MyOwnPrivateVertigo

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  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    This is the last that you'll see of me for a while... *3-ish weeks*.

    Hopefully I'll be able to make it through good ol' Stewart Island unscathed and return with a kiwi under my arm. Okay, a photo of a kiwi will do I suppose.

    Today we made reservations for a bus ride, a hostel, and a ferry. Nothing yet on our arrival back from the island, but we'll figure out things out more-so once we've finished the trek. We also went grocery shopping for all of our noms on the trek. Here I am pictured in front of the garage we rented out for the few things we're leaving behind for 3-ish weeks... I wish we could have rented out something smaller, though (goodbye $90). We decided to sort out all of the food we're bringing along inside the garage just for the fun of it. I'm pictured with one of the bags which will be my food for one day. Each bag *there are 12 in total* is packed with plenty of dried-fruit, some different variations of trail mix, two granola bars, one chocolate bar, two small packages of crackers/cheese, bbq rice crackers, one cube of chocolate fudge, and yogurt covered raisins. We also have packets of powdered orange-drink which will cover our vitamin c for the day. Water won't be a problem, as the huts we'll stay in will have some. If we must boil this water, then we can always simply drink water from a stream (don't worry, I've read about this being perfectly fine). Other random things bought were a journal, a flashlight *torch*, and waterproof pants/jacket from a hardware store. I'M SORRY, DEBIT CARD, FOR TREATING YOU SO.

    It'll be like Stef vs. Wild for over a week! I've been known to injure myself on plenty of walks before (my last painful injury being while returning to our hostel after buying ice-cream down the street) so knock on wood that I'll be okay.

    Erm... I guess that's all I have to say for now. Until we meet again!

    1 comment

    1 week 5 days ago

  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    OH HAI, Stef's tiny!

    So, we went to a place called Puzzling World yesterday in Wanaka... a town not terribly far away from Cromwell. We weren't quite sure how we'd get there as we don't have a car, and bus tickets are a bit expensive for such a short trip. Luckily, the Hong Kong couple we made friends with from the cherry orchard said they'd give us a lift there since they also were planning on going.

    Twas a fun experience, the maze and the Ames room being the two highlights of the trip. Oh, the room where everything was tilted messed with our minds which was also rather fun.

    All in all, it was a nice day *besides the parts where Stef felt socially awkward in a group setting which happened a lot*. We spent the rest of our time by the lake eating/walking and later listening to some more loud American tunes in the car that Chris sang along to.

    3 comments

    1 week 6 days ago

  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    THINGS... *edit: that happened yesterday because my booth wouldn't upload AGAIN*

    *Today was my last day as a cherry-picker. We ended the day a little after noon and soon after waited inside of the pre-packhouse room for sausages and beer (we sat on buckets we use for picking which I thought was funny). Mind you, I don't drink nor do I eat meat so I was basically waiting around for nothing. We did socialize for a bit with some pickers which was nice, though. We also all watched as a head supervisor made one of the lifters (someone who moves our buckets once they are full of cherries) chug a giant glass/vase/thing of beer since it was his 21st birthday. Everyone found it very amusing and took photos of the event. All in all, twas a weird day. I'm glad to be moving on, yet also glad I had the experience. I will never view a cherry the same way again, and now have more respect for the people who pick such fruits for us consumers. And no, I do not hate the taste of cherries. They shall remain one of my favorite fruits to nom on. n_n

    *We moved into our new room yesterday.

    *I just ate a foot-long veggie delight sub. Nom.

    *I've started to watch 'One Piece' and am enjoying it thus far.

    *OSCAR NOMINATIONS. I JUST. I CAN'T EVEN. I don't even know the synopsis of the some of the films nominated. This is what travel has done to me. I can't even watch the ceremony this year. BAH, I just... bah. More on that later. >.<

    *Things are now up in the air.

    3 comments

    January 31st, 2012

  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    L&P! Not that I drink a lot of pop, but this is now one of my new favorites (my all time favorite being Mountain Dew which I've adored since childhood). Sadly I shall have no more once I've left kiwi-land... which is why I should have as much as I want while I still can *intense nod*.

    Erm... what happened today. Well, we worked from 6am-5pm and were nearly fired. I say "nearly" because a supervisor told us that if we didn't pick just two more buckets than we did the other day, we'd be canned. Because we didn't want to be fired, we were going to leave *quit* work around lunch time. Luckily not long after the supervisor came by, the head supervisor talked to us and reassured us that we would not be fired. He was actually making sure that we would stay until the end, which is Tuesday (3 more days left, huzzah).

    Anywho, this booth will probably be uploaded in the morning since the internetz is too slow in the evening. I'll most likely then add 'edit' at the end and describe how I wish I were still asleep or playing pokemon or cuddling kittens.

    EDIT: Leaving for work in 10 minutes. Where are my kittens?

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    January 28th, 2012

  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    I didn't feel like boothing... but I thought I would since the internet connection doesn't seem too awful right now.

    This has basically been us all day today due to the day off (twas very cold... we could even see plenty of snow this morning atop the hills in the distance). Chris has been working on his *new* game, and I've been playing Pokemon Heart Gold. Oh, I was also able to *finally* upload some more photos onto Facebook. I'm all caught up which pleases me so.

    We work again tomorrow and then for a few days after that. I'm not sure, but I don't think we'll have days as long as yesterday which lasted from 6am 'til 7pm. I thought it would be a grueling day since they made everyone in our gang change partners (due to too many people "talking and not picking"), but it wasn't awful. My partner ended up being a 24 year old girl from Hong Kong. It was really interesting talking to her about culture differences and whatnot. She even offered to drive Chris and I back to our hostel, but a Czech and French couple already beat her to it (they had driven us the other day due to me being in pain all day from my foot).

    I've had the pleasure of meeting some very interesting people from New Zealand, Czechoslovakia, South Korea, Chile, France, the UK, the US, Germany, China, Canada, France, Japan, Australia, Argentina, and India. It has all been so very wonderful. I know my trip isn't ending yet (I've still got about 3 months to go), but I find myself occasionally pausing to 'taste the cherries' as I like to say. *NOTE, Stef doesn't say this... she has never said this. She's just referring to her job-title as cherry-picker. A job where she is paid to be a cherry-slave, not a cherry-eater. END NOTE* What I mean is, I'm always thinking about the future (even all the way up to Chris and my Ohio adventures), but I need to remind myself that I will not be in New Zealand forever. This, too, shall come to an end. Who knows when I'll become used to hills and sheep and wide-open-spaces and eating cherries straight off the tree again. This will all be but a beautiful memory someday... and I need to soak it all in while I'm still here.

    Anywho, I've paused mid-battle so I think I'll finish up before I have to hit the hay. :P

    1 comment

    January 27th, 2012

  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    Highlights of today:

    ~Having the day off from cherry-picking *fist pump*.

    ~Organizing/labeling all of my Flip videos from home, Thailand, and New Zealand.

    ~Eating too much (which is rare for Chris and I these days). Anywho, Chris treated me to ice-cream at the end of the day. The flavors I chose were orange chocolate-chip, goody-goody gum-drops, and lime. Random combo, but tasty nonetheless.

    ~Walking to the lake nearby in Old Cromwell with said ice-cream and eating it on a dock. The experience was supposed to be calm and relaxing, but it was rather windy and warm which caused the ice-cream to melt rapidly. Because of this, the ice-cream got all over us (making the experience more humorous) including my camera, our clothes, and our hands/arms. I should have added my nose as well, but I had felt the lime ice-cream on my nose earlier and then forgot about it. You should be able to spot it in the photo. n_n

    Well, I could ramble some more about how I now have a gaping fresh-skin hole on the underside of my foot which feels like someone is pouring salt onto whenever there's a breeze... but I have to hit the hay soon. Ciao!

    3 comments

    January 24th, 2012

  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    This is being uploaded Sunday morning at 4:40am since it wouldn't upload last night. I am muy-tired. Le. Sigh.

    So, this is me exhausted and freshly-showered right when I came home.

    Yesterday was long... very long. Everyone received a text the other night saying that we had work in the morning and they were definitely not too pleased. I mean, one of the reasons Chris and I planned on going trekking yesterday was so we could relax today.

    Anywho, my hours were 6am-6pm. Chris was so exhausted/hungry by 2pm that he became dizzy and had to leave early. Although I was a sad panda worrying about him, I "truckered on" (something my supervisor likes to tell us to do) and had a decent rest of the day. The work-day actually became a bit easier an hour after Chris left since I was teamed up with a lad from the UK and worked on a seperate row without ladders (picking is a lot easier without ladders). Twas nice chatting with him about traveling and Stewart Island (I'll save that explaination for another day) and UK/US differences and such.

    After work, I walked on over to New World to buy some groceries. After 'that,' I walked back towards our hostel and stopped by at a fish & chips joint to buy Chris and I some burgers and fries. This all took me about an hour.

    I finally sat down and "relaxed" at *thinks* 8:40pm-ish and was exhausted and ready for bed with no time to really relax or do anything (I WAS trying to booth with no avail). No one knows when our next day off will be since rain doesn't look like it'll be in the forecast any time soon. Again, all the pickers and even some supervisors are not too pleased to say the least. Sigh. BUT WE'RE MAKING MONEY SO YAY.

    I'ma go eat some breakfast and try not to fall asleep on my 3k walk to work.

    2 comments

    January 21st, 2012

  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    Since today was our day off, we thought we'd venture on over to Bannonckburn and check out an old mining town dating back to the mid 1800's. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the trek was really great. Even though what is left of the town wasn't terribly spectacular (save for the fruit trees growing across from a mostly-intact house), the landscape was beautiful. Canyons and boulders made me very camera-happy, along with the general desolate look of the "heart of the desert."

    Since the area we were trekking through was once famous for its mining, we were able to encounter some "exploration tunnels" (tunnels dug by miners searching for gold). The first one we came upon was by accident since we were on our way to find a dam of sorts. Anywho, the tunnel wasn't fairly long, but it curved at one point so it was pitch black once we reached the end (our iPods came in handy). We had our lunch there (without the light of our iPods).. PB&J sandwiches with rice-crackers. n_n

    Later, not long after our tunnel exploration, Chris decided we should take a short-cut up a steep-ish hill covered in brush to reach the path we took earlier. Well, it wasn't much of a short-cut since nearly every single bush was covered in thorns/thistles. One, nearly an inch long, made its way through my shoe! Long story short, Chris was able to use some scissors I had nearly forgotten about in my backpack to cut a way through a low area of prickly foliage to reach the other (clear but somewhat steep) side. Twas fun, albeit a bit painful since I actually fell into one of the bushes at one point *not surprising, I know :P*

    We assumed our adventures had been over for the day as we were walking back home, but no... a wet jack-russel terrier ran across the main road directly to us. Eventually, a woman who saw Chris with the dog *I was off looking for a possible owner by the river* was able to notify the owner that his dog (named Jack) had been found. Yay for a happy ending!

    What doesn't make me happy is that we just received a text saying that we have work tomorrow. So much for the planned two day weekend... although we might have Sunday off *shrugs*.

    1 comment

    January 20th, 2012

  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    Oh hey, it's a @dechtu ! You hardly see the two of us in photos together... I should change that *mental note*.

    Anywho, we worked another long shift today... 6am - 5pm. Even though we picked cherries for 11 hours, our "gang" (Gang 2) has been dubbed the "lazy gang" since no one wanted to stay an extra two hours (most of the other gangs stayed). It doesn't really matter, though, since we'll be working from 6am - 7pm until Friday when we have a two day weekend. The reason we're working so long is because we (the cherry corporation) need to export cherries for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Sometimes I forget that it's Winter in other parts of the world... Besides that, our management is a joke. That is all.

    After work, Chris and I went grocery shopping. Each of us had a budget of $16.50, so we went our separate ways and bought nomz. I purchased two bags of pasta, a jar of pasta sauce, some sour cream and onion rice cakes, peanut butter, and strawberry jam. I probably should have bought some essentials like milk or eggs... but I figured I'd just splurge a little on things we haven't had in a while. I spent (with tax) $15.92.

    Erm... that's about it. Not looking forward to tomorrow and such but I'M NOT GOING TO THINK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW. I think I'll just squeeze in some Pokemon before bed. I've almost beaten Heart Gold!

    1 comment

    January 16th, 2012

  • MyOwnPrivateVertigo snapped a picture

    [Booth from last night that wouldn't upload] Here I am with sour cream and chives rice-cakes... crackers? Chris and I have been buying a bunch of "snacks" that we look forward to eating every day after coming home from work. We looked forward to nomming today more than usual since we picked cherries for 11 hours with no breaks. All we had was some breakfast around 4:50 am. Yup, long day was long.

    We now have a new supervisor which I'm not too pleased about as he doesn't seem as professional and nice as the last. Meh. He even basically told us that our buckets are too nice meaning that we should be less picky and pick lower quality cherries. I suppose this would make us pick a bit faster, but we've been told before that quality is far more important than quantity. I just don't know anymore... I don't mind
    the job (save for waking up so damn early), but everyone is telling us something different about our work and it's making Chris and I rather
    confused and just plain stressed. At least I brought my iPod with me and had 'She & Him' ease my mind for a while.

    Erm... what else has happened. Oh, the other day I climbed my ladder to free a bird caught in some netting (there is netting everywhere to prevent birds from coming inside the orchard) and received a warning from one of the head supervisors. A supervisor that is staying in the hostel room across the hall from me. Yay? Anyway, if I free another bird I can hit the road *le sigh*. My supervisor (that I dont' have anymore) didn't seem to care too much and tried to explain to the head supervisor that I was freeing it because I'm an animal lover. Yeah, he didn't take that too well. I HAVE NO REGRETS. PETA should be
    recruiting me soon. :P

    [Today's booth] This morning was strange since we weren't sure if we had to go to work or not because it had been raining all night. It was
    still raining pretty hard when we woke up at 4:30 am, yet we were waiting on a text to tell us whether or not we had to come in. We had
    breakfast, then reluctantly changed into our working clothes and grabbed the umbrella. We were only outside for about a minute when a guy ran up to us saying that we didn't have work. I guess he's a supervisor for our company, yet we've never seen him before *shrugs*. Long story short, we went back to bed and slept in for a bit. We're still not too sure if we're supposed to be at work right now, though, since we
    never received a text saying we have no work. Also, the supervisors we briefly talked to in the morning were from two different 'gangs,' and we're 'gang 2.' Oh, wellz... I'ma enjoy my day off anyway.

    3 comments

    January 12th, 2012