In a city filled with towering buildings, bustling streets and the constant hum of activity, a slower way of life still exists just a short boat ride from mainland Singapore.<\/p>\n
On Pulau Ubin, where visitors can trade traffic jams for cycling trails and concrete landscapes for lush greenery, 18-year-old Isaac spends his weekends and school holidays with his grandparents, helping out at their provision shop that has been standing for more than a century.<\/p>\n
The Republic Polytechnic student, who lives with his parents on the mainland during the weekdays, shared a glimpse into his life on the island in an episode of Mediacorp’s Gen Z Crash Course, posted on YouTube.<\/p>\n
Pulau Ubin offers Isaac a quiet retreat from city life, though living there also comes with its share of challenges.<\/p>\n
Helping out at a century-old provision shop<\/h2>\n
The provision shop sells snacks, drinks, coconuts and ice cream to tourists, <\/strong>and it also serves as a mini-mart for island residents, stocking everyday necessities such as rice, canned food and soap.<\/p>\n His grandmother’s coffee is another draw for customers.<\/p>\n Having grown up around the island’s community, Isaac said residents had watched him grow up and treat him like family.<\/p>\n On weekends, more visitors come to the island, so he helps his grandparents at the shop.<\/p>\n “I help out (by) watching the store, collecting payments, and making sure the monkeys don’t come in and steal anything,” Isaac said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Life on Pulau Ubin does not come with conveniences that many mainland residents take for granted.<\/p>\n Isaac explained that his family’s water supply comes from a well, with the connected pipes sometimes resulting in weak water pressure when multiple taps are used.<\/p>\n Without a showerhead, his family boils water before pouring it into a large container. They then use a pail to scoop up the water and pour it over themselves to bathe.<\/p>\n The heat is another challenge, with Isaac keeping two fans in his room to stay cool.<\/p>\n He also relies on his own mobile data to complete schoolwork and browse social media, as there is no Wi-Fi at home.<\/p>\n Despite these limitations, he enjoys the island’s surroundings and the contrast with life on the mainland.<\/p>\n “On the mainland, it’s all concrete and everything. But in Pulau Ubin, you just walk five minutes and you get all these nice views,” he said.<\/p>\n Away from the shop, Isaac enjoys photography and videography, using Pulau Ubin’s scenery as inspiration.<\/p>\n In the episode, he takes viewers to Butterfly Hill, where there are plants to attract butterflies, <\/strong>and Chek Jawa, where visitors can enjoy the sea breeze and coastal views.<\/p>\n For Isaac, these places are part of what makes the island special.<\/p>\n He said Pulau Ubin has become more vibrant over the years, with conservation efforts and improvements bringing more visitors and wildlife to the area.<\/p>\n “It’s like my love for the island that keeps me coming back here. Like it’s my passion,” he said.<\/p>\n Although he sometimes feels lonely and keeps in touch with friends through online games, Isaac said the island remains a place he loves returning to.<\/p>\n Despite the challenges, he said he <\/strong>would like to take over the provision shop one day if given the opportunity.<\/p>\n He hopes to retain its kampung-style character, although he would rebuild parts of the ageing property to address maintenance needs.<\/p>\n “I will keep the kampung style, but I’ll definitely rebuild the house a bit because it’s a bit too old already,” he said.<\/p>\n He also hopes more people will visit Pulau Ubin, recalling how ferry passengers previously had to wait for hours during busy periods.<\/p>\n Nowadays, he sometimes has to wait for enough passengers to gather before a boat departs.<\/p>\n For those who have yet to visit the island, Isaac’s message is simple: “Just come. Don’t think about it. Just come, lah<\/em>.”<\/p>\n [[nid:745061]]<\/p>\n asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n In a city filled with towering buildings, bustling streets and the constant hum of activity, a slower way of life still exists just a short…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=92563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/92564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=92563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=92563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=92563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
Life without a conventional shower<\/h2>\n
A quiet escape surrounded by nature<\/h2>\n
Hopes of keeping the family business alive<\/h2>\n
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