Vietnam-Jimmy Cliff

my request for an off-in-lieu on tuesday was granted by me dear boss only on monday.and that monday midnight,as scheduled and planned,after a long while since i injured my ankle on the last session,we went out skatin,nazir included except for mimi sisqo and haji ogy.

it wasn't quite the same again,especially after the last session i had a freak accident,i must say,my feet were a bit wobbly and it took me quite some time to regain confidence to ollie.my knees weren't that painful,and probably just like what sid said,i have to rest me knees till it heal fully,or another option,go for surgery,which i don't really like the idea of going back to the hospital.

we were lucky,coz the skate park lights were switched on and there were no one around except for some folks 'shufflin.'and we were kings.


and yesterday,together with marlia,nazir and hidayah,we went to Pulau Ubin.

i was really excited,and my heart throbbed during the $2.50 bumboat ride to the isle.i stood out at the back,standing with my hands gripping the railing and my mind racing back at those younger years where me and my team of teen rebels who used to frequent and regarded Ubin as our second home.

the island in a way or another,still look and feel the same.same old bicycle shops,with owners touting every passerby to rent a bike from their shop,dogs and cats lurking in almost every corner of the streets.the roads are quite well developed and the whole place looked clean too.the only thing Not the same again-my favourite spot-the small jetty off the buddhist temple and in fact the entire life which once stood there facing nenas channel was all gone.only tall fence with concertina wires decorating the whole stretch of beach.such was an ugly sight.and when we cycled past a Caucasian tourist,he looked at us,pointed to the fence and said "Welcome to Singapore!!"

i felt a bit embarassed.the fence and all that,was really unnecessary.the whole 'sunny island' feel is gone.it look like Alcatraz.really.

it's supposed to be a photo taking session,an experience in ubin,but the weather was against us,one moment i was snapping pictures,and another moment it was drizzling and so i had to keep everything in the bag again.such hassle.so in the end,i didn't took much pictures.

we rented $3 'lowrider' bikes.i couldn't believe it's still so cheap,compared to the twin couple bike at $10 each.well of course,the condition of the bike was bad,but still it took us far enough to wander around the 'prison' island.


however,i managed to sneak into a hole in a fence in one of the quarries,and shot this,and soon after,it drizzled again.i missed jumping from the cliffs.and yeah we did it before ,average 4 or 5 storeys high,and once we jumped and hit the scary-God-Knows-What's-underneath murky water,we've to swim real fast to the surface.but it was really another adrenaline rush cheap thrill fun.

the great escape!days of good clean fun yet deemed dangerous to majority parents both now and then.my fellow childhood buddies looked real small in the pic.i wonder where they are now.

long gone are the days when Pulau Ubin was packed with students on holiday break and head there to camp either with tough 'scout trained' mindset or simply there to catch a glimpse of horror.and with yesterday's experience,it wasn't as crowded as before,coz nowadays no kids wanna test their boyhood and wage war against the mosquitos.the place has lost the feel,i think.

and by dusk,after our lil meal and laughter,we head back to the jetty,waving goodbye to Pulau Ubin.i just can't have enough,i'll be back.(though my bum hurt due to cycling..)

-The Blue Joy Squad-