Stardew Valley: Let's Farm, Fish, and Fight!

Hey there, World!

Have you played or heard about Harvest Moon? I played it and it's about restoring your grandfather's old farm to it's former glory, make friends, and get married to the one you love. Do you like RPGs? I do, and it's fun to fight various monsters and get their loot. What if you combine the things from Harvest Moon and the things from an RPG? Well, Stardew Valley has those two and more.

Stardew Valley is an indie farming simulation role-playing video game developed by ConcernedApe and published by Chucklefish Games. The game was released for Microsoft Windows on February 26, 2016 (Wikipedia). It is available at Steam for PHP 419.95. It's about inheriting your late grandfather's farm after resigning from a depressing job at Joja Corporation. The town that you are going to live in is called Pelican Town, which is in Stardew Valley. You work your way up to make the farm good as new and meet new friends.

When you create a new game you will see a create a character screen. You can choose the gender, type in your name, your farm's name, and your favorite thing. Though I dunno what's the favorite thing for, but I read that if you put in something inappropriate, your conversations will be connected to it.

You can choose what skin color, top, hairstyle, and accessories. You can also choose what color of your eyes, pants, and haircolor. Oh, and I almost forgot, that you can choose either a cat or a dog for your preferred pet.

It's your choice that you skip the intro and get right to it on playing, or see the intro.

Okay so, once you can begin to play, there are some basics that you need to know. Your character has five skills that you need to develop so that his/her work can be done easily and quickly.

First is farming, you can water your crops, harvest them, care for animals and many more. Crops vary from spring to fall and you can buy seeds from the grocery store. Though I will get to the animals in a short while.

Second is mining, you use a pickaxe to destroy rocks to get their raw materials like stone, ore, and minerals. Some rocks need more than one hit to destroy them and some just need a stronger pickaxe to be destroyed so you need to upgrade your pickaxe along with your other tools at the blacksmith to make your work easier.

Third is foraging, you explore around the valley to search for wild plants and vegetables that are valuable to sell. Foraging also includes chopping wood for raw materials.

Fourth is fishing, though you can't fish yet at the very start but you will after a day or so. Fishing lets you catch different kinds of fish. You can fish at the lake, river, or the ocean. The fishing in this game has this mini game mechanic that all you need to do is making sure that the fish icon is in the green bar, and when it's in the green bar the meter at the right will fill up. But if the fish icon is not at the green bar, the meter will decrease until it empties which results that the fish escaped.

Last is combat, and this is where the RPG part comes in. When you enter the mine at the northeast of town, a guy named Marlon will tell you that the mines has monsters and he gives you rusty sword. This gives you the chance to explore in to the mines and fight monsters while you mine for ore and minerals. The deeper you go, more monsters you face. And at the bottom of the mines is just waiting to be discovered.

So those are the skills that you will need to know to make a living. Though doing those stuff aren't just going to make you money. Animals can make you money too! What's a farm that has no farm animals anyway?

Animals give produce that you can sell or make artisan goods with. Like for example, if you have chickens in your farm, they will lay eggs that you can sell. But of course they can't do this right away, you need to make them happy. Making them happy meaning taking good care of them. And if they are very happy in your farm, they will produce high quality goods. There are other animals that produce different goods. You just need to unlock them by talking to your local carpenter for upgrades and the person who sells animals.

Another thing you can do in Stardew Valley is crafting. Using the raw materials you found, you can craft all sorts of things like fences, machines, pathways, lights, fertilizers and more. Using your crafted items lets you make artisan goods, like the mayonnaise machine. With it, you can put eggs there and make mayo from it. It is quite usefull in decorating your farm with different kinds of pathways and fences.

If you are getting tired from work, why not take a break to visit the town and meet the villagers? Pelican Town is just a small town but has a great community. The villagers that live here have all different personalities. They like holding events and festivals to relax and enjoy. You can make friends with them by talking to them everyday or giving them a gift that they like.

You can also win their friendship by accepting their quests and fulfilling them. You can get their quests from the mailbox or at the bulletin board at the grocery stores. The quests have a monetary reward too so, why not?

If you make friends with the villagers, you can find a suitable husband or wife amongst them. There are five bachelors and five bachelorettes to choose from as your potential spouse. Just look for the people with the word "single" under their names in your social list. Though it is possible to have same sex marriage in this game but it's your choice on who will your character wed. If you have found a potential partner then you better gift him/her all the time, though you can only gift them twice a week and that is true for the other villagers. If you gained ten hearts for them, you will trigger a cut scene of them confessing their feelings to you and its up to you if you will accept them or not. Once you know that you can propose to them and you have your house upgraded at least once, you need to give them a mermaid pendant to propose with. And three days later, you are married. If you upgraded your house again, you can start a family and have kids. Adoption for same sex couples of course.

 

Not a marriage proposal but a proposal to be more than friends.

This game got me glued to the screen for days. Which is why I am not that active in the interwebs. I am just taking a break from playing and giving time to write this for my blog. I really love it and I hope you will try it and discover more things that I haven't mentioned yet or don't know yet. This game is one of a kind and I have to thank my cousin-niece for introducing me this game.

I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll write again soon. :)

Built up

Hey there, World!

Well, I would like to take out some emotions for today... if you guys don't mind.

My mother has been feeling unwell lately. She has been feeling weak for a while now and because of that I got a little worried. I told my cousin-niece that we can't visit her during Holy Week. It seemed that it disappointed her and I felt really bad. After a few days I aided my mother in anything that she needs me to do. Though sometimes her orders pile up and she won't wait me to finish my first task before giving me another order. But I endured it because she is mother.

My "time of the month" is near and I have been quite irritable. Which makes enduring my mother's piling up orders a bit hard. When I get irritated a feel something squiggle around on my temple... maybe its a nerve that's gonna pop through my skin. I just kept quiet and calmed myself with some games.

Today I just let out a bit of frustration. I was cooking fish while I was doing something else. I forgot about the fish and one side of it got burnt. To think that it's my mother's dinner. I knew that it made her mood go down so I felt a bit frustrated. Next, my father was doing laundry. It's night so he would need the light... but I accidentally turned it off and he got a little annoyed which made me more frustrated. And lastly, I was helping my mother to read her medicine and to see if her meds are for morning, afternoon, or night. She told me to read only the front page of her prescription. She said that for like a couple of times. I took out one med that's for night out from its packaging foil... almost took out one that's for afternoon... though I said that the afternoon is "hapon" but she argued that it's "tanghali." I gotten used to saying "hapon" as afternoon... so my frustration added.

Then she asked me for one more med to read. I accidentally looked at the back for a second and she suddenly raised her voice saying, "Hindi, ang sabi ko sa harap mo lang babasahin kasi na andyan yung nabili ko." Meaning, she told me to read only the front because she bought those meds at the front. I interrupted her to say that the last med is for morning because I was at my limit. I went to the bathroom to let my tears flow. I didn't came back for a while until I calmed down and ate dinner then washed up.

I was probably building up the bad feelings that I felt before without realizing it. Being a quiet person can be quite dangerous because if you keep things to yourself, you might just self-destruct. I try to voice out to anybody what I feel. To a friend, brother, sister, significant other, anybody who is close to you. Anybody who understands you. After talking to them you'll feel better. Expressing yourself through your hobbies or passions helps too, like what I am doing right now.

I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll write again soon. :)

Five Ways To Sleep Early

Hey there, World!

As a (soon to be former) college student, phone owner, internet lover, and game lover, I do not sleep early at all unless needed. I sleep at around 2:30 or 3:00 AM, and wake up at noon. My mother always tell me to sleep more early especially if she sees me having colds. She would go, "Wag ka nang magpuyat, sinisipon ka na oh!" Meaning, don't sleep late cause you're having colds... I always end up sleeping late anyway.

So I sleep late all the time because I have my phone, games, and mobile data. But how about I have somewhere to go tomorrow morning? How will I be able to sleep early? Especially now, that it's summer vacation I sleep even more late. Well, I'll share a couple of things that I do to sleep early and a few more that searched in the net.

1. Drink warm milk. This is quite effective for me since I love drinking milk. Some people say it doesn't work for them but it does to me. I feel sleepy after drinking a cup of warm milk then I dose off. I guess warm milk gives me that cozy feeling especially during cold nights.

2. Making up stories in my mind. This is kinda like my bedtime story since I like making stories. I know what you're thinking, "But having something in your mind will keep you awake!" Yes that's true, but thats only if you have a problem in your mind or something is bugging you. I just close my eyes and start making a story after a few hours I didn't realize that I was asleep until I woke up. Sometimes this method gives me ideas for stories since the brain is more active at night.

3. Prevent any light from coming in your room. According to lifehack.org, light interferes sleep hormones and stimulates the brain. So it is a good idea to close all of your lights and you won't have a hard time sleeping.

4. Sleep in a cool room. Health.com says that people fall sleep easier and sleep better when their rooms are comfortably cool. But that doesn't mean you need an air conditioner. An electric fan (that's set to high) can provide that cool feeling even in summer nights.

5. Take a warm bath. Huffpost.com suggest that taking a hot bath an hour before your bedtime relaxes your body and lets your body prepare to sleep. Also, don't you just love the feeling of being fresh out of the bath and then jumping in to bed feeling all cozy? Make sure you dry your hair though.

Well that's it for this post now. It has been another week since my last post. I have been quite busy taking care of my mother because she weakened from being too stressed out. I hope she gets better soon.

I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll write again soon. :)

Loss of a Relative

Hey there, World!

Yet again, I have been MIA in my blog. Things been quite busy, especially that lately my aunt that I have known for as long that I could remember passed away. Though we weren't that close, but even so, she is still my aunt. It was my first time in my life that I experience going through the whole process of taking care of a funeral.

A couple of weeks ago, my aunt, Cora Agustin, got hospitalized. I didn't know much the details, but after a few days, she was fine and got discharged. The following week, she got hospitalized again, and this time, her condition was critical and she was placed in the ICU. It started with her hypoglycemia, and then other complications started to surface. My mother went to the hospital to visit and the next day, she came with me. I saw her limp condition, with tubes connected to her. I watched her carefully as I noticed that her chest was going up and down from the oxygen. My cousin said that she had little chance of survival. She also said that we were given a choice, whether we end her life or let my aunt decide. My cousin chose to let her mother decide whether if she wants to live on or not. During our stay at hospital, we my mother and my cousin talked about what happened before she got hospitalized. I heard that she was craving food that she wasn't allowed to eat. I also heard that she put on some make up, which was unusual because she did it in the middle of the night. It seemed like she was getting ready for something... like getting ready to meet her late husband. My cousin cried as she was explaining to us what was her condition, and it is rare for her to cry. We went home and rested. The next day, March 11, she passed away around 3:00 AM. She died from heart attack.

Every thing happened too fast. I woke up on the same day that my aunt died, and found my mother packing our things. She told me, "Wala na si Tita Cora. Umayos ka na at pupunta tayong Batangas." I was in shock in hearing the news. Though for some reason, I halfly expected that she won't make it. But still I prayed that she would make it before that happened. We traveled to Batangas, and reached to the funeral services place. For some reason, the commute took forever and I dunno if it is because the feeling of knowing that somebody close to you passed away. I saw my cousin and it seemed she was fine, or she was trying to be strong. We stayed in the funeral services place because that is where the funeral was held. I had exams the next day so I told my mother about it. She told me that my father will pick me up to take me back to Binan. I slept and the next morning I went back home and took my exams and took my lessons and went back to Batangas. Friends and family came to mourn for her. My aunt's boyfriend was with us for the whole time.

The burial was on March 13, we started the procession at 1:30 PM. The music was making everybody cry, including myself. We all went to the church where the mass was taken place. During the mass, my cousin felt uneasy. She said that her heart was palpitating. At the end of the mass, everybody gathered around her to see if she was okay. Another cousin of mine aided her since she is a doctor, while another relative of mine held her hand said some prayers (because she is a nun.) In the end, she cried her heart out. She may have hid all of her sadness because she needs to be strong, but in the end she just let it all out. She refused to go to the cemetery until her mother's coffin was inside the grave. After a while, she came and prayed for her mother.

Now my mother is the only one left that is from her family. It is quite sad when you think about it and I don't like the idea of losing her also shortly after. I would be devastated if she were to be gone and not able to live longer than she should be. I just hope that she will live long enough to at least see grandchildren.

I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll write again soon.

Facts About Me

Hey there, World!

Well, today I felt like writing something that is about myself... and I am not going to write it like I am going to write my story in Maalaala Mo Kaya, I am just going to write down some interesting facts about me (interesting to me that is) in numerical order.

1. I have a pretty decent singing voice, but not the kind that can be for contests.

2. My birthday is at the end of every year, which is December 31.

3. Ironically, I am afraid of hearing loud noises from fireworks and popping balloons. I am quite jumpy that way.

4. I currently have three cats and they all look the same except for the size.

5. One time when I was small, I almost drowned in a public pool, but my big brother saved me.

6. My eyesight is like the eyesight of an old lady.

7. I tried drawing before but drawing doesn't like me.

8. Culinary arts was suppose to be my choice but because of money I just went for BSBA.

9. From elementary to high school I was such a lazy girl, like I don't want to do homework and I don't study... amazing that I reached this far.

10. English is like my mother tongue because I watch english cartoons growing up. Also video games contributed to my english speaking skills.

11. I am bad at Filipino subjects. My PUPCET score for Filipino is really low.

12. I like sleeping with my head covered with a pillow.

13. I don't go out that much, but I get excited if I go to somewhere new.

14. I used to be a weaboo but now I am past that phase.

15. The only exam that I had a perfect score is a Computer subject.

Well, that's all that I could think of that is interesting about me. I hope you learned something new about me.

I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll write again soon. :)

Random Post #1

Hey there, World!

It has been a while since I wrote again. I just have been finding inspiration for some material for my blog, but it seems I couldn't think of anything that is not boring. Sometimes my diary part of my blog can be quite boring, it is like I am rambling to a friend about my day to day activities. But then it is my personal blog so I guess I shouldn't complain much.

This is actually the third time that I changed my topic for this post. The first was about conflicts, and the second is about inspiration. This is the topic that I chose because well it is something that I am more familiar of, which is trying to find inspiration. I want to be inspired to start writing but it seems it doesn't want to get near me.

I did thought of trying again to write that fantasy story that I have mentioned a while back, but I am not that confident that it will be a hit. But then I thought, maybe I should try a different type of story. Why not? I could just write it here in my personal blog instead of creating a new one. The funny thing is that I suddenly thought of that as I type this post. So, maybe in the near future you will see a chapter of a story and I will just post it little by little.

I am quite rambling about random things right now. So... I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll write again soon. :)

The HR Convention

Hey there, World!

Before I start rambling about my topic, I would like to apologize that I have not been active for over a week. I have been busy lately with schoolwork and such. Also, it's because I can't get more load for mobile data.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend asked me if I would like to come with them at the 6th Annual HR Convention at the Hotel Rembrandt. I didn't want to go at first because of money but my friend convinced me that I should go because it's an international event and the certificate would be worth it. I thought for a second, and then I said, yeah sure, why not? So I asked for our classmate to sign me up for the event.

I was quite worried about the money because the pre-registration payment was on the next day. And so I asked my mother for some money to at least pay it. I am not the kind who asks money from my parents because... well, I dunno... I guess it's because of our financial condition right now that I can't even have more than PHP100 to have as weekly allowance.

Anyway, I got the money and paid the fee. Then, I got a lanyard and an ID card. Since, Hotel Rembrandt is at Quezon City, I had to get more money for the commute (we don't have a service vehicle to take us there). My mother was quite considerate to give me commute money.

Then, the day before the event, we agreed to meet up somewhere at 4:30 AM. Since it was too early, I had to adjust my body clock to sleep earlier because these days, I am always sleeping around 2 AM (and I'm doing it again right now). Since it was too early and too dark to go, my mother told me to go with my father at the meeting place.

I woke up at 2:30 AM and I started preparing myself. Then I went to the meeting place with my father. I was a bit surprised because most of my companions were wearing skirts while there were two of us wearing slacks, and in my mind I was thinking, "Are they going to be comfortable while commuting?" Then again, the guidelines said that to wear our best business attire. Though I did thought of wearing a skirt for that day, but I discarded the thought.

So, we commuted and stuff until we reached to the hotel. We stood in line first before entering. There were other schools who were with us for the event. As we entered, we were greeted with warm smiles of the event organizers in modern Filipiñana dresses and ombre barongs. The event was at the ballroom which is in the fifth floor. We used an elevator to get there. As we went up, we heard that there were some music. When the elevator doors opened, we saw bamboo instrument players playing.

While waiting for the event to start, those bamboo instrument players played for the audience a few songs. The music was fun and we were amazed that these people were making music using bamboo instruments.

When we sat down there was a small black bag sitting on our chairs. Inside it were freebies and fliers from the event's sponsors. It was just mostly fliers, a notebook, a couple of pens, white chocolates, medicine, candies, pieces of paper from the hotel, and those round flexible fans.

The event started and we sat for hours. I started to feel sleepy and my butt was starting to hurt for sitting too long. The first speaker was a HR head froma TV channel. The second one was a CEO of a company from Singapore. The third one, a business man from Thailand, made most of the girls swoon because he was good looking and stuff. The last one was a celebrity from a differnt TV station. His words were funny at the same time motivational.

The food was I thought that our pre-registration fee was for lunch only, but it turns out that merienda was part of the fee too. The lunch was a noodle soup or a sopas (people said it was tastless, but I say otherwise), two pieces of fish fillet, and some chopsuey. The merienda was only palabok and puto, though I didn't enjoy it that much because palabok is my least favorite dishes to eat.

There was a raffle draw during and after the programme but since only one of us got a price, we just went home instead.

After that convention it was tiring but rewarding. I learned quite a lot and I do hope that I would go and use what I learned in the corporate world.

I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll write again soon. :)