on daring the devil

I need to make one thing clear. I'm NOT an adrenaline junkie. But I love whitewater rafting, am longing to go bungee jumping, try the most challenging roller coaster, and do skydiving. I can't really explain why I want to do it, other than there's something inside me that's dying to try that out.

When I was in Bali, I almost went to A.J. Hackett to do my bungee jumping there, until the wife said that she'd let me do it only after I left her 100 billion rupiahs in her bank account. I sulked because she wouldn't accept installment either.

Even when we were in Movie World Gold Coast, she didn't allow me to try Batwing Spaceshot and Superman Escape. Superman Escape is just a normal roller coaster, while Batwing Spaceshot is probably more exciting because the riders will be shot 60 metres up and then going back down again.

Therefore, I rejoiced when Universal Studios Singapore announced that their main attraction would be a dueling Battlestar Galactica roller coaster. I drooled while reading the news and imagining what it's like to be strapped in that seat and have your world turned upside down for 3 minutes. I was happy because it's closer to home and I could go by myself.

However, a couple of weeks after they opened the park, they had to close the roller coaster as one of the seats fell down during their morning test. So they suspended its operation indefinitely until they've fixed the issue.

That's why I was a bit disappointed when I finally went to Universal Studios Singapore with my sister's family last year. I played all the attractions with my brother-in-law & nephew, and there's nothing challenging for me. The closest thing was when I tried the Canopy Flyer in the Jurassic Park area. Something didn't feel right when you're hanging 30m above the ground and your feet couldn't feel anything solid beneath them.

Then, we arrived at Revenge of The Mummy. My sister wanted to come along until the usher told her to store her bags in the locker room. She didn't want to do that, so she decided to stay behind and wait for us. In hindsight, it was a correct decision.

The three of us climbed the stairs and queued inside the mock pyramid complete with spiderwebs, fake sarcophagus, mummified Pharaohs, and lights from iPhone. I didn't know the Egyptians loved their iPhones so much.

When it's our turn to board the roller coaster, my brother-in-law, who only joined the ride because his son asked him to, asked to sit at the back of the ride as he said it'd have the least impact. So we followed him and sat at the last row. We're still joking and laughing when suddenly the roller coaster drop backwards making us the first and the worst to feel the impact.

All hell broke loose and we all screamed like there's no tomorrow. It's a non-stop twist and turn that I can understand what Sir Alex Ferguson meant when he said Ryan Giggs could make defenders have twisted blood. The complete darkness only made it worse because we couldn't anticipate what's next coming our way to lessen the impact. It felt like forever and there were times when I wanted to open the straps and jumped out of the ride.

I didn't think I could be happier when the ride was finally over. My 6-year old nephew, whom I admit is braver than me, was very quiet; a sign that the ride was also terrifying for him.

The final insult, however, was displayed after the Exit door. There's a small stall showing the automated pictures of us while we were in the roller coaster. I managed to find one picture of us in which my nephew was white as a paper, my brother-in-law was somewhere between losing his mind and collapsed, and that was me with mouth open as wide as the universe and eyes almost popped out of the socket. I didn't know I could audition for Jim Carrey's part in The Mask.

It was an image that I would remember forever because it's probably how I will look like when finally Grim Reaper taps me on my shoulder.

The experience didn't kill off my daredevil instinct. Instead, it only gives more fuel to the fire. I still long for finally doing bungee jumping.

But first, another visit to Universal Studios Singapore beckons. They finally managed to get the all-clear for Battlestar Galactica roller coaster. So it's time to wear that brave face, join the queue, put the straps on, and let's see if I can replicate the same facial expression again.

This time around, I won't listen to my brother-in-law.