26th December 2023 Tuesday - Melvin pays for coffee

Notes from a project meeting with the client, engineer and builder - this is a medium to high end landed housing project
 

25th Dec 2023 Monday

 

24th December 2023 Sunday - all quiet in the midnight clear

 We don't celebrate Christmas but often get invitations to celebrate with our Christian friends. 

This year though, there are no invitations - we discover later that the Sias are positive after their Vietnam trip, we are not sure about the Lims. (who are likely attending other functions related to their church or school). 

In any case, we are quite good at amusing ourselves - and occupy ourselves sorting out old books and delivering fruitcakes to friends. 

23rd December 2023 Saturday - recycling timber

 Double joy today as I cleared two tasks off my to-do lists - getting the old mountain bike to work, and cycle to the gym to start lifting heavier weight using simpler movements; deadlift, squats and bench-press, and sorting through the weatherboards we bought years ago; time to make furniture again

22nd December 2023 Friday - winter solstice

 

21st December 2023 Thursday - Metabolist

I left the house earlier to work on this, and finish it before the folks arrive - I prefer the privacy of the early morning for thinking and figuring things out.

 PH flies back tonight, so I invite a client for lunch with us. This client was a former intern at DNA, he trained with me briefly (he recalls that we worked on a house design but neither of us can remember the details, so it must have been unremarkable). He had since worked in a large commercial firm before becoming the Design Architect for a large developer in Kuching. 

He rang yesterday asking about a former project we worked on, I mentioned that we have some ideas which we can discuss over lunch the following day (today). He agreed, I think the decision was easy even though he is on leave - we have an easy and mutually supportive relationship and the conversation is casual and always fruitful. 

I quickly put together some sketches and pass to PH 'I draw, you talk later'. PH agreed. 

Simple sketches to describe the down-sizing of an earlier 3-storey scheme. It also looks as though we might have an opportunity to execute the earlier scheme on a different site. 

20th December 2023 Wednesday - cycling in the morning

 I go for a long bike ride into town, about 35 minutes of continuous cycling. I can go longer but I like to leave a bit in reserve, so that I can do more tomorrow. 

Today is a busy day of sorting out the layouts and car parks and strata parcels for Springvale Suites. The new owner is quite pushy, in a quiet determined way. I decide that I prefer this, better to keep the momentum going in the right direction. Just as I am about to finish pencilling in the layouts, my phone rings and I am summoned to join them for a coffee. 

The coffee is good, the discussion even better - things sorted out for submitting for formal approval next week. 

19th December 2023 Tuesday - Springvale Residences and Suites

 

18th December 2023 Monday - Sean is 29

 

17th December 2023 Sunday - Sean's birthday and office party

 Today is a special day, for the office; it is our end of year celebration, for Sean; he turns 29 tomorrow, for No. 40; it turns 52 this year and has now a new lease of life (mine). And today's party is a way for all three events to brings people together; friends and colleagues collected from different parts of our lives. 

It is still a construction I told them when they arrived, people from the office, formerly from the office, former students, from Sam's gym, friends from UNIMAS, parents of our interns, interns who did not make the cut, clients, former clients, my mom, my niece and nephew (their parents dropped them off but did not come inside).

Dyan's boy, Charlie (I think)

Mom did not recognise the house in its new form, we did not try to remind her. 

16th December 2023 Saturday -

For a change, I spend the morning in the garden before going to the office. Lucky thing I did, because the client rings up and poses an interesting question - someone has offered to buy over the entire 140 units of serviced apartments. Good thing, I thought, seeing that tomorrow is the soft launch of the project. But wait, that's giving up too much control. I suggest to him, sell them one wing and we will add another lift to facilitate their usage. 

He says he'll have a think. Later that night, he rings Sean when he can't get me and I think Sean must have eased his mind. The next morning when I text him back, he has sold the units we suggested. Interesting times... 

 

15th December 2023 Friday - Sam finishes up

In preparation for Sunday's lunch party, sam has been working overtime at No. 40 to supervise the remaining construction work, especially electrical fittings and soft furnishings. Everyone is working hard, Sean is helping George with eSPA submission of MTT while Sean himself is finalising the display panels for Springvale Residences. This is the new name for Tecktonicity, the client likes names with an Australian theme. 

It's a nice end to the week, I treat myself to an extra long squash session and a nice dinner with Sam at the Bar. JihRen comes over to wish us Merry Christmas, and calls us 'lovebirds'. 
 

14th December 2023 Thursday - conveying design ideas

We have 2 deadlines today - one for a presentation deck to 'book' a presentation date with the company's directors, and another for display panels for a project launching. The deadlines are internal ones, meaning that we decided when we should stop working in them and send them out. It is surprising how hard this can be for some people/studios - I like to finish up to a stage (which is not completely complete) and send it out as a draft. 

 

13th December 2023 Wednesday - a good day

Today is Sam's birthday. The kids are taking us out for dinner, and as this is Wednesday, mom is coming along. We will eat pizza and pasta at Al Dente - the Sias are able to join us, Ricco joins us as well. Her borrowed children remember her birthday yearly with presents of flowers (office minions, Lionel) and good wishes, and cake (from Vivian).

Today is a good day for another reason, Sean attended a briefing with the planning officer at Lands and Survey HQ for his project in Sibu. Taking things in his stride - a good sign. 

This morning, I revised the design of the dining table by changing the table legs into steel. And sent the drawing to Sam early in the morning, before I walked to work.

12th December 2023 Tuesday - happy in our own company

A day full of small deadlines, for others as well as for myself. In the afternoon, I cheer up slightly after our chat about the condo scheme with Freddie, Fiona and Leong - the direction is gaining clarity. I text the client and promise an end of the week delivery - he is pleased to hear that. 

Sean has to see the planning officer about our project in Sibu tomorrow, I am a little concerned whether he will be ok to go it alone. He does not seem fazed; good. 

In the evening, I have a nice outing at the squash courts; the all out, soaking wet with sweat, lying on the floor at the end type of game. Francis and Joe are back, I last saw FJ at the courts months ago and congratulated him and gave him an apple. Tonight, I congratulate him again (he is recovering from heart surgery) and as luck would have it, I had an apple in my satchel. I gave it to him.

Since it is the eve of Sam's birthday, we decide to go out and have a quiet dinner. Seated side by side, in the smoky food court above a wet market, eating rice porridge - life seems quite complete. 

11th December 2023 Monday - buying wine for Peter

Today is Freddo's birthday and we thought that we would do something simultaneously and frivolous. And get him a present via his young architect, Leon whom I am in touch with (Leon is from Bau). Two bottles of wine, I hope it comes as a nice surprise for him tomorrow. 

We meet with the marketing team and the surveyor, for strata parcels, etc before our submission for formal approval. Apartments and a hotel - this will be a nice project when it is completed. This means taking more time to draw. I am tempted to assign the site visits and meetings to the young ones - but I cannot seem to let that responsibility go. I run out of time, what with the exercise, plans for gardening, carpentry projects and mom.

10th December 2023 Sunday - blossoming

There was a time when I'd play tennis in the morning, with Ni and Khoon. And then head to the office at 8 a.m. Since moving to the new office, which is 9 minutes' walk away - I'm less inclined to do that. I'm more inclined to leave that for the evenings and so that I can end the day on a high. Exercise vigorously and then return home to a nice dinner.

I find that it's better to have the early mornings to myself, and if I were to exercise, it is something solitary. Running or walking fits the category, and prepares my mind for the morning of planning and design. The ritual of mental preparation is quite precious, and I find myself guarding it fiercely. 

In the late afternoon, I switch off slightly and start to plan my life out of the office and towards a swim, or a game of squash or tennis or the gym. Problem is when do I fit it the gardening or the carpentry? The weekends are too far apart, and half of it is dedicated to my mom. 

Perhaps I'll replace the early morning walks with a bit of pruning or planting.

9th December 2023 Saturday - celebrating dad's birthday

 Sherlin comes to our birthday lunch for Dad, she looks happy but has lose weight and some muscle tone. She tells us that she's eating fewer carbs, and maybe the proteins as well. She's definitely 'smaller' and slightly hunched, and when we gave coffee afterwards she talks about the work at GDP. It's definitely the big league now, though she has her reservations about how long she can last there. I'm glad she still sees us as relevant people in her life, enough to sit and talk about her future. I offer her help with her first project if/when she sets up her own practice.

Our conversation also got me thinking about a lower carb intake; fewer Indian lunches, fewer refills of dinner rice. And more protein without reverting to a meat diet, fish, cheese and tofu is OK. I'll do this quietly, without telling Sam or else she'll feels obliged to follow (and disrupt her routine). 

Perhaps I SHOULD tell her, so we can journey this together, and reap the benefits.

On the ground floor of the PAM Centre is a little restaurant Naj & Belle, where we drank coffee and ate watermelon cake last night

8th December 2023 Friday - 4 days is too long in KL

 

7th December 2023 Thursday - meeting Feruni

 

6th December 2023 Wednesday - Faybians and Zayn

 

5th December 2023 Tuesday - Francis and Jane