We present the school design without much fanfare, I hope Brother Robert is able to put it past the school board. Emil has questions and comments, let's see how we can answer them and appease him. The engineer Anthony called the design 'elegant' which I think is a fitting description.
Sam sits next to me after seeing the SEDC folks about our appointment, she'll be stationed next to me in the office starting today.
Let's see if we can get our UPKJ registration this week.
On Monday, I mentioned to Freddie that I would love to have the housing project signed up, and our registration to bid for government projects approved before my birthday. At 3pm, this afternoon, I receive a text from F asking me to collect a Letter of Intent for the housing project. This would lead to our appointment eventually, so Freddie says that my KPI is partly achieved.
Sam will follow up with F.
We have a good meeting with Bala, he is earnest and sharp thinking - I think we will enjoy working with his team. We complete the design report for the school and send it off, after which Sam and I go for a swim at PD - I think the quiet courtyard and cold water of the pool, it is a nice place to end the work day. Sean says that in the future, he will have us over for dinners, I can imagine that we will go over earlier for a swim first before waltzing in with a bottle of wine and enjoy his cooking.
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It looks likely now that I can simply draw, and draw and there will be people who can interpret and execute these plans and ideas. The past few days in KL has proven this method can work, although with the new team members, it is harder to lock in ideas, whereas with the seasoned members - I simply have to talk and they can come close to the intended outcome. At other times when the outcome is mis-read or missed, the results can also be useful - proffering another perspective which I had not thought of.
530 a.m. Walking to the KLCC, I listen to John Wilson speaking to the painter, Frank Auerbach who in his 80s still paints daily. Not for the whole day but a few hours daily. It gives me an idea about what else to occupy myself with, when the architecture doesn't need me as much. Something creative, something I can do on my own to express myself, with encouragement and review from my peers, something new yet related to my interests and skills and something that I might be able to earn some income from. The final chapter of a creative life. Painting, I thought - abstracts from street scenes and architecture. Maybe some figures...
I'll start soon, as I turn 61.
I bring Sam to meet Naz and Jennifer over breakfast, he and Sam hit it off - both are chatty with stories to tell about children and aging parents. One cannot help be stricken by Sam when she chooses to turn on the charm.
After the heavy breakfast - we head off for my review; the doctor appears happy with my ankles. He says that they are healing nicely - I wonder how can things heal overnight. Perhaps they do if you use PRP (platelet rich plasma) to promote healing, he prescribe 6 weeks of active rest (maybe no squash or tennis) but anything else is fine. He got serious when he talked about the high BP, he reads me well - he knows I'll try and 'heal' myself but he reasons that given my regime now - there is not much else I can do to lower my blood pressure. And that perhaps the reason is genetic and if I want longevity, (he thinks that I am a candidate for sudden death if I don't do something about this) I should go on medication.
After seeing the GP, I am officially taking medication for my hypertension (an ARB which helps to dilate the blood vessels and reduce the load on my heart) In the evening, we have a long and crowded dinner with PH and his family, GL, JM, SL, Sarah Lim (who says that she needed the comfort which comes with our company). After dinner, and the first dose of Valsartan - my BP is 125/76
Today is the first time I have ever been in a hospital as a patient; we arrive at 1 p.m., and wait to be admitted. I change into the gown and wait. There is a lot of waiting. Finally I am lying down in the hospital bed, and waiting. At 5pm, I am wheeled into the OT - I recall chatting to Dr. Thomas, the anesthetist and admiring how comfortable they were making me; warm air is pumped into my gown, I am given a soft gel pack to rest my chin on (I am in a prone position). There is a grumble about how high my blood pressure is, but before I can give it more thought - I must have gone under because the next thing I recall is waking up with a dizzy head, in front of the observation bay. At the back of my mind, I remember that we have a dinner date with Laila, Yasmin, and Ileana - Sam has been in touch with them - dinner is postponed. PH is very kind, he drops by to have dinner with SA, and later to send us back to the apartment. I cannot feel my ankles nor my heels, no pain nor twinges just some discomfort.
Tomorrow, I have to return for a review session with Dr. Rajesh, and to see the GP about my blood pressure.
I go for an early morning walk ahead of a full day of trials and tribulations. I am due to be assessed by good Dr. Rajesh, who will see if something can be done with my ankles. After which, we have a family dinner with the usual culprits - at the Kingdom Palace, which is good as I find myself looking forward more and more to the food rather than the company.
Dr. Rajesh talks about the 3 bones that form my ankle, and how one of the joints has been immoblised which forced the tendons to over compensate and work inefficiently, causing chronic pain. He schedules a procedure to fix this situation, it takes place tomorrow (Friday). It would require me to be sedated, it will take about an hour and I should be as good as new. I'm relieved, and though this would be my time in a hospital and am also looking forward to painful walking.
Dinner is excellent, the company lives up to my expectation; SKM is sharp and funny, she's the main reason I show up, FIL relates stories about his healing, I don't pay attention to my SIL, Sydney is warning up to us after all these years and PC, he has his problems - I do feel for him.
