3 April 2022 Sunday -sitting

Most of today was spent sitting - baby-sitting mom while trying to work. It was not possible to do work but it was alright, spending a few hours drinking coffee and sharing a club sandwich. 

I had confirmed the Aiman facade project earlier today, while waiting for Sam to finish her cycling class. I felt rewarded, and lazy to continue working on projects. I sketched a chair in the dining hall instead, and washed the shadows with kopi using a spoon. Mom asked questions, the same ones usually, over and over. Sometimes, I answered and we would have a conversation. Other times I’d stay silent; unreplying until she changed her question or ignore me all together. 

2 hours past, she didn't disown me. 

no breakfast buffet, only set meals. I am still IF so none for me

Work-life balance

After weeks of working from home, I started think about this as a long term plan since everything was going well in the work front; the guys are self motivated and seemed to enjoy the time away from the office. 

During last year's MCO, I worked from the man-cave outside, which was nice in the mornings but got hot in the afternoons. And I don't get to spend time with Sam, she being in the house. Then I moved inside, onto the 'pier' - an outdoor room next to the living room. This space has nice views of the garden but the table was a little bit small, and I could not see the telly from what I worked. (I sometime turn on a documentary to listen to while drawing). The other place where I have done my work at home was on the low coffee table in front of the telly - like how we did when we were both university students. But it meant moving things away come dinner time, and I am finding it harder and harder to get up from a cross legged position. 

Earlier this year, I annexed Sean's room for working in the afternoons when I needed air-conditioning. It is a smallish room, but cosy and private because of that - it is ideal for my online meetings especially if the dogs get too feisty and start barking at motorbikes outside.

In July, we moved the long table from the man-cave (Sam hurt her wrist carrying it while walking backwards) into the living room. This table was bought second-hand from CC Chan when he migrated to Perth (Sam and the kids modified it and made a new table top for it using timber floor boards). I had earlier sketched out several options of possible layouts and showed them to the boss, she preferred option 1. 

So now we have work-food and entertainment balance in the living room, though at the moment the telly is being fixed, but work - food balance. We get to sit together while we work and eat.

 

 I do not tire of this view - Sam at lunch in Brussels.

In-flight Entertainment

Flying AirAsia from Kuching to Penang meant no in-flight entertainment - plenty of time to do some work then. PH and I met a client a week ago and we chatted about the design of his house - the following sketches are the "minutes of meeting". I will send this to the client to record our points of agreement and some suggestions for the points on which we dis-agreed.

working out the scale of spaces on the left before setting out for real on the right

The sketches are done with an Artline pen on recycled palm-paper (I like its tooth and off-white colour) and washed with watercolours.

Sketching with Sean

More of my work takes me to Kuala Lumpur these days and since Sean and Sara are studying and living in KL now - work combines with family life in a nice symmetry that I enjoy. When I was recently invited to introduce our practice to a client there, I use it as an opportunity to invite my favourite young man to breakfast and maybe a bit of sketching. Perhaps with me offering some fatherly advice on ink and wash (and life). We agreed to meet in the morning at 8 in order to give him time to travel to me by public transport.

View of KLIA2 from my window seat

But work first. I flew budget to KLIA2, the long journey and the waiting time gave me time to fill a few pages of my sketch book. My contact person in the client's company was a former trainee, now an architect working with this large property developer. Again, I was pleasantly reminded of life's symmetry - this young person whom I mentored and gave tips to about architecture is now (10 years on) giving me tips about my presentation to her bosses. The meeting was long but enjoyable and I felt a rapport with the people there, we agreed to put some thoughts on paper for one of their projects.

Seanie trying out my water brush

Sometimes, I visualise the outcome of an event; the sequence of conversation, the exchange of words and looks, a facial expression, a gesture. Sometimes the actual event turns out much like how I imagined it. I thought that the hotel breakfast would be mediocre and it was; that he would arrive a little late and flustered as he is prone to do when he arrives late; that he would eat little and talk even less until prompted.

Sean's sketch of a parapet detail

Then later as he cooled down, he also warmed up to the task of telling me about his recent field and listened to my suggestions about doing quick sketches and trying different media. While he concentrated on his sketches, I made the most of the hotel's buffet service and made us cups of tea with honey and toast with butter and jam.

A Sunday well spent

I injured my foot recently and have not been able to run for the past two weeks. It is frustrating but as I told one of my runner friends - I now have an extra 7 hours each week. So, the other hobbies have encroached and my Sunday has evolved somewhat...

4:30 - 7:00 a.m. Sunday 
- finished reading Yasmin Ahmad's 'memoir' loaned to me by another Yasmin - I enjoyed it tremendously as it is funny and sad, poignant and pointed in parts. It is told in a series of encounters and conversations with her close friends and colleagues. One gets a sense of having known Yasmin after reading this book - I am going out and buying one for myself and a few more to give to friends.

9:00 - 10:30 a.m. 
After a quick breakfast with Sam and Sara, we headed off across the river to join the Urban Sketcher's Kuching Sketch-crawl at the old Dewan Undangan Negeri Complex. Our little group was started by Peggy and Azie, both fellow architects and it has since grown to include several graphic designers, Yvonne who teaches sign langauge, Helena the Interior Designer, Adam the plastic surgeon and local students. Peggy is the dynamo behind our activities and has recently set up a page on FaceBook. 

Ink and wash on site - using a water brush filled with Chinese Ink

Started on site, finished at home

The outcome of one hour's sketching on site

Notice how they sit in the shade ?

11:30 - 1:30 a.m.

It was a bit hot to do gardening but the grass needed cutting and I needed to burn calories - so I cut grass while Sam joined me to weed. Our vegie patch and herb garden has gone to weed suffering from neglect during our time in Europe - next week's assignment is to re-plant some of them.

Add caption

2:30 - 3:30 a.m.
Sam shaved her hair a few years ago as part of Kuching's GO BALD campaign to raise money for our local Children's Cancer Society - so she is a avid supporter of friends who are game to do the same.  Several of our friends were taking part so we dropped by to lend our moral support - especially for the women in the group when they get their hair shaved off. This is the 6th installment of the GO BALD campaign in Kuching  and I was very touched to see that the number of young people taking part have increased - meaning that the event has raised their awareness in the plight of others. I was very proud to be in their company, I was told that they raised RM 400, 000.00 (USD 100,000) on Sunday.

Claudia is an architect working with me

From front - Sofia, Claudia, Freddie, Ah-Fook and Louis

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Dinner and off to bed

Marrakesh

A memory map of our stay in Marrakesh, showing my morning run with Louis into the walled city.

We traveled from Casablanca to Marrakesh by coach which took 4 hours. But time passed quickly as we alternated between gently dozing after our Moroccan breakfast and savouring the views of green fields and farmhouses. We passed several small towns; clusters of buildings leading up to a castle or a mosque at the top of a hill - I imagined myself living here for a year, working with my hands, in the open fields harvesting lavender or olives.

I took some photos knowing that they will not convey what I saw with my eyes and in my mind.

 

Sketches from our two days in Marrakesh

November Sketch Crawl

These are two sketches done during the recent sketch crawl, of the Brooke Dockyard at the end of Jalan Gambier. It was been de-commisioned for some years now but architecturally and structurally it is still imposing - I would love to be able to get inside to sketch and photograph it.

 

Sean and Sara

As my children grow up; they start to develop their personal interests - many of which are different from mine. And as much as I would like them to share some of my interests, it is difficult to do so without seeming to force them. And as democratic as I try to be; family and friends tell me that my 'forceful' personality may think it is not imposing. But it is....

So it is with some degree of pleasure that I re-discovered these sketches that Sean and Sara painted with me on Sunday afternoons about ten years ago. We stuck them on the wall of the study, until they were eventually hidden by furniture moved in front of them. Sara's bold strokes and Sean's ink and wash combine to form a slice of our personal history.

Of course, those days are gone now, and I am left to run, sketch and garden on my own most of the time.

On a brighter note, Sean has decided to give Architecture a try - he starts his Foundation course next January.

A long afternoon in Singapore

As much as I look forward to trips away from Kuching - such as the recent Taipei trip; I usually start missing Sam and the kids within a day. This is especially pronounced when I do not have enough to occupy my mind, or if I see something I know they would like. 


So after lunch with Stephen, SiYong and Peggy - I set off to 'occupy' my long afternoon. I got out into the heat, away from the underground shopping arcades.  I joined the tourists and Fillipino maids on their day off, at Marina Bay

After half an hour, it got too hot so I escaped into the Esplanade lobby where there are often free concerts in the afternoon. Today was no different; a local percussion band was playing, practicing actually but it offered a soothing backdrop to be in the company of strangers enjoying a free 'gig'

I sat on one of the triangular seats at the base of the columns; next to a dating couple and eavesdropped on their conversation. He is thinking of changing jobs; she thinks they should take that Europe trip. It was a bit warm and stuffy, I doze off in between lines on paper. Finally the sketches are done.          Time for my customary S$ 1 ice cream wafer 

...today started great

It rained..

but I got out for a run anyway

short one

from home to popiah

started at six

got there in 30 minutes

faster than I imagined

which was great

since I been feeling slow of late.

Popiah and Kopi O

with Sam for an hour

then to the office for a shower.

and as I walked in -

I heard guitar music

Doreen came in earlier to practice

'don't stop' I told her

'play louder,

so I can hear you in the shower'

Waiting

Recently while waiting in a hotel lobby, I drew this mom and child waiting for dad to check out - mom was tying up the toddler's hair while the child played with an I-phone. The following sketches are collected over the years and they show us waiting (almost always with a book)

Sam falls asleep amongst the laundry while waiting for dinner to be cooked

We were on the way to KL via KTM train from JB.

Home for some

Toffee the dog is two timing us - Sam and I rescued him from a short life on the streets and gave him a home at DNA. One day, he escaped. We thought that we had lost him for good, because we looked everywhere. Then Rosalind from down the street rang up and said "I think I have your dog; I am now his mummy, he has been with us for several weeks and we call him Mr. Brown".
So, we agreed to have a time-share dog who would benefit from twice the loving.

Toffee rolls in mid morning like a CEO; checks in with Leong and I before having a nap. He stays for lunch with Arlene. In the afternoon, he wanders around taking part in our group discussions. At 4 pm, Mr. Brown leaves to return home to mommy and dinner.

Sometimes, Life should be simple like that.

me, toffee and iPod (2009)

Toffee a.k.a.Mr. Brown (Aug 2011)

travel sketches - beijing part 2

beneath the reflection pool

inside the dome of the national theatre




housing in downtown Beijing

detail of bay window

These are scenes of the Great Wall of China at Badaling. I used a re-fillable fountain pen brush i bought in Beijing.