Playground thoughts

Life always seem to move a little slower and my being seems a little lighter when I’m in KL. I’m not sure if it’s because the Malaysian way of life is more relax or that that I’ve but a comfortable 300km or more between me and my work! Either way, it’s always been a good short getaway hideout for me.

I even had time to head down to the local playground. Aikee, my go-to guy for all things Malaysian, was showing me his childhood playground and the things they used to do as kids. It reminds me of my own playground when I was a kid.

When I was young,I used to stay at Serangoon Gardens and every evening at 5pm the ice-cream man would ring his bell as he come by. My sister and I would rush to the gate to intercept him before he pedals past our house. Whether we had ice-cream or not depended entirely on our own savings from our pocket money or earnings from our grandfather by doing all sorts of various errands.

After our ice-cream, I either walk or pedal the bicycle (with my sister behind) to the park nearby. My favorite playground equipment was and still is the swing. I would go as high as I possibly could while my sister looked on for fear of me falling. Climbing around on monkey bars and other playground structures, I think I was a pretty cheeky little monkey when I was young.

All the neighbors would also be at the park, the adult would do their jogging or bring their dogs out. And when I was young, my favorite one was an Old English Sheepdog called Denver, that loved playing fetch! I always look forward to seeing his owner and the dog! And once, while playing, Denver pounced on me and I nearly suffocated! Luckily the owner commanded him off and Denver, being always good natured and obedient, got off immediately. Of course, he never meant to harm me and I adored him as much as I did before that terrifying incident.

But I’m digressing. Let me get back to my topic on hand – the playground in KL.

As children, the playground is a site of imagination. A whole lot of interaction, imagination, fearlessness and fun! Somehow we all grew up and forgot how simple life can be. Jumping around with Aikee in the playground also proved that courage is a gift of the young. While jumping around at lofty heights and using the playground equipment in the most dangerous manners as kids wasn’t the least terrifying, now to do the same is absolutely daunting!