Auckland Day 1

Yo everyone, I'm in Auckland finally and updating right from where the action is. It's my second day here, and I've finally found some time to update this blog so that some of you can follow my adventures here.

I took the 9pm SQ285 flight on Monday and reached Auckland 10hrs later, that was about 12noon local time here. The flight was good, I was spoilt for choice from the movie selection. I watched 3 - Harry Potter, Gattaca and Hairspray hahaha. There were at least 5 or 6 more that I wanted to catch but I just simply didn't have the time. So in the end, I think I only slept like a couple of hours.

The flight was on the new B777-300ER so it was comfortable and there was quite a lot of space. It was a near full flight, but I was just so lucky that the seat beside me was empty. My only complaint is that they didn't change the food menu so I remembered eating exactly the same stuff as my last flight to Auckland.

Reached Auckland and boarded the Airport Express to city. Bought the return trip for NZ$22. I asked around and found out that the taxi ride from the city to the airport is only NZ$35. If I had known this earlier, I would have taken a cab with my luggage. Not worth saving that $ for all that hassle since I take cab to work everyday and it costs more than NZ$35. I may stinge on some things... but definitely not cabs!

I chose to stay at Oaks (Hobson St) this time round to give myself another option. Pros and cons, and till now I haven't decided which location is better. I stayed at Latitude 37 the last time round. Latitude is quiter and more exclusive. Oaks is not so exclusive, some homeless people around loitering and asking for money, even though Oaks is right beside a police station. On the flip side, Oaks is nearer to the casino and has air-conditioning and internet access available for an exhorbitant fee, which is why I can update this in the comfort of my room.

The first thing I did was to catch some sleep and then head to the gym for BC at 5:10pm. I had a pleasant surprise when I got there. It was Dan & Rach and they were using this timeslot to rehearse for their BC39 filming. How fortunate that my very first class should be a sneak preview of the release before the actual filming.

There were 2 international presenters, a male instructor from Brazil and a female instructor from Portugal. Shall keep their identity secret for now, not sure if I'm allowed to post any 'SPOILERS' from the new release.

The feeling from my first taste of BC39 was that it was very raw. And because I didn't know any of the tracks, I had to pay extra attention so I ended up working up harder as compared to being in an 'auto-pilot' mode where I know instinctively what the next move would be.

After BC39, it was BP69 rehearsal. This time there was Glen and 4 other instructors. I didn't finish the class cos I was just too tired from my jetlag. It was my first BP experience in LM Auckland gym and the bars are freaking heavy. It's not the usual hollow weight bars we use in Singapore. The class was crazy-packed. I think BP is still the most popular prog in LM NZ.

But I stayed on. For BB coming right after. And I had another pleasant surprise. BB44 rehearsal! This time there were 5 instructors and surprise, no Jackie Mills! Apparently, she has something on this quarter so she's not in it. I couldn't really remember what happened in BB, except that the sun salutations is a recycled track with different chorey. I was so tired that I nearly fell asleep in relaxation/meditation.

Now when I was doing the relaxation, I kept hearing sounds from Studio 2. I know that there was a Bodyjam class down there but the screams and shouts coming from that studio were just unbelievable...

So after BB, I packed my stuff and went down. They were doing BJ48 rehearsal! Man, I missed it. Watched them do it but I didn't join in. Didn't have any strength left, and also the BB sort of left me in a very zen mood. Wasn't about to break that up by dancing!

I showered, left the gym and had a quick dinner. On the way back, I walked past the casino and I decided to go try my luck. I was seriously very tired but somehow I just walked in and the next thing I knew, I was sitting at the tables.

I changed NZ$150 of chips and played. There was a time when I was holding just over NZ$500 of chips. I should have stopped and cashed in, but no, I just continuing playing and I ended the night without any chips. Hahaha... now I know why they say gambling is addictive. Must learn to stop. Those who win keeps on going cos they think they can win more and those who lose wants to recoup their losses...

At the end of the day, my mantra is... play within my means!