Mentoring by PAMSC

Crystal, Siti, Cheewee. Me, Ruifang, Brendan. Matt and Annie

Last Friday the 21st of August, at 10 a.m. PAMSC hosted an online mentoring session, led by Ar Brendan Tong (PAMSC Education Sub-committee) with co-opted student members from UCTS (University College of Technology, Sibu); Ms. Crystal ak Kulwant (moderator), Ms. Bong Rui Fang, and Mr. Matthias Chia (Graphic and Media Design). The mentors were Past PAMSC Chairman, Ar. Ng Chee Wee and current Vice-chairman, myself. 

The questions were collected earlier from students, graduates (and a few practitioners) to be answered live and to 'start the conversation'. During the online session, more questions were posted and these were answered by the mentors and members of the Education Sub-committee. 

I enjoyed working with the young people, I had reservations earlier about how young they were. In hindsight, I was very mistaken, not only were they mature young adults; they were warm, funny and confident. Furthermore, they represented the target audience of the mentoring session; so in talking to Crystal and answering the questions which she read out - we were also answering the audience. 

Answering the questions with CW was also enjoyable; I sent the compiled questions to him and we took turns answering them; 3 at a time, 4 at a time until they were all accounted for (some with accompanying slides).

Sun shade

 

updated 18.9.2021

Work-life balance

After weeks of working from home, I started think about this as a long term plan since everything was going well in the work front; the guys are self motivated and seemed to enjoy the time away from the office. 

During last year's MCO, I worked from the man-cave outside, which was nice in the mornings but got hot in the afternoons. And I don't get to spend time with Sam, she being in the house. Then I moved inside, onto the 'pier' - an outdoor room next to the living room. This space has nice views of the garden but the table was a little bit small, and I could not see the telly from what I worked. (I sometime turn on a documentary to listen to while drawing). The other place where I have done my work at home was on the low coffee table in front of the telly - like how we did when we were both university students. But it meant moving things away come dinner time, and I am finding it harder and harder to get up from a cross legged position. 

Earlier this year, I annexed Sean's room for working in the afternoons when I needed air-conditioning. It is a smallish room, but cosy and private because of that - it is ideal for my online meetings especially if the dogs get too feisty and start barking at motorbikes outside.

In July, we moved the long table from the man-cave (Sam hurt her wrist carrying it while walking backwards) into the living room. This table was bought second-hand from CC Chan when he migrated to Perth (Sam and the kids modified it and made a new table top for it using timber floor boards). I had earlier sketched out several options of possible layouts and showed them to the boss, she preferred option 1. 

So now we have work-food and entertainment balance in the living room, though at the moment the telly is being fixed, but work - food balance. We get to sit together while we work and eat.

 

 I do not tire of this view - Sam at lunch in Brussels.

A Country house

A rough sketch I did for a client who did not continue our design conversation, perhaps he didn't like my idea of retaining the existing single storey house.

Sean has been asked to design a house for Sam (she is the client) in Batu Kawah. A minimalist house with perhaps one room and another which is the study and guest bedroom when friends come to visit from far away, interns from overseas, for Sara during confinement, for me during isolation or exile during failed attempts to dominate my wife. 

I would like to have it built before I turn 60. The house will have a wall for books and an Italian coffee machine (a real one, not an Nepresso), built from hardy materials for the inside and outside. Lock up and go convenience, and a built in music system - songs from the rafters. 

One thousand ringgit per sq metre and about 80 to 100 sq metres of enclosed space. We will have to sub divide the plot as Ho and Constance owns one half of the 2-acre lot.

WK showed me this photo (of Richard Lepastrier) years ago, and said this is me when I am old - still sitting and drawing - I would like a space like this.

More soon.