"We Need More Parks!" -- Your Head Lah!

It’s one of the most tiresome arguments online that pops up every other day:

“We need more parks! We need more parks!”

Ughhh, seriously lah. Do these people actually go out, or just melalak on social media from the comfort of their rooms?

If you know me, you’d know I’m THAT guy who runs at parks. Ahem. More than 15 years ago, I even started a community running project called Larian 40 Taman 100 Kilometer, which took me to parks all around the country. Read all about it HERE

So, “we need more parks”? Allow me to share my own experience.

Within just 10 minutes from home (Bandar Kinrara), I already have at least FIVE major parks and running spots to choose from — Taman Rekreasi Bukit Jalil, Taman Subang Ria, Taman Bandaran Kelana Jaya, Taman Wawasan and Bukit Komanwel/Stadium Bukit Jalil. And look at how glorious they are:

 

Add another 5 minutes and there’s Taman Jaya in PJ too.

On weekends, if I’m willing to drive 20–25 minutes, the options become even more mind-boggling — KLCC Park, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Taman Dusun Bandar and Taman Botani Perdana.

But wait, there’s more!

Taman Tasik Danau Kota, Taman Tasik Ampang Hilir, Taman Rekreasi Sungai Chua and Taman Tasik Shah Alam are all within half an hour from our home too.

And this is just MY experience. There are still plenty more taman out there to enjoy and explore, from Putrajaya to Kepong to Taman Tun. And needless to say, there are also incredible parks outside of the Klang Valley, like these awesome gems:

Taman Ujana Nilai Impian

Tasik Biru Kundang

Taman Rekreasi Perigi Tujuh, Serendah

Taman Tasik Milenium, Kuala Kubu Bharu

So yeah — maybe stop whining and start going out more lah.

We already HAVE an amazing lineup of parks waiting for your precious presence.

Farewell To The King!

 

No goals or assists, just who Mo Salah really is...

Up The Villa!

 

 

Thirty years without a trophy, and 44 years since that historic European Cup triumph, Aston Villa have finally ended the wait -- with Unai Emery’s men overpowering Freiburg of Germany 3-0 in the Europa League final. Woohoo!

For a team that started the season with a string of losses and dreadful performances, lifting a European trophy and securing a place in next season’s Champions League makes this an unexpectedly wonderful campaign. And they’ve done it all despite those ridiculous financial restrictions too!

The best part? I genuinely believe the best is yet to come. Unai has shaped this side into a team that plays beautiful football, yet still has the grit and heart to grind out victories when things are not going their way. And importantly, the core of the squad remains. McGinn, Rogers, Konsa and the rest simply must be kept. Add a few smart new additions, and the Villans could genuinely challenge for even more honours from here on.

But for now, there’s nothing quite like enjoying that winning feeling!

Morning Walk, Mandatory Stop

Brisk walking at Taman Wawasan also means stopping to browse through some books. Yes, books!

Right in the middle of the park sits a quiet little outdoor library -- actually five of them -- filled with books you can just pick up and read.

Behind it all is Lee Kim Siew, a 90-year-old retired headmaster who still tends to these shelves every morning. What used to be a neglected space is now a peaceful corner for readers, built purely from love for books.

Same School, Two Generations -- STAR (2), JB

My late parents were meticulous document keepers. They never threw important papers away. Birth certificates, vaccination cards, letters, forms -- everything carefully folded into old envelopes and tucked safely into files.

Today, those files feel less like paperwork and more like a time capsule.

Inside are both of their original birth certificates from 1940, my father’s vaccination certificate from the same era, and my mother’s conversion certificate -- fragile, yellowed, edges soft with age. Whenever I share them online, people are always surprised that documents this old still exist. But to me, they’re more than records. They’re proof of lives lived long before I came along.

And then there’s this one -- my father’s School Leaving Certificate from 1955.

Typed out on a typewriter. Slightly crooked lines. Faded ink. The paper creased from being folded and refolded for decades. His name, Abdul Jalil b. Suleiman, neatly stamped into history. Attendance: 190 out of 193 days. Games: Football and Basketball. Conduct: Good. And a remark from the headmaster that stopped me in my tracks: “Reliable, honest boy, will do well in life.”

Reading that, I don’t just see my father. I see a skinny 15-year-old schoolboy in shorts and canvas shoes, probably running across the padang with his friends, not knowing what the future would hold. Not knowing he would one day become my dad.

He left Temenggong Abdul Rahman School in 1955. Twenty-three years later, I walked through the very same gates as a Darjah 1 student. Same school. Same grounds. Two generations, connected by one old piece of paper.

Funny how something so simple can carry so much love.