11 May 2023 Thursday - railing design, a lunch reunion and a dinner reunion

Changing design and sub contractors - simplifying it to its bare essentials with 3 added functions: a guardrail is a guardrail is a guardrail, until you add an upper frame which conceals a light (to read the menu, to see what you are eating and to provide ambient lighting), with a narrow counter top for drinks and small plates, which is also a horizontal barrier deterring people from getting too close to the edge. The change of the sub-contractor is also a good thing, I am tired of listening to excuses.

I wanted Teck to meet all my architects, today Sherlin briefed him on the YKS proposal she answered questions clearly and expressed opinions with confidence. He must have been quite taken by her because at the end of the meeting, he gifted her a belian cigar box. It is nice and heavy, well-made and too difficult to carry back to KL. I will use it to put cookies in, and have it on the conference room table. 

Members from the 'alumni' came for lunch - Vivian, Freddie and Bryan

Joyce and I worked in Port Moresby, with Hwong and Andy

I promised Joyce that I would cook lunch for her and her family, she dropped by with bottles of wine and brought her husband Joseph and eldest daughter. As usual, others in the alumni heard and arrived for lunch as well - many people sitting around the table eating food I cooked. I am making plans for Joyce to work on the interiors of our projects, she is good and might be a bit short of work. 

At 630 - we had dinner at Robyn's new place, she prepared a nice dinner for Sam and I, Swee and Ivy. We watched the sunset from her balcony.

7:00 p.m. I have not seen this aspect of Kuching before, neither have I seen the jets of water from the riverside fountain which appeared at 8:00pm

 

24 April 2022 Sunday - revisiting No. 40

 

Sketch 17/30 - View from Robyn's balcony

This sketch brings back a wonderful memory - we had just met Robyn for breakfast at the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio and we walked back to her apartment near the Duomo. The apartment was a single room with a book shelf dividing the kitchen and bedroom with a small balcony, from which I could look down at the roofs and terraces of the neighbourhood houses. A lovely but typical view of Florence. It was when I looked up that I realised how close I was to Brunelleschi's Duomo - it seemed close enough to touch. To see the details up close; the massive tiled dome in shadow and light, the white marble of the campanile speckled with the little silhouettes of doves. It felt close to heaven.