice in it! Sure wish she could play dress-up with me more. I mean, its only once a year. She wanted to do some Lara Croft thing, so it was pretty easy to sell the idea to her. 

For the rest of the night I wore my whole suit sans the guns plus my short-range bug out bag. I was surrounded by a horde of Zeds, Suicide Squad people, Pokemons, Rick's Crew, dead folks from The Book of Life, and the cast of the Avengers (favorite among the little ones).

I regret not being able to take more photos of the participants, but I was very busy taking watch over three small children. 

I only saw one killer clown. Guess they aren't that big a deal in our parts.

***********************************

II. A More Serious Note

Mrs. Zombie Hunter had a reflection about how many people were walking around all over town tonight: "out of the thousands, how many are trying to break in and steal things or do bad stuff?". It was something on our mind while we were walking with our daughter.

What if this horde were refugees fleeing some crisis or how about a roving band of desperate people? What if they were gangs pillaging food?

Say the same bunch of 200 people lining up outside that big house asking for candy was really asking for ALL OF YOUR STUFF, not just half?  And even if you wanted to do something to turn them away, could  you?

I think it was nice that she was thinking about all of this without me sounding like some know-it-all. I mean, she always gets an earful when I geek out talking about SHTF. It does not have to be SHTF if even a minor crisis forces people into getting desperate.


III. Two Kinds of Threats

A hungry crowd can become emotional and then turn desperate. I think with the preparations I have, this is something we can manage.  What I'm not so sure about is a crowd that would deliberately terrorize and attack the unprepared. Add that to my list of reasons to bug out. You can't hunker down for that.



IV. On the Nature of Crime and Crisis

Just now, as in literally 2 minutes ago we were talking about criminals. In all our experiences regarding the people who've swindled or stolen things from our property or company we both agreed on one thing:

Criminals will do their thing simply because an opportunity presented itself. Damn the consequences. 

Now factor that in a crisis scenario and all the big kahunas leading bands of wannabee marauders. That's what we should look out for.



Yeah. This Halloween was good. Nobody got hurt, except our teeth :-)



Stay safe and stay vigilant!

Pumpkin Carving with Hickok45

Halloween is coming, time to decorate.

Check out this simple guide to making pretty little Jack 'O Lanterns... with a .45!

Stay vigilant!

Cool Artist: Kittiwat Unarrom, "Body Bakery"

Well hello there survivors. Halloween is merely a few days away. Let's crank up the creepy factor.

*****

Bread. Body parts. These are words that should never be uttered in the same breath. And yet, a Fine Arts Student from Thailand has managed to create a unique experience that shall horrify you while delighting your palate. 

Kittiwat Unarrom is the brains behind BODY BAKERY. He is a Master in Fine Arts and is the son of a baker. What a deadly combination!

They look like chopped up people. Dead people! Walking into his establishment feels like entering a crime-scene or well-stocked morgue instead of a bakery.

Mr. Unarrom carefully sculpts each of his creations to look as realistic as possible and the effect is terrific.  The attention to detail could  probably fool Lt. Horatio Caine of CSI: Miami. 

I'm pretty sure this stuff would be pretty wild as birthday gifts.

Just don't try to bring these on an airplane unless you plan on explaining yourself to the police, immigration officials, or other philistines.
 

 *****

Horror is as primal as hunger. It is in our bones. It requires little or no conscious thought at all, and I believe Mr. Unarrom's work helps us understand ourselves a little better.  

We should confront scary stuff, not run away from it. At least this time we can eat it too!

If you have an open mind you'd get all that from munching on a "dismembered arm pastry" while slurping down the "bone marrow" that is actually some cranberry cream filling.

"if you get me one of these I'll kick your ass" 
- Mrs. Zombie Hunter

creative genius, strong stomach

If you are ever in Ratchaburi, Thailand, make sure to visit his shop! Its art baby.

Stay vigilant!

Happy Halloween!

To celebrate, here's what went down at the Run For Your Lives 5K obstacle race at Baltimore. I really wish I could have made it to this one!

And here are some cool folks who volunteered to play the opposing force for the day. Hats off to the runners and zombies!

Stay vigilant!

Halloween Safety: Lead, Cadmium & Mercury Poisoning From Costumes?

Halloween is just around the corner! Everybody loves candy and costumes, but nobody likes cadmium, lead, or mercury. Any of those vile chemicals can turn your brain into mush. That is almost as bad as a zombie bite. 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of illegally imported costumes and props that contain unsafe levels of these things.  And its not just the clothes, be mindful of those cheap pumpkin buckets where you carry your sweets. I was horrified when I read about face-paint having high levels of lead. 

Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury are highly toxic even in minute doses, be mindful of the costumes you buy for your children. Exposure to any of these can result to severe irreparable damage. 

Please visit the EcoWaste Coalition to find out more on the products that they've tested. 

Don't turn your kids into zombies. 

Protect their brains from zeds and bad chems.

Stay vigilant!

Clip art from Clker.com

ZOMBIETHON 2011

Its that time of year again, and the ZOMBIETHON is just around the corner. 

You gotta love those guys from the DEAD ZONE. If you do Facebook, check 'em out here. This is a new spin on the previous one now that it will take place in the daytime. Now that it will be taking place in the central business district, we should get way more publicity and help spread zombie apocalypse preparedness and awareness.

The first Zombiethon in 2010 was a lot of fun with a decent turnout, and the after-party rocked.

I'm looking to this year's walk and am just crossing my fingers that it will be a safe and successful event.  

When: October 30, 2011 at 3:00 PM

Where: Outside 6788 Standard Chartered Building, Ayala Avenue, Makati City

Contact: crimsonlakeofblood@yahoo.com or call Sam at 0915-7833624

What: Come to the place in your best undead look & attitude!


A few reminders:

• Stay in character. Groan loud and menace at onlookers, shuffle like you're starving for brains!

• Your facial expression is critical. Clever make-up work can enhance this

• Do not put any sharp objects in your costume or props

• Obey the rules. Don't troll event organizers or the police

• Stay hydrated. Alcohol and zombie walking do not mix

• If there are celebrity walkers or members of congress, feel free to devour them 1st

• Watch out for real zombies

Stay vigilant!

Zombiethon 2010

There will be a gathering of zombie enthusiasts this October 30 called "the Zombiethon 2010".  

It is scheduled to commence around 10-11PM along Timog Avenue in Quezon City.  My informant tells me a certain Sam w/ the mobile number 0915-7833624 has more information on the event. A Facebook page called Dead Zone also seems to be behind all of this.

Practice makes perfect.  The Zombie Hunter believes in this.  So I would try to convince the organizers to attempt an accurate simulation of a horde's behavior.  This will help us practice against their movement patterns.  If they do this properly with a large enough crowd, this would prove to be a valuable opportunity.  

BE PRODUCTIVE: LEARN SOMETHING

• I would pay attention to how a group or individual survivors could try to avoid, wade through, or even attack the horde.   I want to see how you could try to do all of these things while protecting your family and carrying your bug-out-bags.

• I do not encourage bringing toy guns.  Its tempting to shoot your plastic boomstick on a crowd, but someone could get hurt.  Even those seemingly harmless Nerf Guns could injure someone w/o eye protection!  Focus on studying survival techniques, not fooling around.  

• Make some friends.  Exchanging zombie survival techniques with other like-minded folks is always a worthwhile endeavor!

My fellow survivors, time is precious, treat this as a scientific exercise.  Try to learn as much as you can to enrich your zombie fighting knowledge.

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