Main Bola (Playing Football)

Today we suppose to play football at PEC (Physical Education Centre). I was so excited since I haven't played for 2 weeks now. I really need those aerobic activities to stay in shape. Unfortunately the pitch was frozen since the ice did not thaw sufficiently after last snowfall. I felt really disappointed.

Then I reflect myself how I started to involve in the most famous sport in the world, football. I remember when I was 5, everybody was talking about football. Everybody in my class love football. My daddy also loves football. He always tell me how great his team, Selangor, was in the Malaysian football arena. Since I grew up in Hulu Kelang, Selangor, I also felt that Selangor is the only sensible team to support and love. This is because at that time, the only other team that was as good as Selangor was Singapore, which I was groomed to believe as our fierce rival. I still remember one football match between these teams. They traded goals and lead freely before Singapore finally emerged victorious. I could say that is the first time I watch a full football game and hooked me up on football since then.

Then my family moves to Kelantan in 1992. Kelantan has a moderately good football team. But they also got ultra-fanatic fans. Since I am a Selangor fan, I like to wear Selangor jersey everytime I went to recite Al-Quran at Mok Som's house. Those Kelantanese young thugs never let me off their radar. Some of them says, "Kelantan will beat Selangor 10 - 0". Another one continue, "No way, we'll beat them 25 - 0". Combined with Selangor sudden slump in form and brief period of success for Kelantan, those teases was hard to repel. One day I finally loses my cool and punched a 5th standard student right on the nose. I was at 1st standard at that time. That blow cause his nose to bleed and make him cried. After few days, someone told my sister about that incident and she in turn told my parent. The rattan treatment was inevitable... *whoop* Ouch! TT

In 1995 we moved back to Hulu Kelang, Selangor. I was enrolled to Sek. Keb. Taman Melawati (2). To my surprise, the school was just opened 1 year before, and the pitch was like construction site. There were rough stones everywhere, and very minimal amount of grass. I used to play football barefooted in Kelantan, and now I was forced to wear shoe to play. We also got to play just once per week. We also have to play carefully not to fall down on that rocky pitch. In my neighbourhood, there were no football pitch. The nearest pitch was nearly 1 km from my house with a lot of hills on the way. At this time my football skills, athletic prowess and fitness rot and by 6th standard, I gained some weight.

In 1999 I entered SMAP Labu, a religious boarding school in Negeri Sembilan. Over there, the pitch combined was about 2 football pitch. Almost everybody in my batch love to play football. We played football almost everyday, everywhere at anytime. I remember played football after Zuhur (noon) when the sun was on top of our head. When the seniors kicked us out from the standard pitch, we find our own pitch beside a drain and played between the trees. When the pitch was soaked after heavy rain, we play sliding football game until we're the same colour with the mud. Those are the sweetest memory of my time at the school, being a teenager.

In 2004, I entered MARA College Banting for International Baccalaureate. Here, although I still wants to play football, unfortunately there were some students with better football skills playing on the pitch, so there's no place for me. I spent almost entire first year playing volleyball. Entering second year, one of my friend invited me to play in the "2nd division" pitch behind the tennis court. In this pitch, the goal was small and number of player was unlimited. All the people who played there initially were because the didn't get to play at the standard pitch, hence the name "2nd division". Thus I played football almost everyday, retaining my fitness and shape.

Then in 2006 I flew to where I am now, Belfast, UK. With those universities classes, assignments, projects, cold weather, great variation of sunset time, and less footballing friends, now I'm only playing football for just one hour every week, or sometimes every two weeks. After 3 years overseas, everybody says I had gained weight considerably. I honestly not happy with my fitness right now, and my body feels heavy. I also stressed sometimes. Playing football was a medicine for my weight, fitness and stress. The fact that now I only play maximum 4 hours per month to play football really unbearable. Sometimes it makes me sad, reminiscing those times at MCB and SMAPL where I used to play and enjoy football everyday. It make it worst realising that those times have long gone and will never ever comes back.

Well, that's life then. I always believe life will never be easier. Over time, it will always gets harder and harder until we all finally relieve from our duty by a process called dying. If I continue to be stress now just because I didn't get to play football, I should think about the future. When I finally working as a doctor, do I have time to play football anymore? If I get married and have kids, can I find times to play football? Will I have footballing mates in the future? Do I live in a neighbourhood with football pitch in the future? Can I said I'm stressed to my pregnant wife just because I cannot play football? Is my life is only about playing football?

So we all should cherish life as it goes on. Be prepared for the difficult times waiting in the future. Don't make a big deal with one setback. Insya-Allah every setbacks has its own meaning. For the time being, I must stay cool and smile!!! :-)