My Stadium Merdeka Memories

 

I never expected a simple Sunday morning visit to Stadium Merdeka to hit me right in the feels. But the moment I walked through the corridor and emerged onto the stands, it was as though four decades of memories came rushing back all at once.

The stadium was closed in 2016 and reopened in August 2024 after an extensive restoration that brought it remarkably close to how it looked when Malaysia’s independence was declared here in 1957. The second tier was removed, thousands of seats disappeared, and many original design features were painstakingly brought back. Walking around the place genuinely felt like travelling back in time.

My first visit was in 1986 when my late father and I squeezed into a packed van from JB to KL to watch the Malaysia Cup final. It was also my first time seeing Tugu Negara and Pertama Complex. Johor, the defending champions, were hammered 6-1 by Selangor. We got booed by the home crowd, I was absolutely gutted, and I honestly don't remember much of the journey home.

When I entered university in 1989, I became good friends with a bunch of Selangor boys. From then on, I regularly tagged along with them to Stadium Merdeka for league and Malaysia Cup matches. It was with this same gang that I watched Gary Lineker score four goals as England beat Malaysia 4-2. I can still picture so many moments from that evening.

I also stood in these very stands countless times, proudly singing Negaraku with thousands of fellow Malaysians before international matches.

Then came what is still, for me, the greatest Malaysia Cup final ever.

Johor versus Selangor. 1991.

I went alone, wearing a bootleg Johor jersey and hoping for the best. It poured before kickoff, leaving the pitch completely waterlogged. Selangor scored first and my heart sank.

Then Michael Urukalo showed exactly why he was such a brilliant coach. Johor cleverly played the drier parts of the pitch, seized the momentum, and our Croatian striker Ervin Boban did the rest. A hat-trick. At Stadium Merdeka. I screamed, hugged complete strangers and celebrated like there was no tomorrow. Soaked to the bone and somehow shirtless by the end of it, I happily took the minibus back to campus. To this day, it's still the greatest Malaysia Cup final I've ever witnessed.

Stadium Merdeka also hosted some incredible concerts over the years. The last one I attended was Bon Jovi in 2015, just months before the stadium closed for restoration.

Standing there again on Sunday, I found myself showing my wife exactly where I used to sit for some of those unforgettable matches. Everything around the stadium has changed, but for a little while, I felt frozen in time.

And yes... I almost broke into Negaraku.

"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.