Pulau Ketam

14th - 15th December 2013, GRIFFIN made history

Too bad we couldn't make it Friday night ... or else, it might've been more enjoyable as we needn't rush around .... ;)

Rendezvoused around 0715hrs, moved off around 0730hrs
Reached the Pulau Ketam jetty around eightish and had breakfast while waiting for another member of the team ... no, that minion is NOT a team member  

 Arrived Pulau Ketam tennish. Checked in at Sealion and proceeded to walkabout.
Pulau Ketam is a fishing village built on stilts. Predominantly Chinese with a small population of Malays.

 Main street

 Local volunteer firefighting team crest and their office 

 Bicycles and motorised bikes be the mainstays of transport here and pedestrians hear the ringing of bells, whistles, horns and other vocalised sounds as riders attempt to pass. Zippy riders. 

GRIFFIN checking out main street.

Main street is lined with eateries, hawker stalls and partial wet market with vendors of  vegetables, fruits, fish and meat.

Seems the food is not as good as a few years back.

 Tide breakers

Snapshots of some berthed fishing boats waiting for their turn to head out again ...

Part of the creek that leads inland ...

 Boat 'carcass'

This particular house had a line up of Yamaha outboards

Some bedecked motorised peds ...

Tried to capture her in mid-air but they kept moving further in .... 

Place your bets .. errr .. orders ! :D

Deep fried mantis shrimp with onion rings look absolutely scrumptious !

 

Before & After ... natch !

Spicy bamboo clams, fishball soup, oyster egg with chili dip, oyster sauce shrimp and stir fried Chinese brussel sprouts

Various perspective views of the jetty ...

Beautiful sunset just before 1900hrs ... played around with the exposure 

Sunday morning ....

Mainstreet eightish in the morning 

One of the team was really taken by this blue door ... even entered the grounds to try taking a shot
But lighting wasn't conducive then ... got it the next morn

Sighh ... really wish for true macro ...

'twas a great outing .. wish we can do it again soon 

introspection

noticed a trend over the past few years ...
whenever i'm in a funk or facing issues and beset with problems that just won't go away 
or faced with unfair practices or injustice that just laughs in my face repeatedly 
when faced with hypocritical double standards flaunted in my face
when frustrated with the downs of life .... 

songs seem to always help 
before i began youtubing ... i'd just get the urge to pop into Salvation
scan their shelves for anything that may draw my attention 
browse through my faves as well as the unfamiliar 
and when testing was done, the songs and music would minister 
to my heart, my spirit, my soul 
there were times when i'd get an album just for a particular song or two that 'reached out' to me 
despite not liking the rest of the compilation
but over time, after repeated listening ... i grew to like those songs, too 

Done Moen's songs are good ... his Hiding Place album has been particularly helpful 
saw me through some difficult times 
i find Casting Crowns to be an anointed band with real life songs 
undiluted, frank, in your face .... sometimes kinda raw but good all the way
of late, Kari Jobe's the more i seek You & i'm in love with You and Selah's i look to You (with Amy's testimony) & i look to You (without Amy's testimony) [btw, it's an experience to listen to both playing simultaneously, ie the song playing in the background as you listen to Amy's testimony], I will carry you, and Bless the broken road have been particularly comforting, alternating between tears and desperate faith, desperate longings, desperate yearnings, loneliness, frustration, renewed faith and strength ... before the cycle starts all over again
parents who've lost their child and the rare ones able to empathise will understand 'I will carry you' ... and i desperately needed to be carried by my Father .. since all my earthly fathers let me down
am going through another phase in my life where i desperately hope and pray, identifying with 'Bless the broken road' ... how i desperately long for such a blessing 
so lonely and desperate that i alternate between believe in love & you'll see miracles and totally for You
came across Modern Day Ruth recently and her blog - Jenny Williams is a forty-something single mother who is going through a difficult phase of her life. She shares intimately, sometimes almost raw, but is encouraging and many found a kindred soul in her. Her writings echo, sometimes very similarly to a certain extent, what's in my heart and mind.

Father, i alternate between ambivalence and certainty, desperation and calmness, feeling lost and yet anchored, feeling lonely and yet not alone ... i wish i knew how to move on without making anymore mistakes. 
Father, You know the desires of my heart, my needs, ... i love You 
wanna remain in You & Your word and have You & Your word remain in me 
love You, Jesus .. in love with You even though i love the Sea deeply 
please .... Father 

thank You for my friends and 'families' ... please bless them all
thank You for my friend who is more a brother than a friend ... who is Christ-like despite not being a believer in that he judge not and understands my situation ... please bless him  
who said any one of the two situations i'm in would bring a man to his knees ... 
and i'm facing both simultaneously
who understood that they're two separate issues
brother mine, thank you ... which is why i can cry freely before you 

Father, i want to sing again for You
i want to obey and feed Your sheep
i want to do something for the children of our land and the world over 
i need a 'Ruth' to help me ... please 
please keep us and preserve us all, O Sovereign LORD 

Kepong Tackle 11th January 2014

went there today as some friends said they're going
was in the pelangi utama area for a friend's daughter's birthday party

contemplated getting the ABU C4 blue/C5 green reels 
but they did not seem to be in good condition 
saw an alphas 103 the last time i was there a month ago 
took the bull by the horns and ... 

wanted this ever since i saw one of my sifu's left crank version and looked it up on Tackletour and reading the review and seeing the pictures 
finally in hand after some years

it is highly unfortunate the original REVO INS Inshore low profile baitcasting reel is no longer in production ... just don't make 'em like they used to 
and i didn't get an extra unit ! *sighhhh*
and the latest version has yet to arrive *double sighhh*
have yet to get a shimano/daiwa LPBC despite wanting to try one
pricing is relatively higher and the above is a keeper
too many versions is another issue
a friend suggested the zillion PE but it's way beyond my busted budget
hope another friend's used antares II is still available 


settled for something close, familiar, reliable as always and definitely more affordable, ie value for money

service/lubricating port near bottom right ... rectangular piece at bottom of gearbox

need to go elsewhere if i'm to get the C4/C5 for my collection ...

mourning ...

... is kind of weird .... 

many people appear to be able to mourn practically immediately upon the loss of a loved one or a person close to you

some a little later, weeks or months maybe

been three years since dad passed away ... not a single drop 

no remorse, no regrets, no sadness ... nothing 

may wish things could've been better between us but that's water under the bridge

most probably because there's no love lost between my parents and i 

i cried at the funeral of our pastor's mother though i wasn't close to her

i cried at the thought of losing my mother-in-law's Rott

when we lost our first child just before the third month ... i'm not sure i felt anything 

it was more of taking care of the wife 

and when the hospital asked us if we wanted the remains comprising a clump of tissue ...

we just shook our heads and declined

a decade later ... i cried for a good 30-45mins ... moved by Selah's I Will Carry You

hearing Amy Perry sing ... the lyrics hit home and .... i was moved to tears

precious darling ... i am sorry i didn't give you a second thought 

i am sorry i didn't and don't get to see you, watch you grow, see you smile, hear your laughter

i am sorry i shan't know of your dreams and desires, that i can't wipe away your tears 

i am sorry i can't hug you and hold you close and comfort you 

i am sorry i can't take pictures of you, feed you, bathe you, dress you

i am sorry i can't take you by the hand when you take your first steps and later, watch you run

i am sorry i can't sing and rock you to sleep

i am sorry there're no midnight feeds, no strapping into the car seats 

i am sorry i won't be able to see you grow and perform in playschool or in church

i am sorry i shan't have the pleasure of children's, parent's, Christmas and vacation days with you

i am sorry i won't have the pleasure of seeing your mind and motor skills progress ... learn to eat on your own, dress and toilet yourself

precious darling, i am sorry, daddy's sorry

but you're with the Father ... who knows you by name before you were born and saw you before you were knit in your mother's womb

and you have all you ever need with Him 

Shalom, little one ... i hope to know you when i return home 

SS2 Fishing Fever on 23rd November

Finally got round to paying Ann another visit.

Like the matte blue coating on the 6-foot 1 piece Zagan very much, something different from the norm. A light jigging rod, the Zagan Micro Stage Drop Flick feels comfy in hand, light and yet strong. Check out Asian Angler's review of the Micro Stage Drop Flick. 

Another light jigging rod that caught my eye was the Ajiking Micro Game rated PE0.8-1.0 but capable of handling jigs weighing 80g max.

All three rods were retailing for less than RM250, with the Ajiking going for less than RM200 if I remember correctly; worth a buy.

Up next was the Butterfly Extreme rated PE1.5-3 with max jig weight of 160g. Love the metallic violet finishing of the handle and binding. Some may or may not like the ACS trigger though.

The 2-6lb 1 piece 6-foot St Croix ultralight spinning rod was particularly tempting. Sporting a split reel seat and quality cork handle, the rod also came with titanium guides all the way to the tip. Worth the RM320 sticker price; light and strong. This, when I swore I'd never pay more than RM100 for an ultralight.  

Speaking of Asian Angler, the publication turned 1 in October 2013, a historic milestone for the publisher and angling community alike. Kudos to Phil and the gang!

The Fortitude spinning reel featured in the October issue of Asian Angler ... git me one'a those, baby ! If it's going for a fraction of the cost of a Van Staal or Zeebaas, I'm all for it!