You can take the man out of the street, but you can never take the street out of the man
Sorry for missing out in action for so many months. Work has taken a toll on our bodies and mind.
It is no secret that the three contributors of this blog, Kurt, John and me, became fast friends through skateboarding. It still remains the social thread that binds us together so tightly all these years.
The best times we've had still remains those days when we were more innocent, younger, poorer and without the pressure of meeting month end targets, client proposals or research. When i look back on those days i wonder if any of us had, for a second, imagined the profession we had joined in the end.
I know i didn't.
It seems that over the years, as more responsibilities and deadlines invade our live and calendars, the less time we have left for skating. This is a shame, when you consider the fact that this may be the only avenue we have left for any form of exercise.
Running is a bore, the gym is a chore and swimming?...... What's the fun in that?
During those impressionable days, i remember a pact being made one night after the wheels stopped spinning and the perspiration began to evaporate from our brow. Kurt and me, made a friend called Mel through one of such skate sessions. At the time, Mel and friends were about the age we are now. And most of them were working and drove cars. Something that seems far off for us at that age.
The most important thing about Mel and friends were, they were ripping the spot.
Although leading their busy work life, they still managed to practice the craft that probably brought them together in the first place. It was at this point that impressionable Kurt and Kenny decided that even when we started working, we would find the time every weekend for a skate session.
We may have sealed the deal with a shake.
Over the years, our careers have brought us further and further away from this deal. My job made me want to go out and get drunk when the weekends approach. Kurt's job took him halfway around the world to London. John's job made it essential for him to study overseas for the past few years.
When it seems that all hope of ever seeing any of us on a skateboard again is fading away, destiny intercedes.
Justin and Chloe, bought a pair of roller-blades earlier last week with the intention of staying healthy. They promptly initiated a blading session along East Coast Park, since it was a walking distance for me, i decided to join them. Not with blades, but with my retiree skateboard.
Skating was obviously more exhausting and draining than blading, so i was distanced from the pack in a matter of minutes. Pushing my board alone, hearing the distinct sound the wheels made as they rolled across the bumps and dirt on the concrete, popping the tail up for a few seconds of manual time, feeling the breeze fumble my shirt, tickling my face, it re-ignited a fire deep down beside me.
It made me remember those times we had running away from cops, skating from one spot to another in the cool night air.
I decided then, that i should start skateboarding again, alone if that's what it takes.
And so i did, I made a trip down to the new East Coast Skatepark two days later immediately after work and skated alone till the lights went out.
And this evening i got invited to join some guys at Bedok for a short session with their home-made fun-box.
That one session i had alone at East Coast, made me feel young again, for a few hours, the stress of deadlines and targets were lifted completely off my chest. Instead, the only pre-occupation that persisted was the desire to land the next trick.
Ride Hard!
posted by Ken The Man at
