mrsjono

Kiwis are well known for their hospitality. On our 6th day in New Zealand, we were invited to Chi's house for barbeque. We picked the whole day with the folks till Chi came over to tell us dinner's ready!

Chi is from Japan and her husband is local. A fusion of kiwi and japanese food was prepared - buns, salad, sausages, patties, yakitoris, sashimi, seafood... This was the first time we tried L&P, a popular soft drink made in New Zealand.

 Thank you Chi and Raymond for the wonderful dinner. It was the best meal we've had for days!!!

People would always give me an unbelievable look when they found out I don't have a Facebook account. It reminds me of those days where all my JC classmates have handphones except me and they had to call my home number to contact me. My friends have been nagging at me to create an account for years. But I have been avoiding Facebook since it started in 2008. When Facebook just started, I thought it's just another social networking site that will be replaced by another more powerful site, just like how Facebook killed Friendster. I'll give it a miss and join that "next powerful site". Then came Google+ in 2011. But it didn't look like it'll replace Facebook anytime soon. Truth is, I was also afraid my privacy would be compromised. It's been really quiet and lonely on MSN too. So I have thought long and hard about this and decided to sign up now so that I can keep myself updated about what's happening back home. Since I will not be easily contactable and will not be able to meet my lovely friends for a period of time, the reason why I finally joined Facebook is simply to stay connected with the people I care about while I'm away. If you're reading this post, that means you! Add me or accept my friend request ok?

When I was working for the Corporation, work officially ends half an hour earlier on Fridays. I hardly get to leave earlier and I don't usually go out on Fridays after work. So I never really understand what's the fuss about shouting TGIF! except we don't have to work the next two days. Today is a Friday and we actually knocked off early at around 3-4pm. We can have dinner earlier, not freeze in the shower and go up to the house to use wifi. Now that's really TGIF to me!

Our first job in New Zealand was blueberry picking. It's considered the least physically demanding fruit picking job compared to other fruits mainly because blueberries are lighter than other fruits such as apples and kiwis. The method of payment at Mamaku Blue is by contract or a unit rate per kilo. The goal is to pick as fast and as much as possible before the end of the day. Picking is a no-brainer job but picking fast require some hand techniques, planning sequence and organization of movements to maximize efficiency.

1) Don't pick with someone you know. Pick with somebody you don't know and make a new friend.


2) Have heavy breakfast and lunch. If you're hungry you'll slow down. Leave your empty ice cream containers or something under the tree to mark where you stopped before you go for lunch.


3) Pick with two hands. Use both right and left fingers to gently rub the berries off the sticks.


4) After you finish one ice cream container just put it down (make sure you leave your name tag in it!) under the shade (sun burnt berries taste soggy) and move on until you fill up all your ice cream containers. If you can't find a shady spot, use an empty tray to cover it.


5) Do the bottom first, the outer ones next, the ones underneath and get the high ones last. This is to avoid brushing too many berries off the tree when you move around or in between trees.


6) Check the ground for any berries you have dropped and the top of the tree for any ones that you may have missed out after you finish a tree. Every berry counts.


7) Move your body and ice cream container as close to the tree as possible to catch your berries.


8) If you have accidentally picked reds, greens, sticks or leaves just leave them in the box.


9) Don't over fill your tray or your berries will get crushed when stacked on top of one another at the end of the day.


I picked 20kg on my first day and I was the last. Top pickers fare in the range of 50-60kg in a day. After learning and applying the above techniques taught by Harry, I managed to hit 41kg, the most I have ever picked so far!

Happy picking!

12 bed mixed dorm costs $18 pp plus there's free wifi for about five hours! (Over here wifi is rarely free.) Not bad huh? But no free luggage storage and owner is quite anal. He comes up with equally anal policies such as you cannot extend your stay in the same room after you've booked it previously online even though there are empty beds in the room (they make you upgrade to a more expensive room) and you can only stay maximum three nights in 12 bed mixed dorm. If you have not made up your mind whether to pay $45 to be a BBH member and need a cheap place to stay in Auckland, Silver Fern Backpackers is not a bad choice.

Our friends made their way down to the airport to see us off and we really appreciate their effort. Our journey to Middle Earth started with a $100 penalty for overweight luggage (it's $25 per kg we exceeded by 6kg and Jetstar waived off 2kg) and gulping down our last fishball noodles (that cost $5 each and unfortunately they were not nice). We declared everything we've got and luckily none was confiscated yes including 4 cubes of instant noodles, two big bags of Julie biscuits, sweets, solid fuel and tons of other food. Phew! 

I recently renewed my passport and I didn't know I can just email INZ to update my e-visa with my new passport number. I got a cool seal at the back of my passport (which is now broken) but now I have to carry two passports for the next five years!!!

On the last day of 2012, I chopped off my tresses to start the new year.

I drew a decent salary and had amiable colleagues. I could easily stay on this job forever but is this really what I want to spend the rest of my life doing? The signs were showing. I had no life after work. I was losing my dreams. I grew weary of replying appeals (postman), listening to grievances (aunt agony), being scolded for national policies beyond my control (punching bag) and fighting fire (fireman). I didn't know where all this was leading to.


One fine day in the beginning of 2012, we came across an article from The Huffington Post shared by many Facebook users. We were inspired. It spurred us to apply for a working holiday we've been contemplating for a long time. We managed to convince ourselves and each other the time is now or never. At least we have no huge financial or family commitments. Our visas were approved within a few days and we could leave any time. But we didn't. The thought of losing my job was really terrifying. What if I can't find a job over there? What if I can't find a job with a comparable pay after I come back? I still need to support my family's living. How can I be so selfish?


So I continued to stay on the safe path. The good thing is our visas have a validity period. When there is a time limit, we are forced to think carefully and make a decision. I tried to put my misgivings about leaving my family and apprehensions about my future aside and rationalised. I still have siblings and some savings to keep the family going. If I really can't find work over there, I can come back, look for a new job and join the rat race again. Of course at the end of the day we can chicken out, forfeit about S$150 application fee each and give up this once in a lifetime opportunity. To us, that was out of the question. And so we took the leap of faith.


After 3.5 years, I left the Corporation. Frankly, I have sleepless nights after quitting my job. It's that uncertain and frightening feeling of walking into a small and dark alley while everybody else is moving along the main road. My father opined that I'm making a mistake and wasting my time. Why work as cheap labour when you should be building your career and settling down? He chided. It can be quite demoralising. I know he means well and we just have different perspectives about life. My friends were generally supportive. Some of them asked me how did I manage to quit my job just like that to do such a crazy thing? I suppose if you are certain about what you want, all you need is courage to go after it.

I am going to lead a poorer but hopefully happier life for awhile. I do not know how long I will be away or when I will be back. I thought about the wish I wrote on the lantern in Pingxi and can't help smiling to myself. I'm on my way to making my dream come true.

Many hostels in Melaka link up their guests to this cafe for transport to Singapore and other parts of Malaysia. Discovery Cafe is able to pull some tricks when all the local bus companies tell you there are no more buses to Singapore on a Sunday. Maybe they are a syndicate. The last time we bought our bus tickets from Melaka to Singapore through Discovery Cafe, the price was RM28 pp (as of September 2012) including their "service charge" (I forgot how much was their service charge but it seems to be increasing). Notwithstanding this surcharge, it's still cheaper than buying a return ticket in Singapore. Now we don't have to worry about not being able to get home on time!