Eureka!

Was toking to MsK just now..then suddenly, *ting! light bulb appears* I think i know why i'm always feeling hungry ever since i came over to UK liao..

For those who have not had meals wif me often enough..i'm known to have a hearty appetite even when i was in Sg..& when i eat with frens..more often than not, there'll almost always be someone who cannot finishes her food..which means i get to benefit from it :Þ

It might sound gross to some..feeding on other's leftovers..but i choose to call it 'not wasting food'..

And since i'm spending quite a bit of my time on my own here..i've no 'leftovers' to feed on..& tat explains why i'm always feeling hungry after finishing my own portion..(oh twinky twinky little star, where are u when i need u in times like this?)

There u have..my appetite hasn't really increased tat much..but then..how do i explain the 2kg gain in weight leh..??

so much value in small kindnesses

A newspaper article tat i would like to share wif everyone :

How many times have u found urself wishing u could give more? More time to friends & family, more money to charity, more support to those who need it..

Joan had hoped to do so many things to help others. She went shopping for less mobile neighbours, went with them to hospital appts or even popped in for a chat. Sometimes she felt guilty at how much she enjoyed the friendship & company she received from these people while only doing little things in return.

But, one day, the church minister produced 2 clear plastic bags. One had $1 coins in it - this represented one big act of kindess. The other bag contained $1 made up of smaller coins, each of which symbolised a small act of kindness.

Although there was the same amount of money in each bag, he pointed out how much more the 'small kindnesses' weighed.

Suddenly, Joan realised tat her approach to life was like tat bag of coins. Although the things she did for her neighbouts were small, together they added up to something weighty and of real value.

And you, my fren? How does your bag look like?

Coldest July Day in 25 years

Just heard from the news tat yesterday was the coldest day in London for the month of July for the past 25 years..no wonder lah..why i always so heng one?

And there was a tornado in Birmingham this afternoon..

The weather has really gone mad..

My Mini Achievement

Brr...it's cold today..so cold tat i got goosepimples when i sat on the toilet bowl this morning..

Had planned to blog about my trek up Snowdon & complain how hot it was the few days i was in Wales..& now? I'm wearing my xiao hong as i'm typing..english weather..@.@

K..before i blab on about the weather..yes, my trek up Snowdon..why is this trek so 'significant' for me?

I guess there're several reasons..cos it was the first 'serious' trek i had since my Nepal trip..it was the third trek/hike i had in UK(i got a bit lost on the first two..so i was a little nervous) cos it's the highest(one of the most famous) mountain in England & Wales.. & mostly, cos it was my first solo trek..

I always had the luxury of having frens/& guides wif me on trekking trips..where u know u won't die cos u took a wrong turn or if u slipped & fell..but this time, i was on my own..

Wednesday, 13 July 2005

0730 - Rise & shine..took my breakfast..4 slices of bread & 2 bowls of cereal(this is a typical breakfast for me..see how much my appetite increased?) then waited for the bus..

0904 - The frenly bus driver arrived at my stop on schedule..i like this driver! Hopped on & i'm off to 'Pen-y-pass' where i will begin my trek..

0940 - Reached the start point of the Pyg(yes, pronounced as pig) Trail..i had asked the pple in the hostel the nite before & read up my LP..this is supposed to be one of the more popular treks up..it's medium grade..takes about 5 hrs up & down..i had checked my bus timetable & had hoped to catch the 1445 bus back or the next bus would be 1745..

0945 - Off i go..it's a hot day today..but i'd rather have it hot than cold..

1045 - 1 hr later(i timed myself), i had a quick break of banana & flapjack(some ang moh snack)..so far so good..terrain not too difficult..a bit of rocks at first so there was some scrambling here & there..i missed my ACG though(i was wearing my asics)

1145 - Starting to pant a little..could see the summit liao..jia you zxl..

1230 - Ta da! Deng shan cheng gong! I did it! Self-indulge in this success for a min..heh

1231 - Take photos..arrange my 'prop'..take more photos..The summit was actually very crowded cos there's another easier way of coming up - taking the train. Every other 30 mins, a train would huff & puff its way up & unload some 50 visitors..making the top of the mountain seem like a busy sunday bazaar..

1240 - Celebration lunch - sandwich topped with some mountain dust(the wind was quite strong up there)

1250 - Decided to make my way back..scrambled down is more like it(i had a bus to catch rem?)

1400 - Reached the bottom..was quite surprised i took only about 70 mins to come down (goes to show i was really scrambling).

1445 - It was the same bus driver again..chitchatted a bit wif him on the way back..he offered to drop me off at this point along the way where i can see ospreys but i declined..had enuf 'adventure' for the day liao..besides i dun wanna wait 3 hrs for the next bus back..

1530 - Back at my hostel..took a nice shower & went down to the lounge & R&R..

1800 - We had BBQ dinner at the hostel backyard..my hostel mates 'xin xie lai chao' decided to have a BBQ..this bunch of hostel mates is the best i ever had..shall talk about them on a separate blog lah..getting too long this one..wait the website crash again..haha

Ah...BBQ under the clear blue sky..gentle breeze(for once, the weather very cooperative)..cold beer..idle chit chat..wat a perfect end to a perfect day! : )

Idle..

Tat's been my lifestyle for the past week or so..not too much a lifestyle i'd say..anyway, before i get rotten eggs hurled at me(or your pc screen)..let me remind u, this lifestyle comes at a hefty price(in british pounds, to be exact)

Not much to do these few days..not too eager to venture out to central london..(see? i do take everyone's advice & concern very seriously)..so just rot away in the 'woods' lor..

My daily routine goes something like tat :

9-ish AM : Wake up (though after 2+ mths, i still keep waking up at the wrong time in the middle of the night, courtesy of the early daybreak at 4-ish)

930-ish AM : Cook my oatmeal (yes, cook using the stove, not the instant kind & they really taste a lot better)

10-ish AM : Read the papers (they're slowly burning a hole in my pocket at 50, 60p everyday..but i can't stand the feeling of not knowing wat goes on ard me)

11-ish AM : Check my email/surf the net (& occasionally, morning tea : Þ)

12-ish PM : Prepare lunch (more often than not, it's some microwaveable meal)

1-ish PM : Lunch while watching some TV gameshow tat comes on at 1 (i can almost memorise the TV listings liao..haha)

2 - 5-ish PM : Run some errands/do housework/shopping for groceries (my fave of the 3 activities) & of cos, the obligatory afternoon tea (contributing factor to my expanding waistline)

6-ish PM : Prepare dinner or if it's not my turn..i usually rotate with the sis for this task, go for a jog(weather permitting..this is london rem?)

7-ish PM : Dinner

8 - 11-ish PM : TV time

1130-ish PM : Lights out

So, wat do u think? Rather boring hor..

******************************************************************

Blind Dates..

Nah..sorry to disappoint but it's not me who going on a blind date : Þ

Here's an article i picked up from the newspapers here..

College students in Singapore have broken the world record for the most blind dates in 24 hours. Organisers at Nanyang Technological University paried 268(so auspicious sounding!) couples who spent at least an hour together during a single 12-hour period, beating the previous record of 123 couples set in London in 2001.

Erm..well done, NTU!

All About Sasha

A bit xian after the stupid website decided to wipe out 2 hrs of my typing..oh well, i shall re-type my strawberry experience when i have the urge again..now it seems like it took place so long ago though it was just about 4 weeks ago tat i was bending over rows & rows of strawberries..

And so, i decided to talk about our caravan mate, Sasha instead..

When we were shown our caravan, Sasha was sitting in his corner..he must be about least 6ft 2in? Quite 'dua jiak'(read : a bit on the plump side, wif a beer belly).first impression of him is tat of a 'guai guai zai'..mummy's boy pattern..wif rosy cheeks somemore..

Why do i say so? Well, he has this little teddy bear by his bedside..(yes, i'm not kidding) & he carries this small little gu niang bag when he's out picking strawberry..the kind of bag tat even i will think twice about carrying..

And oh, like the time, he bought a new handheld game(machiam western bar kind leh)..& he was really excited about his new toy..how do i know? Cos he woke me up at 1.30am(!) to show it off to me..tried to show me how it was played..or so i think..he was gesturing but i wasn't wearing my glasses so can't see clearly lah..fu-yaned him for a while before i finally signalled to him tat i wanted to sleep liao..

There was, however, one particular incident which changed our image of him..i will get to tat later..

We had guessed he was about 25 yrs but found out he's actually 30(or was it 33?)..hmm..first time i underestimate an ang moh's age..

As i've mentioned before, he's from Latvia..seriously speaking i din hear of this country before i came to this farm(it's next to russia)..he couldn't speak much english (his std of english is sama sama of my malay..meaning can only count up to 10..) He has this english-russian dictionary wif him & sometimes we would just flip to the word & point to him..but mostly, our communication was based on sign language..

Since i was sleeping in the living room wif him..i had the most contact wif him..which is why i found him to be a rather interesting character..

A few days after we arrived, he bought a new radio(i wonder if it's to drown out our noises?!) We're quite surprised since he couldn't understand english & true enuf, everytime the DJ starts to speak, he would turn the dial..quite exasperating for us cos sometimes we're trying to listen out for the weather forecast..(not forgetting the few times, we'd secretly turn on his radio when he's out)

Actually he's quite a nice guy..like he would try to tell us where to get the wage slip..or where we could get the pck boots for wet weather(he must have assumed we're staying for long)..he's also quite considerate..like he would lower his the volume of his radio at night when he saw tat i'm sleeping..

He also made some efforts to communicate wif us..the times when he saw us playing cards, he would just hang ard & watch us play..he also attempted to teach us his game but after several rounds, we still have no clue as to the rules & objectives of the game..

BUT there were a few habits tat we're..err...not very used to it..

#1. He doesn't bathe very often..i think he only bathed twice during the time we were there?! Instead, he uses this body spray which isn't exactly very pleasant-smelling to me(i was sharing the room wif him, rem?)

#2. Related to pt 1, he doesn't change his clothes much..or as often as we would like him to..we can't be sure if it's him or his clothes tat smell..anyway, we only saw him wash his clothes once..& it was in the dirty sink..which brings me to the next pt..



#3. He doesn't washes his dishes..AT ALL..he would use the pan to fry his fave fish fingers, then leave the pan & bowl there till the next time he uses it..oil & all..imagine tat..

The time has come to talk about THE incident..Sat was our day off & many of them spent the night partying(apparently this is the norm)..on fri nite, Sasha had gone over to our neighbour's caravan to party(never knew he was the 'partying' sort)..anyway, we were all sleeping soundly when he came back at about 1.30am to drag a bewildered cordell out of bed to the party next door. Needless to say, she was dumbfounded..somehow, she managed to talk her way out & escaped back to our caravan..

Watever came into him to drag her out, we never knew for sure..all i knew was he dead drunk when he stumbled back heavily into our caravan..not too sure about the time(din check my watch)..& i could hear him puking the whole night..thank goodness he still had the sense to run into the toilet to puke..i would have given him a piece of mind had he puked in the living room..the best thing is? he was up & out the next morning even before i woke up..& i think there was just this bit of 'awkwardness' between us(or at least him & cordell for tat matter) after this incident..

I think it was 2 days before we left when we saw some words on his towel tat made us go 'hmm..??!!'. The words? 'Neurologikal Klinik'

Aiya..i really regretted not taking a photo wif him before i left..really quite an interesting character..i think he's the closest thing to a 'russian roommate'(not including those whom i've met in hostels) i'll ever have in a long while..

Watever it is..i wish him all the best..be it in strawberry picking or watever he might be doing now..

Wat the f***!!

Damn it..i spent the whole afternoon typing my strawberry story & for some reason, i lost two-thirds of it..arrgghhhh!!!!!!!!!

Yes, i'm safe..

I'm typing this in real time..as in i'm watching the news on tv at this very moment & i've just put down the phone with my family back in Sg..

Yes, there had been a series of incidents in London(again)..apparently there were some attempted explosions in the tube but not as serious as those a fortnight ago & no casualties(yet)..

Y'know something? I was out in central london just yesterday where i met cordell before she flew back to Sg today..

Aiyo..really seems like everywhere i go, something sure happen..

Xiu Xi Shi Wei Le Zou Gen Chang Yuan De Lu..

Wednesday, 20th July 2005

Wat i'm trying to say is..i'm back in my woods now..having a break..oh, i mean a break from the break tat i'm having for the past 2 months..does tat make sense? Anyway, i'm sure u all know wat i mean lah hor..

Yea..back from North Wales..where i had my fair share of adventures..would have continue my journey if not for the fact, the mountain region was no good for mobile phone reception(& i mean NO GOOD) & i couldn't really get internet access, except for the occasional 30min slot in the library..so much so tat i resorted to hopping into libraries at the various towns tat i made daytrips to..so it was kinda difficult for me to plan my next move..gotta rem it's summertime now & EVERYBODY is out on holiday..which makes cheap accomodation as rare as..yu yuan mian here?! *xiao liao..craving for my yu yuan mian is setting in..again*

Anyway, i just met cordell yesterday..she's back from Scotland and staying in London for a nite before flying back to Sg today..

We just wandered about..went to Portobello Market..fruits were really cheap, esp the strawberries..but err..i decided to pass on tat..we bought cherries instead : Þ

We also managed to meet JM, a JC mate of ours who's working in London now, for dinner. Think it's almost 3, 4 years since i last met her?!

With FAQ back in Sg since last week & cordell flying off..it's now officially left with me, myself & zxl..

How long more will i be able last leh..financially?..before my mum summons me home after the series of bombings??

Only time will tell..(haha..damn corny hor)

Lost..again?!

Tuesday, 12th July 2005

Yea, i was kinda lost again today..but it was really no big deal compared to yesterday..

Woke up at 9-ish today..had my breakfast & packed my lunch..intend to go for a 2 hours walk starting from behind my B&B..

Well, according to the 2 pounds map tat i have..it's supposed to be a 2 hours hike..hmm..we shall see about tat..

Ahh..directional posts..shouldn't get lost this time eh..walk walk walk..met this old couple along the way..as there's only 1 trail (so far), we sort of kept overtaking each other along the trail..we chatted a bit & then we decided to walk together..

They're actually holding on to a different sort of map..well, not really a map, it's more of a directional guide tat they printed off the internet..one thing about the old folks here..quite independent & always willing to learn..but i digress..so wat they have a long para of words, telling them how long to walk, where to turn & so on..

Anyway, we later learnt tat our maps are slightly different..theirs is a slightly longer loop..about half an hour longer..they invited me along & since i have some spare time before i catch my bus, i said ok..

Hmm..there was this point where we're supposed to 'swing left when we pass the powerline posts'..but somehow, none of us managed to spot the posts..& we ended up going round the lake..

I then referred to my map & we sort of figured our way out..so we managed to navigate between our 2 CMI maps..haha...i think it's quite a funny incident..

It wasn't as scary as yesterday..prob cos i had company & it was still early in the day..yesterday was really me alone in this big mountain trail..

******************************************************************

Caught the 2.20pm bus to my next destination - Porthmadog. It was one of the friendliest driver i've ever came across. He was very helpful..told me everything i needed to know about transportation in the area..

En route to my destination(there was only 1 other uncle on the bus), he gave a running commentary on the sights along the way..even passed me a postcard & pointed out which are which peaks..the best thing was, he even stopped by the road so tat i can take pics..really nice chap..

He dropped me off right in front of my hostel(which is like 20m from the actual stop). It's quite a nice hostel..clean & not too cramped..it's called Snowdon Lodge, it's apparently famous for being the birthplace of Lawrence of Arabia(siang lai?). It's quite ok-priced too, 13.50 pounds per nite & includes breakfast.

Asked the lady there for some info on Mt Snowdon as that's the main reason i'm here..there're 2 ways - the easy way, ie. the train or the not-so-easy way, ie. trekking (quite a few routes). She recommended tat i go to Pen-y-Pass where there are 2 routes to trek up. Both are popular routes and are quite safe, esp when i'm trekking alone(yea, esp when i had 2 nearly-lost experiences in just as many days)

Oh well, it's a simple dinner of microwave dinner(something i dun really like, but the most convenient when travelling solo) & then it's lights out at 11pm to prepare for the next morning..

I'm lost!

Monday, 11th July 2005

Literally. I got lost hiking on a trail in this village called Betws-y-coed(see wat i mean when i say the welsh language is unpronounceable)..

I arrived from Llandudno in the afternoon..checked in at my B&B..then went to this waterfall 'Swallow Falls'..wah biang..walked about 40 mins there, paid 1 pound to enter..then realised it's such a small area tat u can walk round the whole place in <5 mins..felt a bit cheated..

Anyway, i a bit buay gan wan..walked so far just to see this tiny waterfalls..so i tried to locate this trailhead about 500m away..according to the map i have, it's an 1-hr medium-grade trail..quick check at the time 4.45pm..should have enuf time lah hor..so i went ahead..

It's still ok at the beginning..cos only 1 trail..then it split..wif no clue on the map, i just anyhow humtum..see which one looks more well-trodden & more uphill..walked³..came across this farm..dun care, climbed over the gate..then realised it's private property..climbed back out again..beginning to suspect i'm a little lost..

Walked somemore..shit..5.50pm liao..i figured i'm somewhere near the top liao but dunno how to get down..according to the map, it's supposed to be a loop..but it somehow just din feel like one..

Boh bian..had to continue walking..quite glad tat the sun sets only about 9-ish, 10pm here..

Uh-oh..6.15pm..still lost..i'm almost prepared to spend the night here liao..and then, i heard a car..i flagged it down & asked for the directions down..the driver said it's quite a far way to go & then asked if i would like a lift..there were already 5 of them in the car but wat the heck..dunno how long i'll need to walk out of this place & i still needed another 45mins to walk back to my B&B..

They managed to make some space for me & I squeezed in gratefully..can u imagine 3 big ang moh guys & me in the back seat? It's a normal sedan car..so not exactly very roomy..

Found out 4 of them were from Liverpool & 1 from Manchester..heng ah, can still talk cock wif them since i stayed in Liverpool from about 2 weeks..

Anyway, they showed me the map they're using & it's those real topo map..& me, a 2 pounds map from the TIC..those machiam World Walking Day kind..just the agar-shape of the route..they must be thinking, this xiao geena thinks she can navigate using those maps..

When we reached the foot of the hill, they offered to send me back to my B&B..of cos i was very grateful..

Finally reached 'home' at about 7pm..

There u have it..my first hitch-hiking adventure..a bit scary i must admit..but oh well, thanks to my lucky stars..i survived it..

Stay tuned for more adventures coming up..

Greetings From North Wales!

Hi folks

Aiyo..really ah..everywhere i go, something sure happen..dunno if u guys in Sg are aware..but there was an evacuation of 20,000 pple in Birmingham city centre on Sat cos of a bomb threat. The bomb was actually diffused by the police. To think tat i passed by Birmingham twice en route to my strawberry farm!

Anyway, from Liverpool i headed to North Wales since it's only 'next door'. The coach took only about 2.5 hrs to reach this coastal town called Llandudno (i hate the spellings of the Welsh language ; no idea as to how to pronounce the words at all)

Another reason why i'm here now is cos fish was here with her 2nd sis who came over for a holiday..met up with them over the last 2 days and they're now back in London. Meanwhile, i'll continue to travel ard Wales on my own for the next week or so..

Alright, time to log off...expensive terminal..

2012 Olympics

The host city for the 2012 Olympics was announced in SIngapore at 7.46pm local time. My location? Somewhere in the middle of England in a little town called Ledbury (tat's btw the place i was picking strawberries)

A sms from Ms i-can-take-photos-again informed me tat London had won the bid..oh, good for them..they did try very hard..judging from wat i see..

For some reasons, i felt quite emotional when the results came thru..was it cos London won? Highly unlikely..i like UK yes..but not so emotionally-bonded to it..

Think³..the only likely reason was i knew how much effort & hard work my ex-colleagues had put in for this IOC thingy..had i not quit my job 2 mths ago, i certainly would have been involved wif them..And wif the announcement, they would be able to heave a big of relief and breathe a little easier from now..Singapore is mentioned in the media all the time & i feel so happy & proud of them..knowing tat they're part of the 'mu hou ying xiong'..hmm..kinda miss the camaderie when we're slogging together in the good ole days..esp when u're all alone out there..feeling a little lost from time to time..

Ren jiu shi zhe yang..mei you le jiu te bie xiang nian..sigh..

Many many thoughts..

The past 2 weeks or so had really been an eye-opener for me..working as a manual labour..picking strawberries in the muddy fields..living in a caravan..being around so many pple from so many different countries..

I had wanted to arrange my thoughts then blog it down chronologically..but i decided it cannot wait..so i shall blog as & when i think of something..it may not make sense to u..but these experiences are too precious for me to 'forget to record it down'..

First, the camp was full of pple from Poland, Latvia (somewhere near russia), Romania, Bulgaria(the poorer eastern europe countries if i may call them, no offence meant)..and after living with them for just 1 week, u can tell these pple are really motivated by money..or shall i say, the fight for survival..be it rushing for the morning van, rushing for the strawberries, rushing for the bathroom..we are simply no fight for them..maybe cos we know we're here just for the experience..& we dun need the money(as badly as them in any case)

Thru talking to a few of them, we found out tat a summer worth's of job earnings here can probably last them for a year back in their own country..which is why they're so much more willing to put up with hardships..(yes, i admit, the spoilt singaporean mentality is at work here)

How they're being 'bullied' cos they dun understand much english..nobody ever questions how they're being paid, why do they have to do tis & tat & why are they being charged for tis & tat...i think we're the only 3 with so many qns..perhaps this is how the farm works..i dunno anything about farm operations..

It was also a very good lesson in humility..when u're treated as second-class citizens and u're just like everybody else on the farm..worse when u're a newbie & u obviously dun blend in wif the majority..i just hope all these can make me a better person..

I also almost lost my temper a couple of times during these 2 weeks too..i blame it on the accumulated fatigue & stress of travelling..for those who know me long enuf..i dun lose my temper easily..

It was also during this period when i had my first thought of giving it all up & just flying home..luckily the thought went away after a night's sleep..i had promised myself if i had such thoughts for 3 consecutive days in a week, it's time to SERIOUSLY consider about going back to home sweet home..

Time's running out..till the next time..

i'm safe & sound!

I've just arrived back in Liverpool and am thus safe and unaffected by the bombings in London; my 2 travelling companions as well as my frens in London are all safe & sound..

Within 3 hours of the bombings, i've received >10 calls & smses asking about me..i really appreciate it & sincerely thank all those who asked after me..at least i know i'm not forgotten in Sg :Þ

Just a quick note to inform everybody tat i'm ok over here..dun worry, i treasure my life more than ever now..

Till i find a cheaper internet..this terminal is super ex!

It's strawberry time!

Since i've got some free time(ok, maybe 'a lot' is more appropriate) now and very importantly, i've got convenient internet access(it's dialup though but it's free so i shan't hiam) & i found a 'publisher'(thanks to wei), i shall work diligently to clear up my blog's 'backlog'..

Got quite a lot i want to blog about..maybe i might seem too cheong hei & bore u pple out there..but hey, this is MY blog & these are MY memories, surely i have the right to capture them here?

Alright, let's start with the strawberry picking stint..yes, go get a cup of tea(strawberry milkshake for u cordell?!)..make urself comfortable in front of the screen..ready..here we go..


IN THE LIFE OF A STRAWBERRY PICKER

Sunday, 26th June 2005 - Arrival @ Siddington Farm

Today i met my 2 frens in the small town of Ledbury..i came down from Liverpool and arrived at about 5pm..2 hrs before they are scheduled to arrive from London..walked around the high street but most of the eateries were closed..found one open & went in..one look at the menu & realised it's quite a posh place..boh bian..needed to kill time..paid like 8 pounds for a salad..*.*

My 2 frens arrived at about 730pm and we sat there waiting to be picked up..half an hour gone past and no signs of anyone..made some calls and the pickup finally arrived. The 3 of us climbed in and were driven to Siddingdon Farm. We were greeted by rows of caravans and were shown ours. We were sharing a caravan wif this Latvian guy called Shasha..dunno about the spelling but it sounds like this lah..i know i know, it's very cha-bor sounding (anyway, more about him later)

The caravan is no bigger than the living room of a 5-room flat..there's a so-called living room, a tiny kitchen, an even tinier loo(3 of us are rather long-legged and we can barely sit on the toilet bowl..we'll just knock the door open lor) and a small doubles room.

It was a cold night and we were told there were no hot showers(read : we din bathe tat night) Too tired to recce the place..we had a simple dinner of bread(wat else) and went to sleep. The 2 of them took the room and i slept outside..my bed was the sofa bed in the so-called living room. Wrapped myself in my trusty sleeping bag & it's off to meet my grandpa..

Monday, 27th June 2005 - Registeration

Woke up at about 8am..washed up a bit..had a simple breakfast and we went to the office to register. The office was just a simple container at the back of the farm. There was a queue of people there..mainly Polish..and we just hang around, waiting for our turn.

After wat seemed like forever, we managed to get ourselves registered and were told to start work the next morning. We were given an info sheet..the terms din seem so bad..or so we thot..with the rest of the day free, we decided to walk out to the town centre and get food enough to last us for the few days.

It was a good 30 - 40 mins walk out to the Ledbury town and we went to our fave supermarket Tesco (cos it's the cheapest) and bought the usual stuff like pasta, bread, cereal, milk, etc.

Back at the camp site, we decided to check out the shower..it's err...not exactly wat u would call clean..but well..at least the water's a bit bit warm..

Spoke to a few of them who can speak some english..we learnt tat the working hours differ from day to day and we will be given breaks in between & so we would need to pack our lunch out wif us..

Cooked our dinner and then we went to bed..anticipating(eagerly? anxiously?) the next day..

Tuesday, 28th June 2005 - My First Time

Today, I had my first experience in picking strawberries..reporting time was 7am & we woke up at abt 6am (btw, for those who are not aware, the day lights up at about 4+am here). Washed up in the icy cold water, had a quick breakfast and headed out to the gathering spot. We only managed to squeeze onto the van at about 8.30am(there were about 200 other workers). We were brought to this strawberry field about 15 mins ride away and we saw rows & rows of strawberries..there were already many others who already started work..

We were given our barcode label and from them, i'm known as labour #301(4D anyone?) We're under this Bulgarian guy called Auriel..we were then given our tools - a 2 trays lined with 6 big punnets & 4 small punnets & a sledge to drag the trays..and of cos, the most impt tool of all - our bare hands. We were briefed tat there were 2 classifications of strawberries - the nice big fat juicy ones are class 1, the not-so-nice-but-still-ok ones are class 2..and then, we started work.

Everytime we finished the 2 trays, we were supposed to bring them to our leaders and they will scan in our barcodes..

Strawberry Picking - A Dream Job?

All i can say is, after 4 days of strawberry picking, it's BLOODY tough.. Strawberry picking is back-breaking hard work & the pay is damn pathetic! I think i haven't been thru' such physical hardships in a looooong while..and if u throw in the dire living conditions..BUT it's all for the experience right? At least i've earned myself the bragging rights of being a strawberry picker once in my life.. Internet time is very precious here..i will add in daily accounts of my life as a strawberry picker at a later date.. For now, i expect everybody who's reading this to think of me the next time u eat strawberries..