Where's The Passion, Y'all?

Well, the World Cup's halfway through and I haven't sat down for a single full match yet. Within earshot everywhere, the World Cup is on everyone's lips. Not about the love of the sport though, more the odds and winnings. At coffeeshops, you see many people glued to the box, celebrating wildly during goals and keying messages on their phones. Most probably punters.

I wonder how many people here watch the World Cup for the game. I maintain that the current S'pore will never reach the World Cup and it's 2010 dream is all but a joke. The budget set aside for this dream is better off given to the S'pore referee who's at the Cup now - for being the first S'porean to reach the World Cup.

Then, I am reminded of what I see on TV. The streets of Korea were a sea of red whenever their team played. The Ukranians cheered wildly while standing and watching their team win in the penalty shootout. 8 years ago, I shared the concrete floor of a town square in Denmark with thousands of locals as the Danish team played.

You really feel the warmth and unity of a nation then. And the above teams are not soccer powerhouses. So, where do they find that spirit to laugh and cry for their teams? Frankly, I don't know. I do know that S'pore does not have it.

I was reminded recently that we used to have this camaraderie. Remember the Kallang Roar? Yup, more than 10years ago, I, a non-soccer fan, used to have dinner at the Old Kallang Airport Market and walk to the National Stadium whenever S'pore had a Malaysia Cup match. I was part of the Kallang Roar.

For those who were there, you will remember the wizardry of Hasnim Haron and Sundram, the scoring prowess of Fandi, the reliability of Alistair Edwards, the off court antics of Abbas Saad and the tank in Borhan Abu Samah. Do you feel the tingling sensation in you?

Gone are the days where you see 55,000 people converge in Kallang for that 90minutes where we stood proud. We were actually good at something, without any government body taking the lead. In those few years, S'pore was known for something other than its policies and busy port.

I was not a soccer fan, I'm still not one. But I went to the National Stadium religiously to soak in the atmosphere. To be as one.

Well, all that is gone. The current S-League is a joke. It survives, I think, only because of Singapore Pools counters. While there is no proof, what Mahathir said may be correct. Once we're made to pay/contribute more, we choose to walk. More than 10years down the road, I wonder whether it was worth losing the Kallang Roar and spirit just because of a technicality.

I browsed through an expat forum yesterday. S'pore was ranked quite badly in a Courtesy Survey while New York was No.1. The weightage of the survey must have been skewed because NY can never be No.1 in courtesy. But more importantly, S'pore too. One expat quipped that S'poreans have no soul. I fully agree. We S'poreans were never allowed to have a soul.

Well, now we're in trouble. Our leader wants us to give 4million E-smiles to delegates landing on our soil soon. I laughed when I first heard this initiative. Finally, we have to resort to this. As an ungracious nation, how would we fare in this attempt at "digital grace"? But then again, our report cards only care about what's on the cards and never how it got there.

Me? Nah, I'm not gonna be part of this meaningless farce. But if I do see a delegate behind me in a mall, I'd hold the door/lift for him; I'd direct him to a place he wishes to go; and I'd greet a hearty "Hello" with a warm SMILE if I pass him on the streets, for the Kallang Roar still lives inside me...


redcocoon