Game Review: Project Zomboid

I've been having a terrific time. As of today I have logged a total of two hundred and eighty six (296) hours since getting it last November on Steam for less than ten bucks.

Project Zomboid is a game developed by British and Canadian indie developer Indie Stone. Initially released in April 25, 2011, it has undergone consistent updates over the years.

It runs smoothly on very low-spec machines. My office laptop is an Intel Core i5-6200U 2.8GHZ with 8 GB Ram and the game doesn't put  strain on my NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M video card even while being chased by a horde of zeds down the street. 

I am currently enjoying the public beta of Build 41. A beta, but this version is one of the most fleshed-out survival games I have ever played. Its literally got everything without being overwhelming or tedious. 

How did they manage to do that? Read on!

Overview

Set in rural Kentucky, you are a lone survivor in a SIMS-stye isometric world filled with zombies. There are no other living people around. It is you against the countless hordes. You'll also have to contend with mother nature, a stomach to feed, and mental well-being. Feels a bit like 2020, doesn't it?

Well, thats just like, your opinion, man.

The intro's tone says it all.  The soundtrack is haunting and appropriate. It can linger in your head during the day long after you've closed the game, but not in a bad way. 

There is a lot of satisfaction to be had from trying to make your way around the world. 

Little victories such as evading a large horde to raid precious supplies down the street. Leveling up a cooking skill so the food you prepare is more nutritious. Hotwiring a car! These can be quite satisfying.

Zombies are dangerous but not terribly so. Hordes however are a different animal. The game is hard, but you can choose how hard it can be. 

Character Customization

In the creation screen there are options to select from a variety of skin tones, facial features, hair styles, and clothing. You can choose a career to determine what kind of skills to start with. For example, a burger-flipper has the cooking and short blade skill, an auto mechanic can work on vehicles and is handy with short blunt weapons. 

There are positive and negative traits to boost your stats. The negative ones like short sightedness reduces your overall seeing distance and peripheral vision (although not in a really big way since I always choose this one) in exchange for a few plus points for your to spend on positive traits. 

Things like having a strong gut so you can manage eating spoiled food sounds okay, others give massive boosts in exchange of more points like Fast Learner to help you level up faster with whatever you are trying to master.

Mechanic Skill: You can repair cars or make it your own!

Choose Your Own Apocalypse

You can select from pre-generated settings like Apocalypse, Survivor and Builder. The 1st two does not expect you to survive more than a few days. A new player can go for maybe a month at best without dying due to the sheer difficulty. 

Builder mode offers a more casual survival experience. This is my favorite mode right now. After getting the hang of things its possible to survive weeks and see your hard work bear fruit. I've been able to build a farm, a well-stocked safehouse, a collection of weapons, and hard-earned skills that I've leveled up through a lot of hard work. 

gotta harvest these before winter comes

The very best part about Project Zomboid is how customizable the everything is. You can make it as exciting as 28 Weeks Later with hordes of fast zombies, furious combat with all the guns you want and potentially a glorious death standing on a pile of brass.

I have bitten off more than I could chew...

"Behold! My stuff"

You can go for the slow burn where you're barely alive every day dodging the dozens of shambling dead in the neighborhood while you sneak around from house to house barely scraping by. In this setting, each day lived is a hard-earned win.  

That and everything in between are possible. 

"This is How You Died"

Project Zomboid is not really about winning in the traditional sense. The game is HARD, but mostly from our own choosing. To get the most out of the game is to enjoy your story. 

You will die in the game pretty often. Its how we do so that matters. Its not necessarily mean that you've "lost". 

When you kick the bucket, you may choose to spawn in the same save slot to have access to the same persistent world of the previous character and have access to all the crafted items, loot, and even the safehouse you built. All skills and XP are lost. 

And there's also the matter of chasing down the person who became a zombie who's wearing all the cool stuff you lost. That alone could be a multi-day adventure worthy of the actual respawn. 

Other playthroughs can also be ran alongside your "main" story just so you can satisfy whatever itch you've got at the moment. 

The Undead World

Using a third-person isometric view, you begin in a starting location with nothing but the clothes on your back. From here you will try to collect items to help you make it through the day. Houses and buildings are your main source of supplies. 

Each building and container type like office or kitchen drawers spawn randomly the appropriate loot. Some are common, others can be rare. Practically everything is useful and if you want to play the crafter/looter, the world is your oyster. 

My name is Reggie Mantle, I am the last motor-mouth on Earth...

Project Zomboid is a semi-sandbox experience where you spawn in one of four pre-generated cities on a giant map. You can access anything here. All homes and buildings have fleshed out interiors. Depending on the location, 

Final Thoughts

The game is the most comprehensive zombie apocalypse survival game I've played in decades. I am thoroughly enjoying all of the little details. There's so much to learn despite my nearly 300 hour experience and I'm happily scratching the surface! I haven't even crafted booby traps, makeshift weapons, herbal cures, and even the hundreds of well-made mods. 

Project Zomboid has been around for 11 years and is getting better by the week. 

For the price of just under $9 on Steam you just can't lose. Its got a free demo there too. I'm assuming its the vanilla experience which is quite primitive compared to Build 41 Beta. Its still tremendous fun. 

Go check it out. Its the perfect zombie apocalypse survival simulator. Perfect because multiplayer support is coming soon and you could control bots with a mod or two. What more do you need? 

Score: 10/10 

Spiffo the hero 💚

Stay vigilant!

The 11.11 Sale for Survivalists

I'm on Lazada and Shopee right now looking for deals 'coz its the 11.11 Sale.  

The vendor RG Tactical  is selling solid survival items. Not your usual collection of knock-offs and knick-knacks. Give them a look.

I'm looking to restock my Aquatabs, Korean MREs, solid fuel and most of his stuff are sold out. I'm actually happy about that. It means more folks out there are getting ready. 

This is a great time to build an additional bug out or survival kit for the family with all the good deals going on right now.

There's yet another typhoon at our doorstep. I got this alert on my mobile. Its our version of your civil defense broadcasts.  

These services are getting better.  Back in the '90s all we had was our well-loved weather guys. For me it was the great Amado Pineda and Ernie Baron. High five if you know those good chaps. 

The alert basically says: 

People in these affected areas are advised to evacuate and seek higher ground. 

Expect strong wind and rain within 12 hours. 

Possible storm surge reaching 1-2 meters high along the coast.

Seek higher ground if you are in these areas.

Hopefully it fizzes out 'coz we could all use a little break from 2020. 

Could you believe its already November? 

Stay vigilant! 

A Decade of Preparedness: The Zombie Hunter Turns 10!

Ten years.  I am quite blown away. 

In the beginning I was a young dad working to protect his family. 

There is a lot to reminisce about when I was new to all this. I was in my early 30's and wanted to get myself together. I needed to get strong, learn things, and be prepared. 

And just like that, it is now October 30, 2020. 

Its quite unreal to be writing all of this in today's situation. If I knew back then about our "new normal" and everything that led up to it I'd be both amazed, horrified... but not surprised!

I have much to be grateful for. My family has been safe for this span of time. We continue to grow in many ways. We were able to help a few friends and family through various calamities. 

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To celebrate this wonderful milestone I would like to share a short summary of this blog: 

TEN YEARS OF ZOMBIE PREPAREDNESS!

The Early Years: 2010 to 2014

Here's a link to 2010. Its quite the time capsule!

This blog was born when I began my firearms training armed with my Para-Ordnance P16.40 and Benelli M3T. These are now venerable designs but remain at the top of my list for sheer firepower and reliability for over two decades of use. 

I got into competition shooting intensely and worked hard to get into shape. I was an athlete in my highschool years and was determined to become the first and best defense for my young family. 

Looking at the photo again I would deem myself more than adequate if the home came under any sort of attack. With what I know today I could see us doing alright against most forms of danger. 

These were the years of putting together what I had and making do with numerous limitations. I had to start somewhere.

My wife could also blame Max Brooks for the extreme measures we had taken to prep the family. His book played a gigantic role in my endeavors and continues to serve as a trusted guide to this day. It is nice to know that his father and legend Mr. Mel Brooks is doing fine right now. 

that autograph someday

Birth of the Prepper Culture & 2020 Vindication

It was a fringe movement. People would get ridiculed for being called one. Family members didn't pull punches either.

I never relished it but: I TOLD Y'ALL SO

And then the coronavirus happened. Saw it early as December 2019.

All the stuff I wrote then paid off THIS YEAR: 

• The giant water tank I have in my back yard that came into play during COVID-19 Lockdown

• Canned food was still good, the boxes of MREs, water that lasted us more than a month!

• Here's a favorite: my military gas masks and respirators when Taal Volcano and Coronavirus happened

• Radios when the power grid went down

• Our medical supplies and skills came in handy in more than a few times!

• I even bartered some of my ammunition for food. COULD YOU BELIEVE THAT? 

bullets for mushrooms

 my friend was worried about security so I gave more than they asked for

I could go on all day about the useful skills we learned and honed. My family is healthier and smarter. We shall continue on this trajectory. 

BLOG FAVORITES: TZH SURVIVAL STRATEGIES!

These are some of the most popular articles. The Survival Strategies form the essential topics and objectives that we had worked on at home. 

click to expand

You know what? I've been using good old PAINT for all my photo editing work. Its free!

BLOG FAVORITES: THE SMASHING COCONUT TEST

click here for the good stuff

Coconuts are a good way to simulate the human skull. Remove the husk covering it and you'll have the hard shell that is nearly as good as the real thing. If you can punch through it then you have a viable zombie killing tool. 

We've covered pellet guns, a melee weapon, arrows, and firearms. I'll be adding a few more this year. 

The Blogger Community 

Becoming part of the community a of writers was an unexpected but enriching experience.  I began as a solitary survivalist and found that there are many wonderful friends to be made.

I am quite fortunate to have touched base with excellent writers such as Ashley R. Pollard, Charmaine Clancy, and Adam Baker. Staying in touch with these lovely people over the years is one of my cherished experiences. 

We even got to sample zombie related music from a DJ. Cool stuff!

The horror film and writing culture also drew me in. Much of my time was spent getting to know the finer details of classic and modern creepy movies. Monsters of all sorts, not just zombies. There are tons of awesome blogs on this who are going strong. One of my favorites from when we were new to this blogging thing is The Real Queen of Horror. I'd leave comments on her articles many moons ago 'coz she makes great reviews.

Check her out, Zena is super cool!

10 Year Stats!

click on the photo to expand

Its amusing that most of my readers come over looking for firearm information. The USA is my top audience and that is no surprise. 

I also get a few hundred page visits from Russia and the Ukraine. I know its some shady bot thing and I still have no idea why they come over in big hordes of activity about twice a year. 

So if they're from Eastern Europe and in big numbers, they're all kinda sus. 

Zombie Craze

Undead this and that. The Walking Dead comics and TV Series, Doomsday Preppers, the World War Z movie. Bullets for zombies, the biohazard logo. 

There were zombie walks or marathons too. That was super cool. Halloween saw more walking dead than ever before. 

Everybody and their mothers joined in. Suddenly we bloggers were invaded by big media. I didn't mind This was when the genre had finally hit the mainstream. 

Marathons in general were also casualties of 2020

The Silent Years: 2015-2018

I wasn't able to make a single article in the year of 2015. I was heavily engrossed in IPSC practical shooting and a lot of work related things. I went abroad to join the USPSA IPSC Nationals. The year before that I was in New Zealand for the Australasia Handgun Championship as well. 

This period was quite hectic! Writing was sparse and I always carried a little guilt for not adding much to the blog. There was much to be posted and they stayed on draft for months or years. 

The good news is that I stayed in touch with a few fellow writers using other social media outlets. 

Refinements

A lot of improvements came to us in this time. Mrs. Zombie Hunter and I were engrossed with fitness and education. Our daughter had grown quite a bit. She's into sports and martial arts. Today she stands nearly as tall as her mum. All of this makes my head spin!

Our combat readiness had gone through years of refinement. From budget-friendly, to today's high-speed uncompromising standards. It can be seen in the choice of firearms that I had collected over time. Some I sort of regret, but most of them I remain happy to keep. 

chronology: upper left to right and then lower left to lower right

My combat loadout has come a long way. I tried to avoid trends and those tactical fads. This required research and patience on my part for every acquisition. We needed to put our best foot forward at any given time. 

The lower right hand photo is the latest evolution and the belt is very low profile can carries only the bare essentials. 

Better exercise routines also made me lose a lot of weight and its evident in these photos. There was a time when carrying all of this on my back was unfeasible but now I run a dozen miles on a good week and train in full 60 pound kit at least monthly.

These quiet years were spent turning theory into reality. 

Here is my daughter who has grown up really fast.

awwww

The Present: 2019-2020

"Who would expect that we would be hit by a global pandemic?"

"Taal Volcano covered 10 million people in ash"

"The world is turning against china"

"Mindless looting in Portland and across America"

"Flakka drug turned people into flesh eating zombies"

"Prepping is the new normal"

These are today's headlines. A decade ago people would have called me crazy. It pains me to say that I was right and I never wanted any of this to happen. Here we are today with this gigantic mess. 

I was going to write more during the early part of the Pandemic but kept myself busy helping my family and others. We donated a lot of our spares to people who needed them. 

As of this writing the whole world needs more Survivalists. We need to not just get by, we need to thrive. It is hard because a lot have suffered horrible losses this year. 

Hope for the Future

I like to tell my daughter that these trials make us stronger. Just like the stories I heard about my grandparents during the second world war. They left us important lessons so that we can learn and do much better. 

All these years I wrote with hope in my heart that someday my daughter and her little ones would look back at this journal and say that they're living in much better times. That the zombie apocalypse did not come to pass and the coronavirus crisis was the worst of its kind.

To my good readers, you have my dearest thanks. I hope you are well and continue to find my journal a useful guide.

So here is to another ten years of survival! May 2030 find all of us in much better times. 

Stay vigilant!

Outfitting a Young Zombie Hunter: The Light Reaction Kit

Our goal during a global zombie apocalypse is to survive. My daughter has spent the past few years preparing to do just that. In addition to rigorous academic pursuits, she continues to train in hand to hand combat, wilderness survival, first aid, and firearms.

The latter skill requires specialized equipment that we have acquired for our young Zombie Hunter.

Light Reaction Kit

Capabilities: 

This is her baseline equipment for fighting the undead. Its is tailored to utilize her present size and skills. If things go bad, she can put all of this on in a few minutes. With all of this she can silently destroy the undead from afar or in CQB.

At present she has qualified with her rifles to hit eyeball sized targets at 50 meters and brain sized bogeys at 100. She aspires to increase her effective range in due time.

She is also deadly accurate with her sidearm which was custom built with match grade components.

Items can be added according to the mission such as ballistic armor, melee weapons, survival and evasion gear, or additional ammunition. 

Firearms: 

The Kel-Tec SU22 was the first firearm she trained with in 2016. The suppressor makes it hearing safe with CCI Standard Velocity ammunition. Averaging 1050 fps with 40 gr. heads, these blast through hard coconut shells at 300 meters. The 3x UTG magnifier combined with the Holosun HS503c lets her engage zeds close-in and push out to medium range.

The Marlin XT-22YR uses Armscor Super Quiet ammunition. They are 40 gr. projectiles but shoot at an average of 875 fps making this rifle inaudible at 50 meters. The rifle has a buttstock bag that keeps extra magazines. Inside I was able to fit 5 more 10 round magazines and a small box of 50 more rounds of ammo. She can easily carry up to 300 more cartridges in her chest rig. 

The sidearm is a Metro Arms MAC Classic 1911 chambered in 9mm. We enhanced all of the pistol's internals with EGW parts for top level performance, all installed and tuned by one the best gunsmiths in the country.  

Carry ammo is Hornady Critical Duty but I load primarily 147 gr. SWC heads for maximum accuracy.

It is also her competition handgun in IPSC matches. We hope to bring it to California so she could give USPSA rules a go. 

Load Bearing Gear: 

click to enlarge

Yes that was my 5.11 TacTec Chest Rig, its hers now. With minor adjustments it fits perfectly. I'm particularly fond of how easily the six magazine pouches hold all everything in a very low profile. She can conceal all of this under a jacket.

An essential tool is the Vortex Ranger 1000. This rangefinder has a red LED display so she can stalk prey at nighttime. It is fast and precise so all of her shots land with pinpoint accuracy.

The radio is a Versa Alerto dual band HAM radio. Its basically identical to the popular Baofeng UV5R. We have a few more of these that are always ready to use along with spare batteries.

The medical items could be found at the right side pocket of the photograph. I decided to just put them in there instead of a dedicated medical pouch to minimize bulk.

The gas mask was purchased via VARUSTELEKA in Finland. I'm quite happy about their products services. They ship directly to the Philippines in less than a week's time. We replaced the old army surplus filters with a new one.

The ESSTAC Shooter's belt is fantastic. It has a rigid inner lining that helps keep everything upright. The build quality tells me that this will see decades of use as long as the user's waistline stays generally the same. I love this belt!

I will replace that BLACKHAWK Serpa as soon as our Enhanced Community Quarantine is over with a mid-ride Safariland ALS holster. Its the only thing that I want to change in this entire setup.

The Schrade SCHF13 drop point is her favorite knife, totally loves that thing. Glad to know she has something to use if ammunition ever runs out or to pry open a can to eat.

The 5.11 3x6 Medical Kit was one of our earliest accessories. It carries just enough to control massive bleeding.


Putting it Together

Smart placement is key. She should be able to grab anything instinctively.

Look at how slick her back is. She could put on a survival backpack or sit in vehicles without any difficulty.

She prefers to keep the magazine pouches open for quick access. Elastic bands in the pouches keep them from falling out. Saying it again: that ESSTAC Shooter's Belt is smokin' hot. The Geissele hat? Top tier swag!

Going stealthy with her Marlin XT-22YR

The Hunter and her knife

That's a pro shooter's grip.

The most important thing is to make everything suit the user.

She's had this chest rig long enough to work out the kinks and train with all of the items.

Should SHTF happen, there would be more than one in our household who could save the day. I've been looking forward to putting this article for many years.

She helped me quite a bit on this project. From the photoshoots, suggestions, and practice sessions.

In her language, this was a great 'collab.

She asked me just now what would her dodo (granddad) would say about all of her training. I told her that all of us are immensely proud of her. Thank goodness she likes to learn new things with me. That alone gives us more than a fighting chance.

She's come a long way but we will keep on training, learning more, and equipping better.

Keep on moving if you want to survive, for even the undead do not stand still.

Stay vigilant!

Time Skip Ended: Back After A Year!

My last entry was August 2018. Hello wonderful readers!

A ton has happened, all of them good. I truly hope this message finds you well.

And now for the updates!

  I was planning to make a YouTube channel but put that on hold for a while. Its terrific fun but writing journals is my thing.

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

All of 2018 was training twice a week and competing in matches at least 3x a month. I landed in the middle of Class A and feel quite proud of my journey. That season took me all over the country and we gained a lot of hard-won knowledge. This marks a major improvement in my shooting fundamentals. What a tough but rewarding year!

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Lots of gear were evaluated for some time, and some have earned a spot on our must-have list.

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I now load my own ammo. I've done it for more than a year and have made over 50,000 rounds. We consume around 800 rounds a week just for practice in 2018's qualifier season. Let's say that I can make quality match ammunition that can deliver a low standard deviation for consistency and the lowest recoil possible. This is the good stuff.

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

We built better BUG OUT BAGS for the family. They're all ready to go. We can handle any weather condition in the country for more than 2 weeks. We've got trauma kits, water filtration, shelter, and all inside lightweight and durable packs. We'd rather bug in, more on that later.

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My man-cave has a reloading bench and a locked cabinet for storing my war gear. 

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My fight kit has evolved since this blog started.  From a chest rig + STALKER type to a Crye JPC combat loadout. The chest rig will go to my kid, 'coz two is one and one is none. The new stuff is high-speed and low-drag. We tested level 4 plates and soft armor too. 

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My battle belt system was a mixed bag, its now Tier 1 legit.  We are finally past the Magpul Dynamic Pie era. 

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Our home has begun to use HAM radios. My fight kit has them too in case I need to go without mobile phones. What remains is to hook them up to a portable solar charging system.

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Everybody learned new skills, grown up, and gotten stronger too. 

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There was a magnitude 5.4 earthquake in a major city here a few weeks ago. A buildings took light damage but it was enough to tell us that a slightly stronger one would bring real problems. We're also over due for a BIG ONE. That would shut us down for more than a month at a minimum. That's SHTF. 

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I've kept a lot of drafts in the past months and hope to publish bite-sized articles because this stuff "brings me joy" or something like that. Speaking of which, we de-cluttered loads of stuff and shared them to those who needed more. That's prepping too!

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I never stopped getting ready, I hope you did the same. Wishing everybody good health. 

Stay vigilant!

TZH Watches: The Canadian Prepper

Fun fact: I lived in Vancouver in the mid 90's. Good times.

Out of my cave I have emerged to say that I'm a longtime fan of the Canadian Prepper.

I've watched him evolve, its been an impressive journey. Canadian Prepper's older videos delved into the criminal mind and various predators. I also enjoy it very much on how he has an emphasis on the psychological aspect of survival and what it takes to get ready for truly challenging times.

The After the Collapse playlist is a great place to start.

Some channels paint some fantasy Mad Max scenario for clicks. For years the prepping community devlolved into sponsored gear reviews over "tactical" or "prepping" gear as taglines.

This guy challenges the viewers to reflect on hard questions without being alarmist.

Other preppers are too frikkin dark. They're peddling fear porn, and that's not cool. Fear is the mind killer some desert guy said.

The Canadian Prepper is also fun. He's got a bunch of videos telling us to lighten the heck up. 'Coz if we don't we'll all go crazy.

Canucks vs Yanks never gets old

I can pitch tent near this guy's shelter and would be dandy cool about that. I can't say the same about other preparedness guys there who give me the creeps.

He's got a good head on him and finds pleasure in sharing helpful knowledge.

Oh, and there's a really great online store too. Hey YouTube's been a real jerk to the preparedness community. Anybody how hurts our efforts to prepare for SHTF is definitely on my not-cool list. So check it out coz we need to stick together.

Anyway, check out the Canadian Prepper as soon as you can. He's also on Facebook too over here.


Hey cool, my 1st 2018 post! hahahahaha

Stay vigilant!

Survival Strategy #16: A Bug Out Bag in the Philippines for Kids

Today is a very special day! Could you believe it, we're making the most exciting homework ever! I started this blog back in 2010 to chronicle my journey of preparedness. My little girl is now 8 and will be 9 in a few months. She was less than a year old when this was but a spark in my mind. All of these activities, the skills, prepping, equipment, training, blogging, its all for her.

And now WE BUILD A BUG OUT BAG TOGETHER. Major parenting win here folks!

So the task was to build an Emergency Plan and her very own B.O.B. And get this: their school calls it a "Z-Bag", playing on the name "emergen-zee". As far as I'm concerned, we all know what the Z really stands for! How cool is that??

My little survivalist will present two days from now these things in a show & tell format for Science. That happens to be one of my favorite subjects. Don't give me that look.

I. The Emergency Plan

In case she is ever caught in a calamity in school or at home all by herself. We constructed a few simple rules for her to follow to ensure safety.

We have safe-zones for her to stay in case of an earthquake, typhoon, flood, or riots & civil disturbances.

Listed down were the locations of where she will evacuate to if she is forced to leave these safe zones and where to find our supplies. Snazzy.

As you could see, many elements of the Emergency Plan came from our previous articles, particularly the Home Defense Analysis. It was really cool to revisit Floorplanner.com to find that my files from 2011 were still there.  Awesome!


II. The Z-Bag

The contents were expertly constructed by her mom. Mrs. Zombie Hunter sorted and zip-locked the contents for easy access. The mission was to be okay for two days. Stay warm & dry, hydrated, light her path, fix minor boo-boos, fill her stomach, and handle obstacles such as smoke, rain, and general confusion.

A key element for building a bug out bag for kids is being mindful of the overall weight. Mobility and having enough supplies are opposed to each other. Having "enough" is always subject to harsh debate.

Mrs. Z and I are never a few miles away from our daughter even while at work so being separated from each other by even the harshest of calamities will never go beyond two days of walking. Even if a massive earthquake, tsunami, zombie attack, or whatever happens, either of us can reach her in 24 hours.

Armed with this, we have outfitted our daughter to handle 48 hours for her pack.

A liter of water per day, 

she also asked for a few favorite snacks and canned goods...

III. Evacuation Drill & Area Reconnisance

We took a little tour of the neighborhood. We've been here for 10 years but this is the first time my daughter had a look around the place keeping in mind how things could be like during a disaster.

Lets go for a walk...

It was a lovely day. A few light showers didn't bother us, we had rain gear in case it got stronger. It didn't.


Its not exactly a long-range patrol, but it was good to have look around for possibly trouble areas like bottle-necks, flood-prone areas, dead-ends, points of ambush, hiding spots, and other points of interest.

I'm hoping to develop in her mind the technique of looking at her surroundings in this manner at all times. If it becomes second-nature, then she'll become increasingly self-reliant.

"how many neighborhoods surround us?"

"where does that creek lead to? is the water good or bad?"

"that street is a dead-end, but it has a good hiding spot"

"how many trees have edibles?"

"is that house really haunted?"

"where will daddy come and find me?



This way of thinking trains her mind. Looking at the world through a scout's eye will give her a tremendous advantage.

It was also the perfect time for her to evaluate our neighborhood to find good reception for communicating with home base. For a child like her born in this decade surrounded by Samsung Galaxy 8s, micro-drones, and other gadgets, the concept of handheld radios and UHF/VHF is a novel experience. Too many houses blocked line of sight. We did however find a few spots that gave clear signal and decent coverage.

At last we arrived at the safe zone. Its the club house where sports and parties are typically held. Its common practice to make this an assembly point for calamities as its a large building that has two basketball courts, 3 tennis courts, a bowling alley, and two large ballrooms. Its also got a few decent restrooms for a fairly large capacity. Its sturdily built and it can take a lot of punishment. I'm perfectly fine with her staying at this place if ever our home is compromised.

She made it!

IV. Lessons Learned

Most of her education regarding preparedness came from the classroom and this was the first time that we did this as a family. Mrs. Z was amused by all this saying that this blog has been waiting for the little girl all ths time.

As a parent, I'm swelling with pride because she's reached a point where all of these concepts of safety and self-reliance are finally within her understanding.

I was too accustomed to how I'd treat her like when she was younger.  I keep saying it to myself every year: don't underestimate her.

She had a good day. Her adrenaline was up till late night too. I'm so pumped, I wrote all of this in a single go. Before she slept, we talked about doing more practice runs like this, I'm so thrilled. Look out world, player three has entered the game. :-)


Stay vigilant!