Wan's Ubin Journal

Hi all, Praise be to God, for WUJ Kampong Clean-Up was able to resume at least until the end of 2019, God Willing! And the clean-up for October was slightly more unique as we had a film crew with us! Joining me was a group of film students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) who found out about what I have been doing on Ubin and wanted to conduct an interview, or rather documentary, about me and my Ubin journey. As a matter of fact, the director for the second-year film project was my former secondary schoolmate, Nicholas. To be fair, the calling for volunteers for this month's clean-up was extremely last minute and I really wasn't expecting any turnout, but I was very happy to have Padget joining me. Padget initially went around asking for volunteering opportunities on Ubin after she developed a sense of adoration for the island and some of her friends referred to me and my kampong clean-up project!  I had a place in mind to help out once we have reached t...

Hi all, In this post, I will be sharing on the experience of what unfortunately potentially might be WUJ's last Kampong Clean-Up for a while. Reason being that I will be starting my new job elsewhere in October and I am still uncertain of my availability and commitment given the nature of my new job. Nonetheless, I still wish to be able to commit my time to restart this simple and humble community outreach project of mine once conditions permit. Today I am joined with six wonderful and passionate volunteers as we are tasked to offer our assistance to Cik Kamariah. NParks have earlier informed that her house is scheduled for major restoration and repair works so in order for her to get her home ready, we offered to help her throw away old unused items and did some major housekeeping. Joining Cik Kamariah were her two sisters, Cik Samsiah and Cik Nora. Before we got ready for tedious work, we helped ourselves to a hearty breakfast bought by Cik Rosmala from Changi Vil...

UPDATE (15/02/2023): This post is outdated and the information presented here is not in accordance to the actual narratives told by the original inhabitant Ubin Orang Pulau community. Please find the revised and true account of the legend here . Hi all, Today I would like to share how the island of Pulau Ubin came to be. If you were someone with quite a knowledge in geology, you would know that islands are formed in various ways; such as through volcanic eruptions, continental plates movement, land erosion or even man-made reclamation. While it is possible for Pulau Ubin to have been formed by at least one or more of the above-mentioned ways, what if I told you that Pulau Ubin was formed because of a legend? Singapore's offshore islands are filled with legends and folklore. Some of you might be more familiar with the legend of Kusu Island - where a Chinese and Malay fisherman, whose sampans capsized in the midst of stormy seas, were rescued by a large golden tortoise w...

Hi all, Today I will be sharing my thoughts, reflections and basically how the entire day went as I was joined by over 30 students, staff and alumni from the National University of Singapore (NUS) for a massive kampong clean-up in conjunction with NUS Day of Service (NUSDOS) 2019 last Saturday on September 7th, 2019. This clean-up did not take place on the last Saturday of the month; not because it was postponed or brought forward but because I was approached by Hidayu, Assistant Manager of Alumni Outreach and Engagement from the King Edward VII Hall of NUS some time back in June as they were planning an activity for residents of the hall to partake as part of their NUSDOS this year. I was pretty happy to know that my small kampong clean-up project had started reaching out and I am also thankful for Hidayu to give my community outreach a go for her residents as compared to probably thousands of other community projects available in Singapore and abroad. I was very exci...

Hi all, Today I'd like to talk about the tiny rocky island off the coast of Chek Jawa called Pulau Sekudu or "Frog Island" - or should it really be called as such? Pulau Sekudu at low-tide. Photo courtesy of Ria Tan According to legends, Pulau Ubin was formed by three different animals - a pig, an elephant and a frog - who challenged one another in a race from mainland Singapore to the shores of Johor. The animals swore that if they were not successful, they would be turned into stone - and stones/islands they became. The pig and the elephant struggled across the strait, eventually drowning and forming two separate islands which we know as Pulau Ubin today. While Pulau Ubin is undeniably just one single island, it was in fact historically two different islands separated by the Jelutong River. The two islands were eventually merged into one when prawn farmers and rearers built mud bunds across the river to catch on with the thriving prawn farming indus...

Hi all, Today I would like to dwell back onto the personal aspects of WUJ as I share my findings about my late grandfather, Sulong bin Yunos (or more affectionately known by the people of Ubin as Awang Minyak). My late grandfather worked many jobs in the past, and today I would like to share with you about his life as Pulau Ubin's betel planter. The betel ( Piper betle ) or more commonly known as 'Daun sirih' in Malay, was something my mom associated my late grandfather with if I asked her to help describe him to me. What astounded me though was when everyone on Ubin whom I have interacted with, would also echo in saying that the betel is something they remembered my late grandfather of among many others; and it wasn't too difficult to see why. On Ubin, nearly every single villager would have their own garden in their plot of land. Some are known for owning simple fruit orchards, while others would also be remembered for their beautiful flowers. My late ...

Hi all, As some of you may have known, my 5-months contract working with NParks as a community liaison officer on Pulau Ubin has come to an end on September 2nd, 2019. I could write an entire post about everything in future - but for now I feel that summing it all up in a simple photo montage seems to be the more efficient method for this one; as the saying goes a picture speaks a thousand words. So here's a quick 5-minute photo montage video to highlight what I've done for Ubin during the past 5 months as the island's first community liaison officer. 5 months of service.  5 minutes of highlights.  1 unforgettable experience. Thank you for everything. And yes, WUJ now has a YouTube channel , too! But I'm not quite sure how often I'll use it but if you're keen in liking, commenting and subscribing on my YouTube channel, that'll be pretty neat too! May Pulau Ubin thrive again, with its people in its heart. -- Like WUJ on Facebook! h...

Hi all, WUJ Kampong Clean-Up Aug '19 took place on August 31st, 2019 and this post will be sharing all about it! Today was also Malaysia's 62nd National Day so I'd like to wish my readers, fans and friends from across the causeway, Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan yang ke-62! Joining me today were 3 wonderful people whose interest and enthusiasm for Ubin's heritage were pretty intense! Although they were more experienced in other clean-ups such coastal and forest ones, I could really say their spirit for a kampong clean-up, which they have never done before, was totally admirable, too! There were Ubin residents who joined us, too! Cik Rosmala and Sulaiman came down to play their part for keeping their beloved kampong clean. There is always a great vibe when we have residents around with me as we walked to the kampong, as they would have far more stories to share with the participants, and it's also a great opportunity for me to learn new stories...