Bad incident at the swimming pool

It has been a while since I went swimming. About 5 years I think. So many changes in the Jurong East Swimming Pool.

I noticed that there were more ladies in bikinis compared to the last time where all of us would be in one piece suits. At the same time, I noticed that there were some ladies in full swimgear attire that covered their entire arms and legs, something like a diving gear.

On the increase were the amount of people sporting tattoos on their bodies. I can’t help but think how those tattoos will look like in 20 years time, when the bodies will sag and not be youthful any more.

I finally went to the pool under the persuasion of my sister

“Along! Why haven’t we been going to the pool for so long?”

“Shall we go swimming this weekend?”

“I want to go swimming!”

I started swimming since I was a kid. I think it was instinctive when everyone went in the sea and I did what seemed natural to me. But I stopped swimming ever since I had the notion that I was really unlucky at the pool.

When I was a teenager, there was the time when I went up the water-slide. It was about 3 storey high and had water flowing from the sides. We were supposed to sit and hold on to the board tightly while sliding down.

At the first go, it was thrilling and exciting. I wanted to go again!

So I did, and I lay on the board and swooshed down the slide ala superman. Unfortunately for me, the board gave way and the water flow pushed against my swimsuit, pushing my top down all the way to my chest.

It was embarrassing!

I felt my face burn as the guard, the swimmers and the people who happened to pass by the end of the slide tried to act nonchalant at the sight.

But what made me really stop was the bad incident at the swimming pool where I was hassled by a group of men. Even when I shouted at them, telling them to stop, they kept on hassling me. With no guards in sight, I couldn’t seek for help.

I left as immediately as I could. At the time, I didn’t even had the thought of reporting it to he authorities. I just needed to get away.

But I guess, I had to end my mini phobia of the pool someday. So I went with my sis and bro, and insisted that we stay together the whole time.

We had a relaxing drift on our buoys around the ‘lazy-river’ and then bopped up and down in the ‘wave-pool’ and even went up those 5-storey-high tunnel-slide things.

Even though I got breathless trying to swim the first 1/2 lap at the Olympic sized pool and had to stop many times, I’m rather pleased with myself for managing to complete five laps.

I think I’m slowly getting used to it. Maybe we could even go swimming again. And maybe I could do many laps without stopping, like before!

But at this point of time, I’ve got this incredible itch all over my body since yesterday.

Blame it on the chlorine.

Oww… Oww .. Owww …