Wan's Ubin Journal

UPDATE (15/02/2023): This post is outdated and the information presented here is not in accordance to the actual narratives told by the original inhabitant Ubin Orang Pulau community.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...