28th Dec 2022 Wednesday - No. 40 starting soon

 

27th Dec 2022 Tuesday - dinner with Sarah

 

26th Dec 2022 Monday - planting something each day

 

25th Dec 2022 Sunday. Christmas Day lunch

As with each year, EngHooi is hosting a Christmas lunch cooking his specialties; nasi lemak, prawn noodles Penang style. This year, we showed up with extra people to eat lunch; my mom because we thought she’d enjoy the change of scenery, and to take her earlier off my sister’s hands.  She behaves better in the company of others and seemed more spirited and alert. I invited CK and family which Shoo Fun (former lawyer) and Vincent (former I T) thought was a bit strange, EH didn’t think anything of it so we didn’t think much more of it either. CK came and ate and met folks, and then left to tick off items on his travel list. I figured that he is a seasoned traveler and has plans of his own with his family and didn’t persuade him with other plans which I had in mind. 

I put some other plans in place also, my own. I decided that gardening would help me focus on something other than work. It's like sketching, it's therapeutic. I need to lead by example, I'll plant seeds, transplant seedlings into the ground, or into bags and give away or sell. 

Next, I'll start repairing the house. We'll start by re- painting it, not all by ourselves but some. Sara can be convinced to help. 

At 7pm, I went for a run which was hard at first, as I haven't run for a long while, but it got easier. Easy enough for me to think about a pre dinner run on nights when I don't play squash. 

24th Dec 2022 Saturday - CK visits

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 We have been working with CK and his team for about 7 years now; William, Thomas, Din, Ah Hong, Ah Khor. This weekend he visited Kuching with his wife and daughter and since it’s his first visit here so I jokingly wrote him an itinerary:

930 bkft and walking tour through Kuching old town.

1130 drinks at Sarawak Club. 

1230 Foochow lunch. 

2pm check into hotel. 

2pm to 7pm free and easy. 

8pm Dayak Dinner @ Lepau.

Sunday

6 to 7am run at waterfront (optional)

1130 am pick up for Christmas lunch with my mother. 

230 pm onwards free and easy. 

Monday

Late morning. Own trip to Cultural Village. 

7pm dinner at Petanak Market. 

Tuesday

Visit award winning architect's office

Leave for airport after project review. 

Pick up by Honda Civic. Sorry no BMW

23rd Dec 2022 Friday- office Christmas lunch

 

22nd Dec 2022 Thursday - Question time

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21st Dec 2022 Wednesday - a little stress is a good thing

Busy day today but one that I am looking forward to - there is a meeting with the new IB planning manager on site, and also a chance for Lai (facing camera) to meet Peng Hui. Good to be able to meet people face to face and have lunch to talk about common friends and shared experiences. Jimmy went to the University of Tasmania, as did PH and Leong, which gave them something to talk about; favourite lecturers, friends who are doing well in Singapore and others who are winning awards in Malaysia.

Earlier that morning, I taught Sean how to delegate work to the juniors so that he has time to develop his own design ideas and execute them. The delegated work will in turn teach the young assistants how to work in a team, and to share their work for critique. One problem we face with them is their idea that they have to finish their assigned work before showing to us - we wanted them to learn that they were not meant to know everything, or solve evry design or construction issue.

Sean was briefing them when I left for site, at the doorway I asked Huiphing whether she was stressed out by the deadlines. She replied - 'a little' to which Sean quickly replied - ' a little stress is good'. He has not fully grasped the the pace of which I wish to delegate and reuire a response from staff. 

But he is learning, later in the evening - after I had returned home eating cashews with mom at the dining table Sean sent some updated renderings of the Sibu condominiums.

Huiphing was working late as well, she sent this after work. KFC drive through

20th Dec 2022 Tuesday - Christmas plans

PengHui is here for 2 weeks, and making himself very useful indeed. We had a good meeting with the Centrelands people and he helped with ideas for the design of the penthouses for the Sibu condominiums. Leong sketched out some ideas which we three discussed with Sean (who is getting better at contributing his ideas) which resulted in the layout of the penthouses being reversed; the entry would be from Level 7, coming into a courtyard before leading off the the living spaces, which have fewer walls and are lighter in feel and structure. The bedrooms are located at L6 and can share a common corridor with the more standard unit types.

The best idea was that the corner penthouses are entered via a garden, which reinforces that main design idea of giving each condo unit a piece of the original garden. 
 

19th Dec 2022 Monday - No. 40

 

18th Dec 2022 Sunday - Sean is 28

 

17th Dec 2022 Saturday - touching

 

16th Dec 2022 Friday - bunga kantan

 

15th Dec 2022 Thursday - gym with Sam

 

14th Dec 2022 Wednesday - silver service

 

13th Dec 2022 Tuesday - birthday celebrations

 

12th Dec 2022 Monday - lakeside

 

11th Dec 2022 Sunday - escapade

 

10th Dec 2022 Saturday - Mom's away

Last night, Chew came up to me before our PAMSC Christmas dinner and asked after Sam. He wondered if she worked after leaving Uniterior; I explained that she stopped working when the kids were in Primary school. Ans that she now manages our office and helps me to wrap up projects as they are close to completion - to finalise furniture and lighting, and to hold the client's hand as they move into their new property - something that I am rubbish at. 

Sam and Sara are away this weekend; I took time to have an early breakfast with the Thomians - thoroughly enjoyable although we did not come to a conclusion. She went to meet her new nephews; Elon and Boaz, and to spend some time alone with Sara. This means that Sean and I also spend some time to ourselves as well.
 

9th Dec 2022 Friday PAMSC celebrates Christmas

 

8th Dec 2022 Thursday - Roxy

 

7th Dec 2022 Wednesday - Renna

6th Dec 2022 Tuesday - Elev8

5th Dec 2022 Monday - Kiara North

4th Dec 2022 Sunday - sore back, grumpy and hot

 

Today was an unproductive day, my back was sore which meant that I could not play tennis in the morning. It did not get better by the evening so I did not play squash that day. It is amazing how much my mood is dependent on the amount of physical exercise that I do in a day. And it did not help that I didn't get much work done either, as it was hot at home. Perhaps I was down with Covid, and joint pain is one of the symptoms, and I did have a bit of fever. 

I think the lesson is that I need to exercise with diversity; run, stretch. lift weights, swim on top of the racket sports. Otherwise the body is taxed in the same fashion continuously, and those over-taxed parts break down. 

There was a bit of a highlight when we have dinner with Pam who returned for several months from New Zealand. Brother in law was quiet as usual, and angry at something I thought. I thought it was me, for some offence I had unknowingly committed. Later in the evening, when Sam and Pam talked about mom, I realised he was angry with her (for being always in their lives now, for taking time away from his wife, and his children.)

3rd Dec 2022 Saturday - made 2 new friends

As usual, we provided good local hospitality and brought our friends to dinner when committee members were unable to attend. I made two new friends that evening, when they started a quiz about general knowledge.

This morning marked the beginning and the event of design lectures this year for PAMSC, both speakers were people I met late this year. Shyuan Kuee I met during the Penang WAD seminar - I was seated to her and congratulated her after her talk and she said something to me after mine. Something about how casual the delivery was, so I used the opportunity to invite her to speak in Kuching. I wanted the young ones in our fraternity to see how it was possible to produce good work recognised by the Institute in small towns like ours (Shyuan is from Ipoh), provided you have a vision of what you wanted to achieve and grit. She talked about how hard it was to collaborate with her peers in Ipoh compared to us in Kuching. 

Shan Ming we met through Kok Ming who brought us to WOHA's Meyer House in Singapore, she impressed us with her detailed tour of the project and her dedication to her work for someone so young. Again, I thought that our young ones could learn from this, she is only in her 30's, hopefully Sean will take a leaf from her book. 

2 Dec 2022 Friday - Shan Ming and Shyuan

 

1 Dec 2022 Thursday - resolutions in December

MontKiara - a potential job

We decided to call on two other contractors to quote for the Stampin renovation, the first was more responsive enough and I smell a rat. We will get the keys back from the first contractor and then we arrange the site visits ourselves. I also need Sean to be more pro-active and alert, but I remind myself that I must be patient as he is only in his first three months.

My sore back did not stop me from playing squash but I think I should rest everything for two weeks, and get back into running/skipping health before I start squash again. I swim to replace and get into serious running again in the new year. Resolution?

I saw some 'resolutions' I wrote in my diary in July; run or walk daily 3km (early in the morning) - easy enough I thought but I have not done it. This is a good replacement for mediation.