Situational Awareness.

"In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in
everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance."
Miyamoto Musashi, Author
Book of Five Rings

In my opinion, the most important component in self preservation (keeping yourself alive) is situational awareness.  How I define situational awareness is the mental calculation of anything, human or mechanical, in my immediate vicinity that would affect me or my family. 

 Here's a scene from an accident that happened a few months ago ago.  Luckily no one was injured.   

Apparently the driver suffered an acute health problem and lost control of the bus.  As technologies such as smart phones & mp3 players become integrated into our lives, we have become less and less connected with the real world. Having a gun or knife won't mean a thing if this bus careens into you.  You have to be aware of anything that might come into your personal space.

The martial mindset.
I train in filipino martial arts (FMA) and my master gave me a very deep look at how his mind operates.  He said, "when I walk down the street or where ever I am at, my mind is constantly thinking about what I can do to protect myself.  What items around me can I use?  A pipe, a cue ball, a rolled up magazine?  If someone jumped out at me from an alley, what do I do?"

My first thought is paranoia.  This man is PARANOID.  But on my drive home, it made perfect sense.  Situational awareness does not only include scanning, it also includes a plan of action if it comes to it.  For instance, which way would you jump if the bus above came at you?  Would you have decide 5 seconds before hand or 1 second before? 

What does situational awareness look like?

My wife took a candid shot of me and my boys on an outing a month before that bus crashed into the wall.  The yellow and black object to the left is a tour bus on a road that fronts the entrance to the park.  My mind is already aware of the bus and the direction it is going as well as the people around the area. 

Does situational awareness mean I can't have fun?  No.  As you can see from the picture, we do family things such as Sea Life Park and the beach, but it doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself.  It only takes a few seconds to do.  Every so often, I will scan my area and use my senses (see, smell, touch, hear) for anything such as a suspicious characters, smoke, rain, arguments etc.  Also, as I discussed earlier, where are the exits or what is the escape plan? 

My job as a father is to keep my family safe.  I am not a superhero, policeman/firefighter, or mediator.  I cannot put myself in danger at the expense of the safety of my family.  If I am alone, then certainly, I would do my best to help in most situations but I still have to remember that I am no use to my family if I am dead.  Well, maybe for the insurance money.
 
How do you get started?  If you've done some research on situational awareness, you will, no doubt, come across Col. Jeff Cooper's awareness color codes.  I will not re-iterate them here as there are tons of information about it on the internet.  It is a great way to get started on your path to situational awareness.

Aloha,
J.
 

Why It Is Important to Grow a Garden Before SHTF.

Here's what I think is the Million Dollar Garden Question:

Is this little 4 inch plant or these heirloom seeds I'm buying really the vegetable I have in mind?  Is this thing going to bear fruit that is the size and flavor that I am expecting?  Okay, well, that's two questions, but quite related. 

When I first started gardening last year, the most easiest plant for me to choose was the cherry tomato.  Mostly because I trust the little sliver of paper telling me it is, as well as the picture of what the little tomato will look like.

Eggplants, on the other hand, are a bit harder to figure out at my local nursery.  There was only one eggplant with a picture and that was the large Brinjal eggplant.  That wasn't what I wanted.  I am more used to the slender purple eggplants from Asia.  Last year, the only thing that matched my thoughts were labeled "Japanese Eggplant."  Perfect!  That's the one!  We bought three and with the help of my youngest son, planted our first container garden. 

A month went by and little slender purple fingerlike fruit began to grow.  We were excited.  Then the fruit quit growing at 5 to 6 inches.  Here's a picture:

Wait, that's it?  I let them sit on the plant thinking, hoping for one more growth spurt.  The vegetable tasted the same as what I am used to, but the size was disappointing.  Maybe I needed more water?  Maybe not enough nutrients in the soil?  Maybe it didn't like the coffee grinds I was throwing in.  Whatever I did yielded the same short fruit, now with less frequency because they were on the plant for too long. 

At the beginning of this year, two of the three plants eventually died with the third on life support.  Time to go shopping for another kind of eggplant.  Went to the same place, but this time, they had plants labeled "Filipino eggplant," again with no picture.  "Worth a try."  I told myself.  So I bought just one plant this time.  Here's the result:

Now that's more like it!  Since it passed probation, I went back to the nursery for more.  Too bad, so sad, all gone.  Ah crap.  One week, then two weeks went by and still no Filipino eggplants.  On the third week, I was in luck.  Just one scrawny little plant.  I decided to pass.  The fourth and fifth week went by with no success and the scrawny plant was long gone.  Proving patience is a virtue, six weeks went by and FINALLY!  I grabbed three of the best looking eggplants I could get.  With a big smile on my face, you would have thought I had found gold.  Needless to say, the plants including the once sickly Japanese eggplant are doing well along with the cherry tomatoes and bitter melon.

I hope this helps you decide that starting a garden now is imperative so you not only know what kind of vegetables you like, but also how much watering and nutrients they need to grow. 

Aloha,
J.

"Are You on Youtube?"

"Always be presentable because you never know who you might run into."
                                                                             Wise saying from my Father In Law.

In Hawaii, you will notice that almost everyone smiles here.   When I am out and about, I smile back at everyone that smiles at me.  It's just a habit.  Sometimes I get a "I know you" smile from someone and they'll walk away.  I just brush it off thinking it was probably someone I knew from a long time ago.  Maybe it was from college or maybe from one of the many places I have worked at.  Never did I think someone would recognize me from youtube.

I was at a fun shoot at the range over the weekend and a gentleman smiled and came over to me and asked if I was on youtube.  I replied that I am and he thanked me for doing the videos about the fun shoots.  He wasn't sure if the fun shoots were something he wanted to try so he searched it and found my video.  I felt great pride and, at the same time, very humbled by the fact that I was able to connect with someone through youtube.  We had great fun and in honor of the first person that recognized me from youtube, he will be in my next fun shoot video.  He wanted to stay anonymous so I will honor that.

How does this relate to the wise saying from my Father In Law?    The fun shoots are dusty and dry and in these conditions my nose tends to drip.  After tearing down the tents and putting the targets and supplies away, I plopped in my truck to take a breather and glanced in the rear view mirror.  And there it was...a golden nugget hanging from my nose.  Goodness, how long has that been there!  All the way home I kept touching my nose making sure I got it all off.  Even as I type this, I'm making sure my nose is clean.  So...I may no longer be known as the guy from youtube...just the guy with the golden nugget in his nose.  I'm shaking my head just thinking about it.

So, if you ever see me around.  Please introduce yourself and if I have something hanging from my nose, please tell me so I don't feel so embarrassed later.

Aloha,
J.

Chickens.

Since the garden is doing so well, I've decided to look into raising chickens for eggs and meat.  I found the Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery very useful in deciding whether or not raising chickens is what I want to take on.  It contains lots of information on care & feeding of chickens as well as different types of birds for meat or eggs. 

Just so happens that there is also an article in the local newspaper about the increased interest in backyard chickens for a source of eggs.  All the information I needed regarding chickens where I live was right there.  According to the article, City & County of Honolulu ordinances only allow 2 chickens per household. At full production, a chicken can lay an egg a day; providing 14 eggs a week.  There are some noise ordinances as well, but mostly pertains to the roosters crowing. 

While driving to work one day, I asked my son if he would like to have some chickens as pets.  I'm hoping he would take to caring for the chickens as his little brother did for the garden we have.  He thought a dog or a cat would be a better idea.  I then reasoned with him that we could get eggs and meat.  He agreed with the eggs, but couldn't get his head around eating the chicken because it would be a pet.  I told him he ate chicken at least every week and he liked fried chicken very much.  It still didn't sit well with him.  When the time comes, I guess I'll have to dispatch the chicken when he's not home. 

So I'm off looking at chicken coop plans.  There are some really wild and crazy ones, but I'd settle for something simple like this...

Aloha,
J.

Remembering the Rodney King Riots of 1992.

I can't believe it's been 20 years since the riots.  I was still in high school in the So Cal area.  Even though we lived far from the riots, it was close enough that it still affected us.  Here's some observations I made in retrospect:

1.  Don't hesitate to use vacation time.  My dad, who worked for the city of LA, decided he wasn't going to work until things blew over.  His office was in the middle of downtown LA.  Even if he did go to work, he was sure there would be little work done as everyone would be monitoring the radios.  Good move Dad.

2.  Keep a weeks worth of food at minimum.  We weren't preppers, but we did keep a full pantry.  Living in So Cal, having a stash of 2 gallon bottles of filtered water was normal.  We did not need to make unnecessary trips to the store.

3.  Keep your routine.  Nothing changed.  Friday nights were my nights to cook dinner.  Scrabble night was on Sunday.  The news stayed on for a night or two, but when the images started to be replayed, my parents decided that we didn't need to watch it 24 hours a day.

4.  Guns for protection.  I remember images of Korean business owners perched on their rooftops with rifles and shotguns in hand.  I remember some stores had "Black Owned" signs.  Some of them on burnt store fronts.  Whether they were truly black owned or a last minute effort to save the store.  Whatever it was, it didn't work.  A show of force did.

5.  Stay calm.  It was a really frightful time.  We didn't know how long it was going to last or if it would spread to our area.  It helped that my parents stayed calm. 

What makes a man what he is today is what happened to him along the way.

Aloha,
J.

Tying it all together. Why we pray at dinner.

We were having dinner last week when my eldest boy, age 4, began playing with the head of the fried fish we were going to eat.  Our normal response is to tell him not to play with food and that it will give him a tummy ache.  He stopped, but only long enough to stuff his mouth with rice and fish.  While chewing, he went back to molesting the fish head. I furrowed my brow, flared my nose, and tensed my lips to display to him my displeasure.  Apparently, to a 4 year old, this means to keep going.  So I silently asked the Lord to give me the right words.

I held his hand, looked in his eyes and said, "Lito, you must respect the food that you eat."
      "Why Daddy?" he asked pulling his hand away.
      "That fish gave up it's life so that we can have food in our tummies."  Oh, I felt so proud of myself and I smiled a big happy smile.
      "But why did the fish do that?"  My smile soon vanished as I thought for an instant.  I remembered the advice I had gotten at a parenting workshop; counter a "why" question with a "why" question of your own.
"Do you know why we pray before dinner?"  I asked Lito.  There was no answer.  "We pray to thank God for providing this fish so that we can eat and be full and live."  I see the wheels turning in his head as he nodded.  For the rest of the dinner that night, the fish head lay in peace.

It must have worked because it's been a week and he has yet to abuse food on the table.  Thank you Lord for giving me the right words and putting the right people in front of me.  Now what to do with him using soo much toilet paper.

Aloha,
J.

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day is a day for activism for sustainability and a cleaner environment.   

The thing about self-reliance is that it encompasses many different types of people from the tree hugging liberals to the gun wielding preppers.  The common bond is gardening.  Gardening is a great way to help the environment.  It adds green, oxygen producing plants to spaces that didn't before.  You can reduce waste going to the dump by composting.  It provides a stress reducing, relaxing environment.  I also get to teach my sons where fruits and vegetables come from, why worms should not be stepped on, but returned to the soil, and how plants drink water. 

We've been gardening for a year now.  We started with 3 tomato plants and 3 eggplants.  Out of the original plants, 2 tomato plants died after 2 months.  Those were soon replaced by tomato plants given to us by family.  Those were proven to be much hardier and produced nice tomatoes.  1 eggplant died in November of last year.  That one was replaced by a different type of eggplant which produces bigger fruits.  So it isn't bad to lose plants.  You learn as you go.  You find out what works and how much water is needed.  You find out if it's disease or just leaves withering like they should.  It's like being  a first time daddy/parent.  You worry about things with your first child.  When the 2nd child comes along, you are much wiser and not worry as much. 

This year, we've added some manoa lettuce, planted some okra seeds, and my mother-in-law got into the spirit by planting some bittermellon.  I also get to learn something myself as I just started propagating my good tomato plants by planting cuttings and saving seeds.

My boys get a chance to get dirt under their fingernails instead of playdoh.

It is a good learning experience for all.  Good for the environment.  Good for our family.  Happy Earth Day!

Aloha, J.

Book Review: COURAGEOUS: Honor Begins at Home.

Book Review:


COURAGEOUS: Honor Begins at Home by Randy Alcorn.  (This is the book adaptation of the movie with the same name.)

I enjoyed the story and recommend it to all men.  It does not matter if we are a dad ourselves or not.  We can be a positive influence over the young.  This would make a great gift for father's day or for new or expecting dads.

COURAGEOUS is centered around four sheriffs and their lives on and off duty.  When a tragic event happens to one of them, they begin to change their lives.  It is a story about what it means to be a father and head of the household.  It also shows varying degrees of being a father; from the nonexistent to the pinnacle of fatherhood.  It is also a social commentary on why being an engaged father or a positive father figure is essential in turning the tide against drugs, gangs, and abortions.

The story is sprinkled with Christian values and scripture that is not too overpowering.  I would compare it to other stories that use Buddhist or Confucian teachings as a teaching tool.

Being without a father for the early part of my life, I identify most with the character Nathan Hayes.  We know what it feels like to be without a father and we don't want our children to grow up without one.  We would do anything to protect our children, raise them right, and raise them with love.  We both found our own father figures.  Nathan found his in a man in his neighborhood who taught him values and good moral character.  I found mine in my uncle and eventually my step dad whom my mother married when I was 13.  We strive to be good role models for our family and also in our professional lives.

The story encompasses all types of fathers  from the "disconnected" dad who comes home from work and stares at the TV, to the"non-existent" dad who has kids but is separated from them and their mother.  There is a saying, "you don't know what you don't know."  In my circle of friends and family, we have never discussed how we are as a father.  How can you better yourself if you don't compare yourself to other fathers?  In this story, you can compare yourself with other dads and find your strengths and weaknesses.  What appealed to me most is that where ever you are on the father spectrum, it doesn't mean you are stuck there.  Improve on your faults and reinforce your good qualities.  You can better yourself for the good of your family and also encourage others to do the same just by simply reading and lending this book.

I hope you enjoyed the review.

Aloha,

J.

The Pallet Garden.

A friend of mine shared this photo with me.  I like it!   Not only does it recycle old wood shipping pallets, you can pretty much plop it anywhere and have a garden.  Think about apartment balconies or building rooftops.

Here's the original post word for word:

Got Pallets?
Hate weeding?
 Don't feel like turning up a bunch of grass?
Use a pallet as a garden bed - staple garden cloth on the backside of the pallet fill with dirt and start growing!
You can also place your pallet on the ground in a rocky location rather than a grassy area, this way you will not need the garden cloth to stop the weeds and grass comin through.
Please be advised: Use raw wood pallets!
Some that are shipped overseas may contain chemicals. Where I am from most are from raw wood - not saying that everywhere is!
And for those of you that don't know where to get pallets - look in industrial areas, hardware stores etc.
This was just an idea - some inspiration for everyone.
Enjoy!

In my opinion, this is probably the nicer/cheaper alternative to the bucket garden we have going right now.

Happy gardening and may you be blessed with abundance for 2012!

Aloha,
J.

Welcome to TheHomeDefender Blog!

Like many others, I started watching youtube videos on things that I wanted to watch.  It was mostly prepping and firearms vids.  At first, I was just a viewer and my first channel was my name.  I didn't understand the whole youtube community concept yet and thought it was just people posting their own videos and that was it.

I came across USNERDOC and his videos.  I remember entering his EDC (everyday carry) contest.  His stipulation was that you needed a video to enter.  It did not need to be fancy, nor have your face in it.  I told myself, "sure, why not."  I made a slideshow via Windows Moviemaker.  It was a random drawing and I won.  That was the event that started everything.

I started making videos.  I entered a few more contests and won some.  I started getting subscribers and made a lot of new friends.  As I got deeper into prepping, I realized that using my name as my channel was not very smart, especially if you live on an island.  I closed the old channel and started TheHomeDefender Channel.  Pretty snazzy right?  I wanted something to reflect what the channel would be about; defending the home, caring for what's in it, and building a strong family brick by brick.  I've also done videos of living in Hawaii as well.

So why start the blog?
I want to give my friends and subscribers quality video and presentation.  I took notice of youtubers that I enjoy watching.  Some were just plain talkers.  People that can talk for hours, but can also keep your attention.  I also noticed some that had great presentations.  Everything flowed with minimum "umms," or "uhh," or "mmm" which I tend to do in my vids as I remember what things to say.    I started the blog so I can put my thoughts together in preparation for a video.  At times I may not be able to make a video and sometimes a video is not needed where a picture might do, but I want to be able to put my thoughts out there. 

I hope you enjoy my blog.  I look forward to the interactions with all of you.  Please be courteous and kind and I will be the same in return.

Aloha,
J.