the park

I was doing my usual run in the evening.

Somehow today I did not take my usual path which would have led me past Loyang Point and a few other schools before coming back. Instead, I ran the perimeter of the Loyang Villas, which was physically much tougher because of a very long upslope. Well, I just felt like challenging myself.

True to my own words, the slope was the most demanding part of the run. I finished 3 rounds before I felt really tired but satisfied that I had completed about 5 km and 3 upslopes. Decided to do some static exercises so I proceeded to my estate's park or what we call, The Mariam Estate Park.

When I arrived there, but there wasn't a single soul around. I was later accompanied by a couple and their daughter.

Completed my exercises and I sat on one of the benches.

I then realised that the bench was one that I used to place my things on when I played football at the park in the past.

Many kids from my estate and its surrouding houses used to play football at the park.

Not just young kids. Older kids, teenagers, adolescents, army boys, girls and occasionally, uncles also joined in the fun.

Trees became goalposts, jogging paths became boundaries. It was our Wembley.

Those were very fun times during the weekend evenings. It was simply the place to make friends and it was at here that I got to know many of my neighbours and some became friends.

Then all of a sudden 2 years ago, the Mariam Estate Park "authorities" suddenly decided to ban football from that area, citing damage to the lamp posts and trees and erosion of soil, as well as rowdiness by the people there. They erected a "No Football" sign.

Well, we didn't give a damn about the ban and continued our games.

Heartless enough, the authorities started planting trees in the middle of the open grounds.

It sure worked better than the ban. There simply wasn't enough space to play our games. Every kick will hit a tree. Some knocked themselves into the trees while running. It was frustrating to play.

The following weekend, no one came back to play football. Not even me.

One day somebody found a piece of empty land near my estate and got some of us to play there. But somehow, the attendance got less and less and there aren't anyone playing there these days.
The magic of the park simply wasn't there.

Sometimes when I walk past the park, I just can't help but feel a sense of anguish at the authorities' decision.

Are a few lamp posts more important than kids having fun? Will the growing of new grass ever replace the camaraderie and friendship that could have been forged? Were the trees of more economic value than the children?

Perhaps the pathetic state of the park now is a representation of our next generation. Many children do not have the space or place to play games. They instead, are growing up with computer games and gizmos to fill their spare time.

In my opinion, only by roughing it out can these children build strong characters and traits needed to survive in the future.

My parents' time were, perhaps the best for character development. They had to deal with poverty and politics but they had the land, the space to grow. They were fitter and healthier than us now when they were young.

Somehow the younger kids in my estate are strangers to me now, unlike their elder brothers and sisters.

As I took a second look at the park, it felt no longer a park to me. Gone were the laughters, noise, shoutings and encouragements.

True, it is a very nice-looking and tidy park today.

But it is a soul-less park now.