18.8.2025 Monday - eating cheese naan while presenting a design idea

 

17.8.2025 Sunday - out of action

 After the morning's pickleball, I should have stayed in the office to work. Instead I agree to play squash and pull a hamstring muscle (slightly but you can sense it can get worse). So, I am out of action with perhaps walking and shoulder exercise being the only possibilities for the next few days.
 

16.8.2025 Saturday - saying no and letting people have their own way

124/80

Today I find out that HP is an only child, and one of the few who traveled out of her hometown to get a university degree. Her school friends are mostly married with children, and still in the hometown. Her parents are also still there, running a small coffee shop that opens at 5:30 a.m. and close after lunch or once all the noodles are sold out. Dad is in his 70s but looks younger - she tells me, her mom is in her fifties. She tells me this while she drove to Impiana Hotel where we have organised a tour for some university students.

  

15.8.2025 Friday - back in action

 

After the early morning meeting with FK, I decide that we will write to him in the future instead spending time trying to resolve matters face to face. I cannot decide if he is not component, or too lazy or simply a muddled thinker - in any case, it wasted an hour of our time. 

14.8.2025 Thursday - touching up

 Judy's auntie passes away this morning, she was 55 and the youngest of Elaine's sisters. Judy has been caring for her since she was placed under home palliative care, I wonder if Judy can now come to Japan with us. The accommodation and travel arrangements would have to be adjusted and revised of course, but I have faith in the system set up by our young people. They are very capable and caring, and would think about the best way to accommodate without minimum ripples. 

I see this in the way we share work with our work partners as well. When I tell one that the fee share is 70-30; they instinctively take on that amount of work load (and usually more) whereas when we decide that the work split is 15-85; again the word load is adjusted and revised to suit these new percentages. 

A conversation with PH who spoke to a client about a potential project in Miri

A conversation with HP who then spoke to Ellie, the M&E coordinator on site

Talking to George about solid-void relationship and honesty of expression

13.8.2025 Wednesday - egos and insecurities

called up for an impromptu site visit to discuss air-cond locations and ceiling heights; interestingly that the M&E engineer was not present.

A client once asked me what is the most difficult part of a project - 'the construction part' I replied. And went on to explain that it is not the management of the contract which is the most challenging but the management of the various people in the construction team with their various egos and insecurities, their various capabilities and shortfalls.

I used to rail against who are insecure and inaccurate, but nowadays I deal with the matter at hand; and ignore whose fault or responsibility it is. 

Sean tells us that another two floors later and we would have reached the full height of the office block

 

Later that day - we were thanked for showing up on a rainy afternoon to solve a problem with water ingress into the hotel lobby

12.8.2025 Tuesday - vaccinated

Working on several things with several groups of people: 

1. George and the PJ apartments
2. Penghui and Demak housing
3. CYCU and the temple stage
4. Fiona and hotel bridge
5. Ricco and stairs
6. HP and the gym
7. LH and Precinct One

All small elements within our projects; some on site, some on the drawing board, some still in our heads. But all needing a little kick further down the road - there are more which I will need to do tomorrow. 

We are rewarded with a meal by the Sims, we eat at the Golden Arch Mall - the location of our former office (1999-2001 - and I am glad to see the back of that building). 

 

11.8.2025 Monday - lessons from teaching

At the Rock Road showroom site with the UPM cicaks

I recall a conversation with Eric, I mentioned that one of his students is a lovely person and I would like to have her in our office. We don't look for top students or those whom their school says has good design skills. That is the school's opinion. Besides, the principals in the office are the key designers, what we need are people who are interested to learn, quick to understand ideas when explained to them and people who care about other people.

 

One of these interns applied for a job at a friend's firm, who criticised his lack of design ability and rejected his application. Lost of an opportunity, I thought

The latest crop of interns - from CYCU, Taiwan - the kind hearted girl in this photo.

10.8.2025 Sunday - happy start to the day and a late lunch

I realise that I am happiest when I have been productive especially in the office. This morning, I leave for the office early to finish what I started yesterday; the facade of the classrooms. I prepare two options and ask for opinions/ conduct a poll in the chat group. They voted for the one with roof overhang, which is the one I prefer as well. 

Fish is also happy this morning, I bought a pack of wet food for her; she ate all but the hard pieces of mackerel (?) - very dexterous I thought. 

'I regret not having build many buildings' but his tutorials have help build many careers of architects in Sarawak.

Here is another happy boy; Johnny Sin getting interviewed by Sean and Judy

 

9.8.2025 Saturday - Sara comes home

Sara returns home after weeks away minding her grandfather, she seems relieved to be free of that task. She tells us funny anecdotes about her experience there with the relatives, and concludes that West Malaysians are wired differently.

I do not cook with the Taiwanese students, and am relieved for it - I have been feeling a little tired especially after the heavy kettlebells session. 

It appears that they are all very capable (innovative even) cooks, and do not need my help at all

8.8.2025 Friday - talking about a house, a school and university

Kenny rang up last week and asked to meet to discuss the process of getting a house designed and built. We meet this morning and talk about the house they want to build, I make a mental note that if the project were to take shape - FL might be a good candidate to lead this one. She has been working on large projects all this while (and doing well) but I think her real strength is in the smaller more intimate projects.

We visit the Brothers and finally our scheme for the school is confirmed, the client will appoint consultants and we submit for planning approval in September. We treat ourselves to a Foochow lunch and the Powerpuff girls join us; full of laughter and flamboyance. Freddie head off to our next client's meeting, and visit the project site enroute - it seems that we have a project with them. 

What a nice way to end the week..

7.8.2025 Thursday - gathering the troops

Kieran ask to see the plans for his new school, I will show him when the architecture is complete

We have several internal deadlines today, and I am pleased that we met all of them. I am also pleased that 2 of the Taiwanese students have come up with some interesting ideas for the Hotel Park. 

 I have not spoken to Freddie for several days and meet up with him to catch up for work updates and a bit of gossip (he always has stories to tell, this time it is about his recent trip to the new 'White House' in Petra Jaya). We head to Impiana for the BOMBA inspection, which goes well.  Sean comes along, perhaps he is getting ready for his own building's inspection by the authorities. He has another year to prepare for that.

Squash - mobility is still not 100% but I am reasonably happy.

6.8.2025 Wednesday - an interview and maybe a new job

We are flying home today, but before that I attend an online meeting with a prospective client. They found us online, and contacted PH (who is busy today with the RENNA OP inspection) - Sean assisted with the website from Kuching. The meeting goes well, they seem to have done their research on us, and there is the prospect of a job in the horizon. 

SL texts me and tells me that perhaps we might be working together again; on a housing project in Kuching. We have always kept our doors open for those who have worked with us before. Not all though, some have found firmer footing elsewhere and we are happy for them. Lau texts me and tells me that his boss is personally following up with Lot 49, while Azizah tells me that the Sibu project has been approved.

More good news, PH texts to tell me that the Petra Jaya project has been approved for submission. 

launched during the pandemic, it was completed in July

5.8.2025 Tuesday - meeting Luna

Jin Cafe at Jalan Siam

Sam and I wander aimlessly looking for breakfast spots suggested by Prudence, the experience is more enjoyable than the food. It is a hot today and Sam worries about her complexion, we stop often to sit in air-cond coffee shops where I catch up with work as she plots our next stop. We meet Brenda and Ada at the Peranakan Mansion, the tour is a bit chaotic, I escape to sketch in quiet corners when I can find them. More aimless wandering for lunch before leaving the Australians to recuperate in our hotel.  

4.8.2025 Monday - seeing Brenda

Brenda, Sam, Simone, Ada.

 

3.8.2025 Sunday

 

2.8.2025 Saturday - beat the lawyers but lost to the surveyors

 

1.8.2025 Friday - Jenny's farewell lunch and a screening

 Today is Jenny's last day in the office, we cook lunch and the office eat together. Sam cooked most of the food, and she joins us - normally she does not but Jenny must have left a mark on her. When Jenny decided to stay on Kuching, Sam was the one who found her a place to stay, prepared dinners to share with Jenny (often texting Jenny to see if she will eat with us that evening). So, Jenny's farewell is quite a milestone. And it coincides with the arrival of our Taiwanese interns, who are here to intern for a month.

Later that evening, we go and attend our medical screening at the Spring Mall - some of the results are unexpected. After some thought, Sam bought some supplement for us to take - partly also because young Emily, the pharmacist is so convincing. We brought EH and Bel along to the screening, later Sia and Ivy (and Kieran) join us for dinner at the food court downstairs.

31.7.2025 Thursday -

 

30.7.2025 Wednesday -

 

29.7.2025 Tuesday - clearing my head

 

28.7.2025 Monday - Sam is home

 

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