With great salary, comes great injury

Month 1 Day 14

2 weeks since arriving in New Zealand. worked 3 days for the past 4 days. Finally can pay rent and buy groceries without worrying. Woo!! Wee!!

Recap of what happened for the past... 3 days?? Should be la... cincai la...

So I worked as packer at Eastpack (did I mention this in my last post?) and the job is mainly catch the kiwi's (fruit, not bird or new zealand people) that drop into the box. and when full cover with the plastic and close the cardboard box. Sounds very simple but the speed of kiwis falling into your box and the gap between each box of kiwis is where the difficulty of the job is. Simply put, its like a game where the higher the difficulty, the gaps between each kiwi box drops lessens and you have to react damn fast. Usually it will be too fast till you need someone to back you up so 1 people catch and 1 people pack.

Then it comes to the danger, the injuries. Working with cardboard boxes and to be fast, kena cut is like eating rice. Basically everyday work also will have cut, see bleeding or just pain.

Got cut at pinky and the 4th finger (ring finger??)

Basically scratches around the nails but these are damn CB pain. Worse than a cut

Thats basically what happens everyday at work and the procedure goes like:

Work > Smoko > Work > Smoko > Work > Smoko > Work > End

Every work session last 2.5 hours and the first 2 smoko is 30 min while the last smoko is 15 min.

*Smoko is a term used here which means break but I guess most people use these breaks to smoke so they call it smoko gua.... *

First work experience in NZL - Heaven in hell

Month 1 Day 11

Yay i earn my first Dollar(s) in NZl 2day!! Work as packer in a so called Hell of Packhouses. So lucky to get into Line 2 where the manager is so nice. Everyone helps each other. To sum up the experience, Its like working at assembly line at Burgerlab just with longer work hours and facing kiwi instead of burgers everyday. So the busy-ness is easy to get used to. Feels not as bad as they say but I guess I just reached the heaven in hell. But Im not sure how it will go in Line 1 though... THAT is the Hell in Hell. 

The full moon today is very nice and I made a promise to take a picture of it for my friend. So to share it here as well. Here is the full moon today.

See in real life will feel bigger here. But maybe further south will be bigger

This coming weekend should be (hopefully) a working weekend and maybe I hope can have a rest on weekdays ^_^

Anxiety kicked in, anxiety left

Month 1 Day 10

I Survived 10 days here!! Cant really believe it myself, especially when you have to cook your own meals. 

So sorry to my friends that I memang have no pictures to upload even though now I have unlimited internet. Been so busy finding work and getting along with people at the new place to stay. I will try to summarise what happened this few days

So it is 3 days ago I started living here and i got a bed in a garage/woodshed which the owner extend to get more people to stay? (台商就是是酱会赚钱的) That place is kinda cold in the morning and hot in the evening. and im still getting used to all the kitchen bathroom toilet and stuff. People there are apparently very friendly, I supposed Im the one that is not friendly in their eyes.

The next day I got switched to inside the house (yay for me) its warmer there and easier to access to kitchen and everything else, not to mention closer to more housemates. This is also the day my anxiety kicked in. Went to Trevelyan and submit application form and they said put me into waiting list. Then walk to the supermarket to get some groceries and Eastpack packhouse to find job which they told me they have 400 people on their waiting list (crap) So im walking back while hauling my groceries, and my backpack strap broke, so I have to haul 2 heavy bags now (my backpack also carry groceries) And btw its a damn long walk without a car here. 

Home - Trevelyan (owner fetch and a 30 min walk back)

Home - Supermarket (25 min)

Supermarket - EastPack (20min and my backpack strap broke here)

Eastpack - Home (50min walk and realising my plastic bag for groceries is slowly falling apart)

Its a tiring day, mentally more than physically if not for the bags as it hit me hard realising no work can be found (even though its just my 1st day looking for a job. XD Im that pessimistic sometimes)

So, we reached today, where its alot better. I knew more people now and some wanted to switch to EP due to unstable work at T. So i followed and got induction at another packhouse of EP (still no work for me though but its a step forward. And since they got a car to drive, I drove the car back and fetch them afterwards when they end. It feels so good to be driving again even though the law kinda restricts me from driving Initial D style like back in Malaysia. Now imma decide if I need to go EP tomorrow or T. (EP is Hell with stressful work but I got inducted already, T is heaven that is abit more chill but I havent went induction yet)

Imma just add some pictures from Google as a thanks for reading this long essay. Once again sorry for the lack of pictures.

Grabbed from T website, nampak friendly sia

Thats good lighting... in truth its very dark underneath from what I saw and its hard to pick them XD

Onwards to Te Puke

Month 1 Day 8

Its been a week since arriving at New Zealand, after so so many hard times socialing with others and making friends. Its time to leave all the friends behind and made new ones. For the past few days have been deciding an area to go and finding place to stay. (For a moment even a crazy idea just popped up my mind, but the idea got scrapped off at the end due to some reason) Anyway ended up following the original plan and go to Te Puke. and also found a place to stay at a Taiwanese home. Now just hoping that the owner is good and not some 怪咖 as some forumers have met those with damn stupid rules and regulations and damn pattern one.

Famous icon in Te Puke?? Picture from Google

Its my first day to Auckland city centre after a week here. Unbelievable sia...  I just feel like chilling at the hostel and don't feel like going anywhere.  Im just going down to the CBD to board the bus and its right below Sky Tower. O.O  So onwards to Rotorua now and changing bus there to Te Puke. Oh and in NZL the law is so strict that seatbelts need to be wear everywhere even on the bus.. and their seatbelt is macam car punya... well TBH is I 大惊小怪 culture shock hahahaha....

From Anxious to Chill.

Month 1 Day 4

It’s a day of chilling out whole day. Had breakfast at 8 and then go back to sleep again till 11pm. Climbed two small hills today. One Tree Hill/Cornwall Park is the first and its quite a short hike, Shorter than Mt Eden maybe. I finally saw sheeps!!!!!! They say the population of sheeps are more than people in New Zealand but this is my first bunch of sheeps I saw though. The view here is much better even though they are not as near to Auckland CBD as they don’t have that much trees blocking.

Baa... 

Climbed Mt Eden again to get my time lapse… I think something went wrong and I only have 3 seconds of footage I think. It loops every 3 seconds… OMG DAMN after I went hike again two days in a row. T.T Anyway good exercise for legs XD

Try to social again today with poker night. Overall not bad, I suck at it but just don’t want to be the first to go out. A $1 buy-in is pretty good for me. But no more than that. Not a bad day and not so stress anymore.

Month 1 Day 5

Nothing much going on for today except one thing. Im going to a Rugby match at Eden Park!! Its one of the biggest stadium in Auckland? Or New Zealand?

I don’t know much about Rugby but its kinda THE national sport of New Zealand so not gonna miss a live game here. The home team is Blues and the game is Blues vs Sharks while the game is kinda boring mostly but when the plays are good it gets really intense and everyone is enjoying around the stadium.

Proof that Im there?

He shoots...

He scores.... err well not football but thats first blood and 3 points for the Blues

Final Score is 23-18 with a Blues win and everyone is happy. ^_^

With some of the hostelmates. Blues won ^_^

BTW, conversation topics here are so open that people talk about date relationship sex and fuck. But they tell me is not usual to have these conversations lar hahaha Europeans are so open… so not Asian or rather Malaysian type of usual conversation with close friends.

First experience in Kiwiland (pics updated)

Its been a few hectic days since I arrived here in New Zealand. Besides the first 2 hours of coming out of the airport, its mainly been suffering I guess. Today finally I’ve done what needs to done and finally have some free time to sit at a café, spend some money on (its very easy to spend and hard to save around here) and update my blog today and sum up what happened for the past few days.

Month 1 Day 1

5pm: Arrived at Auckland International Airport.

615pm: Checked in at hostel

8pm: Getting fish & chips for dinner.

9pm: Sleep

First thing I saw coming out of the airport LOL

Upon arriving it is nice to experience the similar British weather again for after so long. Blue skies, white clouds and also the slightly windy chilly cooling weather. After settling down, went to dinner, AND I NEVER WANT TO HAVE DINNER (or any meal) OUTSIDE AGAIN!! That’s because none of the meals here cost lower than $10. 很蓝贵的咯. From that moment on I decided I have to cook every meal and that’s when my stress and suffering started. (I HAVE TO COOK)

Month 1 Day 2

9am-12pm: Looking for a bank to open account, grocery shopping at Countdown

12-3pm: Heh at hostel, Maggi and Milo as breakfast and lunch (DATA CRISIS)

3-4pm: Opened a bank account successfully YAY!!!!!

4-5pm: Cooked rice without rice cooker (Achievement Unlocked?! XD)

6pm: Dinner (soy sauce with rice and fried egg, need to learn more cooking)

830pm: Movie on the bed (IP MAN 3 LOLX)

10pm: Sleep

It’s a troubled day today. Im feeling so stressed out. Online said that finding a bank to open account is easy. All you need is documents and cash to deposit (Passport, Visa, Proof of Address) and you are done, not to mention banks here are ALL SO EMPTY!!!! I have a bank in mind personally (Kiwibank, which is available at most Postshops (pos ofis). Went to nearest one and said cannot open, SIEN DIAO, went to another one (10-20 min walk away) told me to go to another branch which is 2km away. WALAOEH Lazy to walk lar… give up and went to the one near my hostel (1 min from my hostel, got near near don’t want 犯贱 go far far… I know). OTW back, went for some grocery shopping, everything ok, got my phone number as well. Back to hostel put everything.

Mount Eden Town

Blue place at the end is my bank, ANZ

 So its bank hunting again, go to ASB bank that is near near, kena told that they change policy, my visa only 6 months cannot open account…. DIAO GG lor now… Open account not so easy now… So try my luck at another bank (ANZ) down the street, and they said need appointment at 330pm. Better than nothing so made appointment and go back hostel to relax chill. I have been anti-social most of the time and finally made some friends over here. A girl from Netherlands, a girl from France and a couple from Belgium. I try to be close to them but still I feel they are more close to each other. Maybe I just don’t try hard enough. At least that’s good progress.

DATA CRISIS – Internet is so rare here that the hostel only gives you 500mb of wifi, and you only rely on your mobile data. None of the café I know on the street have free wifi and somehow data just use like water flowing… WTF!!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!! I have 300mb left on my hostel wifi and when open Mac somehow habis until I don’t know how it happen. As of now I only have around 700mb of data left on my phone. Apologies for not much pictures, I will try to upload and include in the blog ASAP.

330pm is here, went to bank, all done Woo!!! Finally whole day just to get this done. Sending the IRD form will have to wait till tomorrow.

Cooked my first dinner, rice and egg. Got my ingredients for around $30 (+Day 3) And That can last me a few days. Im hoping to last the entire stay at Auckland. Cooking really saves a lot, but the lazy me also makes sure that I cook less and eat less. Macam diet lar… forced diet. Someone said Demotivation that became motivation. Not bad also as long I eat something everyday every meal ^_^

Month 1 Day 3

10am: Bank statement and sending IRD form. (Another thing off checklist YES!!!)

12pm: Grocery shopping

2pm: Café (and writing this blog on MS Words)

330pm: Mount Eden

Wake up both EARLY and LATE… again!! Did I say I woke up at 12am and 5am the previous day? Well I woke up at 2am and 10am today. DAMN (Banks and Postshop opens at 9). Rush rush to bank to get my statement for IRD and went to Postshop to kaotim my IRD. Finally every serious thing is done all that left is waiting. I can enjoy my time here.

Went to Countdown again to get some other ingredients and biscuits. The walk somehow seem shorter, looks like I’m starting to get used to living here.

Have some spare time before sunset, so going to a café. My first coffee here and a piece of cake for lunch… (Another $11 gone =.=) Hoping for wifi but no luck. So writing my blog on words to post it later.

Flat White and Carrot Cake. Nice coffee.

I don’t know what happens next, I will go on a short short hike on Mount Eden and hopefully get some nice sunset pictures. MAYBE a timelapse video as well. But all that I leave it to the next post and hopefully I will have some pictures to show.