30th June 2023 Friday a very productive lunch

Si Yong and I decided to have lunch to discuss the way forward with PDF2023, our little design festival in November. We had many of the loose ends stitched up; speakers and moderators getting signed up, venue confirmed, sponsors lined up, format and time table decided. What we need to do next was to identify the people to manage the components of the festival, SY and I will manage the overall structure and pace of the festival, individual events will be managed by team leaders; the Urban Installation by Tay's team, the Forum by my team, sponsors by SY and so forth. 

We waited for Pik Shia to order her meal before launching the question/ request - can you manage the trade expo? Aiya, cannot la, I'm very busy, what's involved? when is the event again? Over the span of one sentence, she declined, resisted, explained, queried and seemed to agree. By the time her meal arrived, she was making plans about who to involve and how to plan and delegate.

We then talked about the education aspect of the festival. We have had student exhibitions, and workshops before, and were looking for a new team to plan and manage this. I thought of a young couple I met during a university crit, I rang them, they offered to drop by at our lunch. After understanding the format, they agreed to head this section of the festival. 

I thought that this was a very productive lunch, and mentioned this to SY. People are naturally attracted to successful teams but what's more attractive is the freedom to express themselves, implement their own ideas and be acknowledged for their work. 

29th June 2023 Thursday - breakfast for Thomians

 A few weeks ago, I volunteered to cook breakfast for my friends from high school. It had to be breakfast because one of them had to leave to open his cafe at 10 a.m. and another has a dialysis appointment just before lunch. I invited them to the office, it was convenient for me, large table, shops downstairs, and plenty of parking. 

I started preparing and cooking at 715 a.m. - not really in a rush but not able to sit down either. Kook Hua and wife, Diana showed up on time, and when he saw that I was still cooking he asked if his wife was able to assist me. I insisted that HE was the one who assisted; to slice the bread to make toast. He struggled quite gamely and I am sure was quite relieved when the others showed up to eat. 

As they chatted, I made a fruit salad to serve with yoghurt and honey with a topping of granola. While they ate obediently* I cooked ranch eggs to eat with the toast Kok Hua made earlier. A small serving of pasta  and coffee completed the morning's menu.

28th June 2023 Wednesday - nothing to see

 An uneventful day - which felt like the end of the week because tomorrow is a public holiday. I worked on my own, zoned off with headphones and then went for tennis at 4pm. The day did not end well either, as I was hot from the tennis, hot from eating dinner at the main hall and hot from mom's insistence that she has to ring Ni to ask questions. The reason we have her is to allow Ni time to herself, when her behavior is like this - it affects the mood of everyone around her.

27th June 2023 Tuesday - scolding people

Last night we had dinner with Matron Ong who has returned to BSC - which we all thought would benefit the hospital. She will be the Director of Nursing and will not be directly involved in the expansion programme (she said) Though she joined us at our technical meeting with the contractors and her hospital colleagues - I knew it would be hard for her to stay away from issues that affect the running of the hospital. I admire that. 

The technical aspect of the meeting was not hard to settle, though I think SB can be quicker in their execution of works. Towards the end of meeting, I asked what the objective was to send photos of site issues which were resolved a few days prior to a work chat group at 5:35p.m. on a Saturday evening. The sender was unable to respond saying he had forwarded it from an earlier conversation with the contractor, which does not explain why resend them like instructions to the consultants, for matters already resolved, on Saturday evening. I suspect that he was trying to score KPI points but not smart to do it productively. One of the best ways to show how well you have done is to acknowledge those who helped you achieve this goal. 

I was not sparing in my reprimand, as I was also angry with last night request for MOH drawings by 10 a.m. this morning, drawings that they should have a copy of. PH reminded them that the hardcopies of the CCC are even more important to have in their archives, those present avoided eye contact and when not able to confirm.

 

26th June 2023 Monday - Kch.Png

 

This trip is special; it's the first with Leong for half a year,  I thought it would be useful for a fresh pair of eyes to see the construction progress. We have only 2 small packages left, the A&E dept and a new Cathlab but these still need attention and take effort to coordinate. This trip is also special for a less pleasant reason; to hear Sherlin's reason for leaving us. She's worked with us for 2 years and feels that the collaboration isn't working out for her. Working from home, the slow pace of architecture project, the lack of studio dynamics, the long hours of producing drawings are reasons for her departure. She's also re-evaluating her future in this field. I told her I'll keep the door open for future collaborations. 

Later that afternoon, Sean and Suen Ling met with a young man who has an interest in design, but lacked the opportunity and discipline. Sean's first assessment was not positive, so I told SL 'no', but decided to ring her and hear from her. She talked about empathy and giving chances. So next Friday, we'll give Michael a week to see if we're able to give him some insight in our work. Darryl will the prime tutor for Michael, it'll be good for both of them. 

25th June 2023 Sunday plant something everyday

This is something I wrote in this blog several years ago, together with drawing daily and cooking at least one a week as my goals. Surprisingly, since moving to the new office almost a year ago, I have managed the later two. But between work and tennis and squash and babysitting mom, the gardening has been neglected, as has the early morning runs. 

So, I have decided to combine the two, early morning walk followed by planting the many seedlings and saplings which I have prepared. The trick is to do a tiny bit each day and to stop the task before it becomes a chore. 

24th June 2023 Saturday - Lakeside Holiday Inn Shanghai

 

23rd June 2023 Friday - cooks

Watched this at the office before work, and decided to cook for a few of my Thomian friends next Thursday, a public holiday. It would be a good opportunity to see Kok Hua who has been absent from our last few lunches. I'll cook breakfast as some of them have work and family duties that day. 

Cooking and serving people is a rewarding experience for me; it also helps me gain confidence in my skills. I think I'll make them a fruit yoghurt granola starter, some home made bread with good butter and huevos rancheros: my version. Some nice coffee and boil some barley water for 8 of them. 

 

22nd June 2023 Thursday -

 

21st June 2023 Wednesday - another offer of a job

 

20th June 2023 Tuesday - notebook finished

 

19th June 2023 Monday - morning meeting

I enjoyed my early morning chat with Leong and Suen Ling about the projects that we planned  to collaborate on, which became clearer to me after she listed them and shared drawings, fees and ideas. I thought this was to be a collaboration to reinforce our team rather than quick financial gain, and said so. SL traveled to Kuching to visit the job sites and meet with her clients, she had another reason to visit the office, which was to serve a 6-week internship with me. It was part of her Lasalle degree course requirement. 

Later we interviewed a candidate for the second ID position for her Kuching office. 

Suen Ling sat in for our Monday morning meeting, and we included her in our roster to things to do. I enjoyed our chat with the young people, identifying project teams and deadlines. A verbal run down the list to things to do - some easy, other more taxing requiring a senior to guide someone new to our practice. 

PD residences - the apartments. We conducted a site walk at 230pm and will continue to do so to record non compliance, quality of work done.

18th June 2023 Sunday - new house plans

 

17th June 2023 Saturday - Dr Louise

 

16th June 2023 Friday - chilli oil from China

 

15th June 2023 Thursday -

 

14th June 2023 Wednesday -

 

13th June 2023 Tuesday -

 

12th June 2023 Monday - talking about Marcel

I promised Kamal a nice lunch the next time he is in town, Peggy and Sara obliged to cook for this man they thought might be German (from his appearance), or Muslim (from his name). Sam cooked a dish and brought it to the office. I wanted her to meet Kamal who is Bahai, like some of her cousins. 

Over lunch the conversation turned to Marcel whom Kamal regarded as an older brother when they're growing up in Kuching. Marcel passed away .. and I mentioned how I wished he could see this,  because much of how we function as an office I learned from him. Kamal remarked that Marcel was likely responsible for putting us together and is watching with delight from his new home. 

I thought that was very nicely put. 

11th June 2023 Sunday - not a day of rest

Last night, I finally took a good look at the masterplan that Jenny was working on and though there were some errors in the component sizes, I find it an adequate template to draw over. Started at 7am until Sam took me out for a snack, then sent me to the office and told me to stay there. 

Work, she said. No point both of us getting tired out baby sitting mom. So, I sat and drew up the whole site before passing it to Jenny to tabulate. 

It was Louise's birthday, so we went and ate Korean barbecue. Belinda told me how well her friends' children were doing in uni. 

10th June 2023 Saturday. Joyce

I have been actively looking to work with former colleagues and students, one of them is Joyce. She and I worked in Port Moresby, helping Hwong with the Stanley Hotel. She was the resident interior designer, young for her age (in her 20s) struggling to balance designing with construction while trying to manage the hotel management staff. 

In the recent years, she seems to have found her footing in her work, got married and started a family. Her husband helps her with her projects.
 

9th June 2023 Friday - goodbye Dory

Dory had a Instagram page. 

 Dory went to the vet a few days earlier because she wasn't eating and seemed withdrawn. I noticed when I carried her that her fur was a little straggly, and her breath smelt. This morning the vet rang Sam to tell her that Dory was in a bad way and we should think about letting her go. 

I told the folks in the office, and they quietly filed out to visit Dory and say goodbye. Leong and I had to leave for a site meeting, LH and QK stayed back. Mark wasn't in, and we all forgot to tell AC until the evening when she texted Sam. 

We adopted Dory from SSPCA when Mao went walkabout and Sherlin was pining for her.  (we found Mao several weeks later).

We adopted Dory with her 'cage' mate, Emo because I thought it was sad to separate them. That was in 2017. Emo passed on a year later, he was old and sickly to start with but we loved him. Just like Dory, who enjoyed being a family member, loved by the young people in the office, who bought  her toys and treats, and spoilt her by feeding her too much. I'll miss her little chirps and purrs when I pick her up and carry her like a baby, her big eyes staring back at me. And her paws that push my face away when I get too close to hers. 

 

8th June 2023 Thursday - 80 kgs

 

After a long day of drawing, I left the office without lunch (a usual occurrence now, as I extend my IF to 18 hours) to play squash. Sean collected me in time for dinner at 8pm. I weighted myself fully clothed and was delighted to see 80kg flash on the screen.