Shrimp Day

Today, my younger brother and I traveled the whole Kota Marudu to catch fishes.. As usual, we brought our fishing net or rambat to catch them. It was late in the evening so it's best to go out when it was not so hot like in the afternoon. As we travel along the rivers and ponds, we caught many kinds of freshwater fishes..but their sizes were not up to our standard which was quite a dissatisfaction to both of us. We even ended up catching tilapia inside a drain and it was also the same.

So, with a great dissatisfaction, we reluctantly decided to find a bigger place to catch the fish..in hope that we could at least get something better. So, we decided to travel miles away to a wider river near the town.. Salaping River.. At first, we thought that the river might be another frustration because of what happened before.. We thought negatively, but luckily we acted positively.. We still made an effort.. Finally, we managed to catch a few shrimps after throwing the rambat a few times into the murky water.. Since it was nearly 6.00 pm and it was getting darker, so we had to return home with just a few catches. Tangkap ikan, udang mengena.

Grandpa from Apin-Apin

A visit to my aunt's house at Tambunan recently recalled past experiences of me and grandpa (from mother's side; the other grandpa from dad's side died long before I was borne)...

When I was a little kid, Grandpa used to visit us at our hometown. I have this one particular experience with him when he brought me to catch fishes around our neighborhood.. During these days, the streams and ponds around my hometown were clean and fresh, with lots of fish species in them. We usually walked minutes away from home to the fishing streams. Grandpa used pukat, rambat and hooks to catch the fishes. One day, my brother and I went with him at a nearby pond.

We were such a nuisance then; we disturbed the calmness of the water, scared all the fishes away as we splashed our hands in the water and even chased the small fishes around. Grandpa was mad and was coming after us, at first I was scared that he's gonna beat us or so, but he actually grabbed the fishing net and helped us to catch all those small fishes. He said something like "Nah! Jangan lari-lari. Nanti ikan takut." Haha! I was so naive, little, insensitive and playful that time and I think our "bratness" gives him a funny headache. But I believe he's such a wonderful Grandpa.

We grew up and like everything about fish. Every holiday season, we scrutinized every corner of watery areas to catch them. We find opportunities. Haha. We drove miles and miles away to find possible places to catch the fishes. We went to the seas, ponds, streams and rivers. Even in a funny little drain near pasar ikan.

Fishing is a universal hobby, almost everyone has that hobby. But I still think that part of our experience with Grandpa (and dad too) lead us to our fishing obsession. Is Grandpa gonna catch fish with us again? Or because he is living a better life now that is he done already? No, I personally think that he will never stop. He's not like us. Catching fish is more like his habit, because he had been living with it since he was a child. Now that he's older and is living a better life, he is still doing the same thing when he has the chance.. so I think, he enjoys it more..

Ever since I was away from home and further my studies in the university, I seldom met him. These few years I met him once or twice. But knowing that he's still there in Tambunan with my aunt, I am certain that I will see him again. Then, he converted to Muslim on 24th June 2011. It must be wonderful to spend Hari Raya with the whole family and him! May you find happiness in your new life and May Allah bless you, Grandpa - Joseph Angap @ Muhammad Yusof. Thank you for everything.