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Our Days In Michigan
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Semester At Michigan State University
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This is one day that we all have look forward to - the one event that we thought was the pinnacle of all that America represents: absolute, unrestrained freedom of expression. This is an event that has become somewhat a tradition at the University of Michigan (note: NOT Michigan State University). Every year to commemorate the end of exams, students and some professors, I'm told, of U of Mich will drop their books and pants to run naked in the one-mile stretch within the campus. As the years went by, news of this event spread and more and more participants and spectators attended this annual ritual. Being typical Singaporeans, anything that we don't have in Singapore we must see and be able to brag about seeing it, of course we have to join in the fun. (watch I mean, not run...) So it was that three of us ventured down to Ann Arbor. Try as we might, we could dissuade Ka Min to put aside his work to join us. We had no idea where we were heading as all we know was the run would be somewhere on campus. As you might have guessed, I was given the task of asking passing pedestrians where exactly the Naked Mile was being held. Judging from their disdain looks, I'm guessing that people of Ann Arbor were disgusted with the many perverts coming for the event just to take photos or film the entire thing. Anyway, we were told to our dismay, that the event starts not in the early evening as we thought but late night instead. So we headed straight for our dear (and only) friends in Ann Arbor.
The few of us having some fun before the sun sets. From left: Jonathan, Junie, me, Kevin (Jon's neighbor) and Derrick. Mike (Jon's neighbor) took the photo for us. Later that night, we went for a nice dinner at this Indian restaurant which served hot and spicy curry. After dinner, it was show-time. The route was packed with eager spectators, some unbashfully snapping away at the runners. For the uninitiated, participants in the Naked Mile do not start off all together. You can run whenever you're ready, run alone or together in a group. Some ran stark naked while others were more modest and made use of bags and/or costumes to hide their vital assets. Whatever the form, there were plenty of both males and females runners. Derrick was of course, itching to run but despite our egging on, he lamented the absence of Ka Min and said he'll run if only Ka Min was there to join him. =p I saw an elderly man running and even a guy in a wheelchair, both naked. Some runners remained unclothed even after the run. Spectators cheered and cameras flashed away. Some runners attempted to block voyeurism by spraying water from water pistols at cameras. It was truly a sight to behold.
Due to consideration of under-aged minors who might access this site, only this picture is deemed fit for publishing on this site.
Later when the crowd dispersed somewhat, we traced back the route taken by the runners and saw plenty of underwear spewing on the streets. You can easily step on a bra or someone's panty if not careful. It was certainly an eye-opener for us.
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14th
April
2000
