Christmas Day 2022 saw me having my last bicycle ride of the year.
It was one of those rides where we didn't put much thought to a destination, and so simply rode where I felt Daffy wanted to go.
There was a thought that we might go to Changi International Airport via Jurassic Mile.
But then I went onto the PCN... and I changed my mind.
For some reason I thought I might want to be as close as possible to the sea.
So past Long Beach Seafood Restaurant I went, past the lagoon I went, and past the East Coast Lagoon Food Center I went too.
I suppose I could have continued all the way until I reached the end of East Coast Park and the Tanah Merah Canal, but then I made a snap decision and turned into Bedok Jetty instead.
I'm familiar with this jetty- used to come here with The Parents when I was young.
It was always a big deal coming here.
First the (designated) fishing bags would be brought out from the cupboard.
After that there would be the fishing gear to check and clean.
On the morning of the planned trip, someone would make a quick jaunt to the wet market downstairs our house for raw cuttlefish to use as bait.
And then for sustenance, there would be boxes of fried noodles bought from the market's breakfast stall.
All of us had our own preparations to do.
Where The Parent would apply sunscreen, bring along a pair of sunglasses, and pack a jacket to serve as protection from the sun, I would bring along a paperback book because I knew I'd get bored whiling away the hours waiting for the fish to bite.
I don't know when it was we stopped making these trips.
Maybe it was the time when we scrapped the car.
Or maybe it was the time when the car wouldn't start and they were so disappointed at having to put everything back, and to have to eat the noodles at home instead of at the jetty.
Still we've gone there enough times and caught more than enough fish.
It's often said that fishing requires a lot of patience.
It's so true.
It's one of those sports where you have to wait for the fish to come, and there's no guarantee that it even will.
You never know how long it takes.
Sometimes it might be an hour.
Sometimes it might be two.
At the end of it, you might end up with a box full of fish, one fish or two, or even nothing at all.
I always found the hours of waiting remarkably tedious.
So much so that I would either read the book I brought until I got tired, or arrange everything around me carefully in a way that I could stretch out (modestly) on the poncho and snooze in the sun.
That being said, the latter didn't happen very often.
Anglers generally don't sleep whilst waiting for the fish to bite.
They either check on their lines, do a re-toss of their fishing line back into the water, change positions, or chat with each other.
I suppose I must have done one, or all of that at some point in time.
But I know I didn't stare out at the rolling waters of the sea the way I now do.
That didn't use to appeal to me.
Not so anymore.
Not so now.
I guess I've come to appreciate the serenity of the sea and the beauty of her rolling waves.
It don't matter what kind of mood I'm in.
She's calming, she's hopeful, and I'm thankful for the smiles she leaves me whenever I spend time there.