The Grand Old Dame: National Stadium

The National Stadium holds many fond memories for many of us. In its 34 years of service, it has hosted many National Day Parades and unforgettable events.

For myself, it has to be the "Malaysia Cup" finals in 1994, the last win by the Singapore team in the game. Not because the Singapore team was no longer good but because Singapore withdrew from the competition following a dispute with the Football Association of Malaysia over gate receipts.

I went to the game with my family and cousins. There were 8 of us and the experience and atmosphere was simply electrifying, a feeling which i will never forget. There was a spirit of unity, and i felt really proud to be a Singaporean standing on its ground, and of course, participating in the Kallang Wave. I was wearing a red t-shirt then, as an act of support to the Singapore team. The star players at that time - Fandi Ahmad, Lim Tong Hai, Nazri Nasir, V. Sundramoorthy, Abdul Malek, Steven Tan etc ... were familiar names which were close to heart. Mom & Dad had a friend who has a stall there for many years and whenever we were there, they will visit their friend.

Another event was the S.E.A games. I was there for the preview of the opening ceremony, and my brother was part of the çard-formation team.

And lastly, there were the National Day Parades. Not that i was there, but i could always see part of the fireworks from my home (for those fireworks that were shot up really high). And as a child, i would run up to my grandma's room with my cousin and brother trying to see as much as we could ... while the rest of the family would be contented from what they see from the tv.

These will be fond memories!