Residents fed-up with noise from card players
CARD GAMES AROUND THE CLOCK
# Teens by day
# Retirees by night
FOR some residents of this HDB block, 88 is turning out to be an unlucky number.
Night after night, they have been kept awake by the noise below their block, they said.
People cheering, talking loudly, and pounding on the tables at the void deck affect these residents, who live on the lower floors of Block 88, Redhill Close.
Apparently, some senior citizens and teenagers have made the block an all-day and night hangout because of the card games being played there.
Mr Derrick Chia, a Jalan Rumah Tinggi resident, said: 'Of all the blocks they can meet, they (retirees) choose to meet here, at Block 88. Maybe it's a gamblers 'pantang' (superstition in Malay) because of the block number.'
The number '8' in Cantonese sounds like 'to prosper', so '88' would be doubly prosperous.
And the din has been going on for three years, said a second-storey resident, who wanted to be known only as Madam Daisy.
'Sometimes, especially on weekends, it gets so noisy we have to close our windows. My son manages to ignore the noise by switching on the radio in his room.'
Madam Daisy, a Filipina in her 30s, has been living there for five years.
Said the mother of three children: 'I didn't make any complaints because I understand that sometimes the elderly have nowhere to go or nothing to do. But they should be considerate to others who need to sleep.'
She added: 'My neighbour couldn't stand the noise and decided to move out last year. Their home was directly above one of the tables in the void deck.'
Other neighbours on the second storey also said they have been putting up with the disturbances, though they have not made any complaints to the authorities.
Said Ms Shamini, 22, a resident of the estate for 14 years: 'While the noise can get irritating at night, I'm more fed-up that they (those who loiter at the void decks) urinate and defecate at the walkways and staircase landings. It stinks and we have to pass the spot every day to get to our flats.'
Said another second-storey resident, who did not want to give his name: 'From my room I can even hear music from the teenagers' handphones.'
He also sees the teens sleeping at the void decks when he goes to work in the morning.
He added: 'Senior citizens playing cards is all right as some are residents of this block. But they attract others not from this estate and who do not care about keeping this block clean.'
The New Paper observed the void deck for three days, and witnessed regular card sessions there, played on three tables.
Teenagers hogged the tables in the day, while retirees take over well into the night.
During the three days, the largest turnout was eight people at one table.
MONEY CHANGING HANDS
When we identified ourselves to one group of players and asked about the card game, they insisted it was some form of memory game.
One of them, who spoke in Malay, said: 'This is not poker or blackjack. We don't even use any money.'
While no money was placed on the table, we saw money changing hands after each round.
Some of the old women playing the game kept small handbags close to their side. Others retrieved money tied in handkerchiefs.
As the game wore on, there were excited shouts from the players.
Some found it hard to contain their enthusiasm, especially after winning.
A resident from Block 89 said the retirees can make better use of their time.
Citing the example of a group of retirees who meet regularly on the fourth storey of her block for sing-a-long sessions, the housewife, 45, who declined to be named, said: 'I just hope the senior citizens are not spending the money they receive from their children.
'Their children would be heartbroken if they know their hard-earned money is wasted this way.'
But Mr Chia thinks otherwise: 'Playing cards is a good way to keep their (senior citizens') minds alert. They also get to mingle with people their own age and not get bored at home.'
He believes the bets placed by retirees are 'harmless'.
'They bet using coins. So how much can they lose? I think it's more about socialising than trying to win big.'
Madam Daisy said she has seen the police making their rounds in the estate.
When that happens, the gamblers 'pretend nothing is happening'.
At press time, the police were not able to comment.
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