Lifestyle Change

To say that I'm enjoying my new lifestyle is a massive understatement for me. I'm totally loving it! I certainly didn't expect just buying a car and driving it around would have meant such a difference but I'm sure feeling it now.

In fact, I have been thinking of getting a car since last year but never had the courage to take the plunge. The cost of owning and maintaing a car was deterring me, but when COE prices hit rock bottom recently, I decided that the time was ripe.

I did my sums, over and over again. I wanted to make sure that everything was affordable. The more I drive, the more I realise how freaking expensive it is to drive in SG. Other than the downpayment and monthly instalments, the ones that gives u a jolt of reality are the parking and ERPs cos they just come everyday. Then there's petrol. The road tax, insurance, maintenance I don't see it yet, but I know it will come.

Since I got my baby on Wed, I've been making that few extra rounds to familiarise myself with the roads and as well as the potential that it has. It certainly is a very thirsty one, though it pales in comparison to my colleague's monster (wouldn't even call it a baby) which simply gulps petrol like it's free.

Getting to places has become more and more convenient, I've even armed myself with a $400 GPS already (I predict more car accessories to follow). I keep having this urge to buy things cos I know I can just dump it in my car. And some of my friends are already starting to plan meals at places previously inaccessible.

Not everything is rosy with a car though. I've already experienced the pains of not finding a parking lot! At STC too. (Makes mental note to self to leave home earlier before STC classes) Just today, I attended the 3.30pm BC class at STC. I left home at 3pm, reached STC carpark at 3:20pm and only found a lot 15mins later, hence I was slightly late for the class.

Enough about my car, cos I don't want to turn this into a car blog. Besides, I'm sure it's only the initial excitement, which will die off in a while.

Alright, now something pertaining to the gym, which I'm sure is where most of my readers are more interested in. We're in the midst of doing the new release BC39.

Today, one of the members (sorry to use you as an example, I don't know if you read this) came and told me that she actually enjoyed BC39 after doing it for a few times. And she was one of the few who came to tell me she didn't enjoy BC39 when she did it the first time round.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but this has come time and time again. When people do new releases for the first few times, it's always 'not nice', 'don't like', 'music not inspiring'. I've heard it all before.

All those favourites recycled time and time again in classes were new releases too. Does it mean that all new releases are no good? When I did BC39 in Auckland for the first time, I was also wondering what the hell I was doing. Until I did it a few times then I found the music engaging and the release endearing.

I like BC39 so much that even outside of my own classes, I attend others too. Like today, albeit slightly late.

Had a chat with one of the members after class, she was one of my regulars in my hardcore Wed FES class. Not sure how many of you readers here were regulars in the Wed evening class, or have attended before, but I can tell you that I LOVED the class to bits. I miss it so much now.

Those were the days when the class was packed like sardines, I like packed classes cos of the atmosphere, but what I liked even more about that class was that the crowd was HARDCORE. Week in week out, I played the hardest and toughest tracks but everyone just sucked it up and stayed all the way. I felt the adrenaline and my heart pumping each week with all the tracks cos I was just pushing myself all the way. There is a tinge of regret that the club premises had to shift, and I had to give up my weekday classes... but the HARDCORE class will stay etched in my memory forever.

As I was speaking to the member, I also came to realise that my teaching style has changed significantly. Those who attended my classes during the early days would know that I'm 100% serious and no-nonsense in class. My face was stern perpetually and I would be very harsh and focus on technique and safety all the time. One fellow instructor who attended my class before said she was very stressed because it felt like there was no room for mistakes.

But the me today is different. I've lightened up a whole lot and I'm starting to joke around in class. I don't think many people know that I'm very cheeky by nature and I'm letting that personality out in class recently.

If there's any reason for the sudden change, I would clearly attribute it to a change in job. Back in those days when I was taking all those weekday classes at Raffles Place, I was working at a job which I hated. The pay was good, very very good, some might even say obscene, but the stress was unbearable. I felt suppressed at work, the work environment sucked, I detested most of my colleagues because they were so flat out arrogant and thought the world of themselves. (Just for example, someone in the company can say things like "$300 monthly parking in Raffles Place is dirt cheap. It should be $1,000!" - I just couldn't stand working under such people.) I guess I was only staying because the pay could allow me to go NZ several times a year without batting an eyelid. I'm so glad I'm out of there.

Perhaps that was why I was so serious most of the time. I had so much frustrations at work that I just had to vent everything out. What better workout to do than BODYCOMBAT? Punch the s**t out of your system.

Now that I've changed jobs, I feel so much better. Liberated is the word. I like my boss and my colleagues, I am fine with the culture, I'm used to the pressure/stress, but one thing which has changed is I can't make it in time for any 730pm class (regardless whether I'm attending or teaching) because I work so much later now. But I guess I shan't complain because there's always a tradeoff. We can't have the best of both worlds.

Back to today, I suddenly got this idea to go to Novena Square after gym/dinner to walk around. I guess having a car helps now. I've always liked Novena Square because it's quiet and there's a feel good factor there because it brings back many sweet memories.

I went there because I wanted to check out Nike store. I have this weird habit - I don't spend money often, but when I start spending, it usually comes in a form of a spree. It's like a spending spree exacerbated, which isn't too good.

On Sat, I already spent $100+ at Nike Suntec because I thought my gym wardrobe was getting a bit old and I am starting to make plans for the Apr/May filmings in NZ, what am I going to wear for the filmings. BTW, the Singapore football team jersey I wore for BC39 was planned, except that I didn't know the red jersey would be that conspicuous in the DVD.

So today, I spent more money on Nike stuff at the Novena outlet again. And I really have to write this down because I think the service from the staff there was top-notch. I'm hardly impressed by service standards in Singapore, but the sales assts really deserved my plaudits.

I bought quite a bit of stuff, and this nice girl actually did all the calculations and worked out that I'm just a bit short on $250. She suggested I buy something else to top up to $250 which will qualify me for VIP discount 10%. She was patient enough to explain the perks. Previously the discount was only good for a year, but now it's for good, and a 25% discount on my birthday month. Considering how much I spend on Nike, this was really a good deal, so I went sniffing around to top it up.

Then as I made payment for all my stuff, the total came to $296, and the cashier even extracted a $45 item to separate the billing, so the first bill could come up to $251 to qualify for the VIP, then use the VIP discount to charge for my other item. It's not much, the $4.50 could probably buy me a scoop of Haagen Dazs ice-cream, but I was just impressed by the gesture. It meant extra work for them because they had to swipe my card twice and do the extra billing.

I felt very good about the entire thing, to the extent that I even lent my VIP card to the next customer who bought 2 pairs of shoes and got a 10% discount just like that. The staff didn't make a fuss too, so everyone ended up happy.

Food for thought, wouldn't the world be a better place if we all passed some goodwill around?

Whatever the case, I'm liking my new life as it is now.