Changi Village - The Old Man & The Sea
Life is precious. Especially the adventures and fun we have and of the people who have touched our lives. A man can be destroyed but never defeated. There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind. Ernest Hemingway told a story of the old man and the sea. Changi to me is like the old man and the sea. I recalled our younger days of going to Changi which seemed so far away as there were few highways and going by bus takes ages to get there. The laid back old world charm is still evidently strong today. It is the only place in Singapore where the birds flying and cackling freely above are green parakeets and white cockatoos that fly to and from Pulau Ubin.
On a lucky day, you can spot migrating big birds. I caught sight of three huge birds recently and walked as close as possible to take a shot. They were hopping sideways on a branch. The only birds that do that are Hornbills and Toucans. What's the difference? The Toucan's bills are enormous looking and as big as their bodies but do not have the horn above their bills. Quite easy to differentiate if you see that the Toucan's bill is very colourful with a bright tinge of orange/yellow or green hue. These here were Hornbills that probably came over from Pulau Ubin which has a population. It made my day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQyXftxbHxY&feature=related (Hornbill)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ExbebXMw1M (Toucan)
Moving from bird to fish, we went to Changi Village Pro-Tackle shop. A friendly and helpful Mdm Gina Tan manning the shop was there to offer and explain to you and try to find a fit to what you may need.
These reels in a showcase are the expensive ones.
Rods are aplenty, whatever fits the bill, your choice of colours or brands. Though well stocked, the aisle is spacious enough for you to browse comfortably.
Find your lines.....hooks and sinkers.
This uncle here was transferring the lines onto our reel.
This is what I got for my son - Shakespeare Sigma Titanium.
and a Shimano Sienna reel.
Off we go fishing with the top fisher woman who cooks fish and a big brain alien - head covered with a bandanna.
We came across a 300 million year old fossil of an ancient fish. Is the earth really that old?
This is the old man and the sea. He must have been in his 60s may be more but he stood there casting his nets without a care in the world when we came and much later when we came back he was still there. I wish him well. "May the holes in his net be no larger than the fish in it" - an Irish Blessing.
There was a rich man who came to the sea and saw a man fishing and he suggested to the fisherman that he should catch more fish so that he could buy a boat. The fisherman enquired: "And then?" The rich man continued, suggesting that with a boat he could go out to sea and catch even more. "And then?" the fisherman asked. Then when you got more, buy a trawler and have a haul! "And then?" Since you have so much fish now go and open a cannery to canned fish and export them. Go public, then go international and global. The fisherman said: "And then?" The rich man said: "And then you can go fishing". The man replied: "What do you think I am doing now?"
This scenic corner show you the marina near the sailing club.
At the shed in the corner, an elderly woman told me that she caught big fishes there before but there were also many rocks making it more difficult. She must be living nearby and a seasoned angler. Though she hasn't caught anything yet, I guess a bad day fishing beats a good day at work.
Bites were quite evident. Forrest Gump said: "Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you gonna get".
Beach cowboy trying to set up shop at another spot. Not the Bali type.
Baiting and getting the hands dirtied is part and parcel of the game. Just like rolling in the mud with pigs.
I saw the nibbles turned to bites so I lifted up the rod and gave it a good whack. The fight was on, woohoo! Shiok! Fighting halfway, it must have quite a fish as it must have gone into or among the rocks. It finally escaped. The line did not burst and when I reeled back the hooks and the line was intact. "The fishing was good but it was the catching that was bad" - A.K. Best. "It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and lose has it coming" - John Steinbeck. Let me tell you that nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught!
Fishing teaches us that as we come empty-handed we can also go back empty-handed just as in life - we come naked and shall go naked.
See this box here - "Hay Dairies Fresh Goat Milk". I am recycling it using it to store baits. Some other fisherman were eyeing it asking me where I got one. I suggested that they go to Sungei Kadut where the farm is and get some goat milk which is very good for everyone.
Please see my previous article on goats and their milk.
http://gforce-guru.blogspot.com/2010/05/goats.html
More fishing in the days ahead? You bet! What the fish? I could be a fisher of man.
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