travelingmercies 3Speak Podcast: Recent Episodes

View Details

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=travelingmercies/rldjblqf

I have been thinking about whether I'll share this on this platform, my recent interest on jump rope workout. I started being mindful of my health last year since we have to take good care of ourselves to fight against the virus. My usual exercise back then was running, however, the lockdown restrictions forced me to stay at home for the past two months. This is when I shifted to jump rope workout. As a beginner, I was always easily discouraged on my slow progress. But things went better after a month of practice. Even though I didn't go the proper way of improving myself, I learned a lot from the mistakes I have made.

To give you an idea, I was stubborn about how I paced my progress. If you want to start on this workout, it's a must that you spend only a maximum of 5 minutes. Even though it looks easy, our body needs to adjust with the intensity that this workout demands. You can adjust the time of your workout as you progress. Build endurance first! Before learning different tricks and trying out a different footwork, you should be able to sustain your energy that will lasts for a few minutes of straight jumping.

Here's a dream come true for me, when I went home to the province, I was able to jump rope outside. I was able to do my workout while enjoying the view in front of me. Hope you will like this video that I have made to document that time.

View Details

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=travelingmercies/zlhayexm

Image source: Splinterlands When I say that it's a beginner's experience, I'm not just talking about the game Splinterlands. This is actually the first blockchain game I have played. The difference is that, in the other games I have played, I didn't really put in anything so that I could play. I was first hesitant whether I'll try this game, but, from one of my favorite quotes I've read...curiosity was greater than fear.

After playing in the Practice option, I bought the Summoner's spellbook to play in the Ranked game to earn rewards from quests and battles. I've been in the Bronze III league for a month already and just this week I rented out cards to increase my Power rating. I plan to rent out a few more cards this week to advance to the Silver league. The recent update now favors the players with higher Power ratings which is very understandable.

In this post, I would like to share how I prioritize the limiting factors that are imposed for each battle. As a beginner and a player in the Bronze league, there's not much in the options I could choose from, I am limited with the playable cards that I can use. Here are the things that I take into consideration: 1. Mana cost 2. Enemy's previous teams 3. Positions of the monsters

Mana cost: I find it difficult to win in battles with maximum mana cost (99) since I don't own epic to legendary cards. But when I had a few of those cards, I had better chances in winning.

Enemy's previous teams: Some players are consistent in choosing the same splinter over and over again. This makes it easier to predict what cards I'll have to battle with. I always try to make variations in the splinters I use when I play just to leave no clues for my enemy. I'd have to give credit to this technique for some of the battles I won.

Positions of the monsters: This is very important for me, I had experiences of winning or losing in battles when we have the same set of cards but placed it on different positions. There are a lot to consider in this area, but, I always look if the enemy uses cards with Sneak ability especially when I would relying most of attack to ranged and magic monsters. I usually put the most vulnerable monster on the 3rd row since it's a blindspot unless the enemy's monsters have abilities like Snipe and Opportunity. A very unusual technique I've learned and heard from a friend playing a different tactic game: Sometimes, the tank (1st row) can be of low health too. I usually choose the flying monsters, they have low health but have chances of missing attacks. These monsters can last 'til Round 2 or more.

Here are some battles I'd like to share when I was playing in the Bronze II league, the difference of this level from Bronze III is that I encountered restrictions like specified combat rules and splinters I can use.

First battle: Death vs. Death This is a slowly but surely splinter type. I usually combat the Death Splinter with Fire or Death too, Water Splinter has a great chance of winning against Death. However, I was limited with the mana cost I can use for this battle (20). We have the same set of cards but we placed our cards in different positions. I placed the card responsible for reducing the life of the enemy's monsters in the middle so it can be protected from the attacks coming for the first and last rows. Since both have decreased melee attack, the Haunted Spirit would be difficult to defeat, it restores health for each round. This would result to a draw if I don't have enough attack damage on my team.

Second battle: Fire vs. Fire Like the first battle, we both have the same splinters, however, I got Pyre and my enemy got Malric Inferno. I have been so curious for a very long time already, what would win? Greater attack damage or greater speed? I always go for Pyre whenever I have to use the Fire Splinter. When the mana cost is limited (15) I always put the Serpentine Spy on the 2nd row, it will be able to discard a card or two before being attacked.

Third battle: Death vs. Earth My first weeks of playing Splinterlands trained me to use the Earth Splinter because of the daily quests. However, when I focused on working on the Water, Death, and Fire Splinters, I had difficulty of using Earth on my battles. I only chose this Splinter because of the combat rule specified for this battle. An earthquake will occur on each round and non-flying monsters will have health reduction by 2. I have to choose a summoner that will give a health buff for the monsters I'll choose and I have to limit it to mostly with flying ability. My enemy chose the Death splinter that reduces my melee attack by 1, my edge was that I take into account the damage from the earthquake that will occur for each round. My enemy lost most of his cards on Round 2. With limited attack damage, I relied again on the earthquake in order to defeat the Haunted Spirit which is tough to beat. Although there are times when I get annoyed with specified combat rules, this also gives excitement and a possible turn around for players like me who are still relying on playable cards.

View Details

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=travelingmercies/ovosleby

Last Sunday, I spent the whole afternoon attempting to bake a cake. I've been making baked goods since last year, from cookies to breads like cinnamon rolls. I have always wanted to bake cake for the reason that I want to try decorating it. The first time I tried using frosting (made from cream cheese), I realized that I'm not good in handling a frosting pipe. It was a challenge for myself, maybe, if I'll try again, I'll be able to be good at it.

First tries are really meant for just knowing the hows, right? I've made this video of how messy it was for me in trying to make my own cake. I only had a small kitchen space here in the city so it was a little difficult, but I hope you'll enjoy watching it.

Here's a detailed list of the ingredients I used for the moist cake and the buttercream frosting. I'd still probably tweak this list on my next attempts. Hehe. I'd love to know if you have some tips too, in making and working on frosting. I really had a hard time because it keeps on melting. 😅

After 5 hours of working in the kitchen, we were able to taste this lovely treat! 🤗 We even have more to store for the next days. It'll be something we can eat for dessert or snack.

View Details

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=travelingmercies/nwxvnzlm
It was a daytrip and a long drive to the City of Pines, the heavy pouring of the rain

didn't stop us since it has been a rescheduled trip already. Even though most of our time

we were only inside the car, braving the slippy road, it was still a fine day for us.

Looking at the mountains, the lush trees outside, and the drizzle of rain were already

a relaxing experience. But here's an addition, we got to see an exhibit in the mall

when we went there to eat our lunch. O, to be able to create something full of life too.

Artists are so amazing and brave for putting out so much beauty in this world we're living in.