26.7.2026 Sunday - The Odyssey

25.7.2026 Saturday -

24.7.2026 Friday -

23.7.2026 Thursday

22.7.2026 Wednesday - Sarawak Day

 

21.7.2026 Tuesday - K2 is approved

 

20.7.2026 Monday - 59th birthday

 

19.7.2026 Sunday - Lady with a Parrot

 

18.7.2026 Saturday -

 

17.7.2026 Friday - the appetite comes with the eating.

Sean and I are faced with a niggling site issue for a house project yesterday, so the best thing is to do today is to meet the builder on site. As with most of these issues, it is a matter of confirmation and reassurance - we will issue some drawings to record the missing details.

I am still feeling unwell. I had planned to return home to sleep but decided to go to the office. At the office, Fiona asked if I would join them at the hotel site - the outdoors would do me good so I join them, still coughing slightly with a itchy throat. It's always to meet the end users, and the chef helped clear up some things. I retreat earlier to have a drink to soothe my throat, the others join me for lunch. I eat my first kolo mee in more than 3 months.

230pm and yet another meeting, this time with a client who has decided not to build. He receives our bill, which I sense is a bit higher than he expected. He will recoup his investment if/when he builds. We agree to see him at his house to design a new structure for solar panels. This time, we will not charge any design fees - a bit of give and take.

4pm - 'can you send the drawings for the planter box today?'. I must have laughed because he added '.. if you can't then I'll draw it myself, but then you might complain that it's ugly'. I get on it straight away, with Sean and Melvin's help - we decide to put it straight into the ground to NOT take up space in the already small lobby. 5pm - I text the concept drawings to him. 515pm - the drawings arrive at the site team chat group with instructions to construct over the weekend.

6pm - I receive instructions to resubmit a planning application for a small apartment project, amidst our office Korean Army Stew dinner. 

And I was thinking of having a nap at midday... 

16.7.2026 Thursday - it only takes a word

I am not 100 percent; coughing and a bit tired. Muscles are a bit achey - but the prospect of a game this evening gives me something to look forward to. I decide to have a quick lunch on my own, and as I walk out young Victor was 3D printing a model. 'how is the machine working now?' - 'it is working perfectly'. Confident answer for someone who has only started to use the printer. I like that

15.7.2026 Wednesday - a good mood

Listening to Youtube videos of Billy Joel, which Michael sent to the Thomian group. He is constantly posting music videos most of which I am not interested in. But this morning, he posted an interview with Billy Joel, which I am listening to while writing this. I decided that I will give this a try from now on. 

One benefit from the Thomian group.

14.7.2026 Tuesday - backyard pickleball

At the meeting, he challenges me to a game. Before that, he asks if I think I can beat him - definitely, I reply.  So, we show up at 6pm to have a game in his backyard, surrounded by expensive cars - it is quite amazing to see. He strains a hamstring when we play singles, so I think that there will be a re-match.

13.7.2026 Monday - food watching

It seems that we have settled on a routine of playing pickleball with the office folks on Monday. After that, we go for a simple bite to eat. The past few times we have eaten at the mamak place, so that the Muslim colleagues can join us. The team 'colleagues' is used loosely as former staff and interns join as well. Jowie is surprised that we invite the corner staff - we don't. They find out because they are in Peggy Chai's lunch time chat group. There are about 30 of them in there, many of them from as far back as several years ago. It's like Hotel California. 

I'm starting to keep a simple record of what I eat each day, to try and reduce the amount of carbohydrates. I'll report back in a month to see if there are significant results. 

 

12.7.2026 Sunday -

 

11.7.2026 Saturday - safety off

 This morning, I play pickleball without the air boot. It feel better, although I am extra careful not to lunge or jar my ankle. All goes well with Jowie as a partner, we make a good pair. (provided I do not overhit)

We meet Yoshi and June for breakfast; a big heavy for my taste but I have a simple version, and fish out the vegetable to eat with my black coffee. We have a good old chat until 11 a.m. - they are signing up for the road trip. My other meal plans with the Thomians are cancelled, so I am at a loose end for the afternoon. 

10.7.2026 Friday - nothing to worry about

Yesterday, I was concerned about losing control of some design elements in some of our projects, but as usual, it is for nothing. There is plenty of time for the designs to be refined and coordinated, my colleagues are conscientious and work hard to do this. I am learning to be calm about those things which I cannot control. 

Using the trampoline and stretching at the gym helps with my recovery, I will try playing pickleball without the boot tomorrow. It is about time. 

Years ago, Peggy created a chat group for the young people in the office to decide where to have lunch. Newcomers are added into the group, but the people who leave MWA are never removed, they stay in the chat group and randomly show up for lunch, and badminton sessions. I think this is lovely, that former colleagues still make time to catch up and have fun

 

9.7.2026 Thursday - pearls of wisdom

 

8.7.2026 Wednesday - mentors

Friends commend us for mentoring students. In truth, our mentoring begins when they enter our work space or studio as students, the mentoring continues for those who stay in touch or reach out for advice and affirmation. 

Who are my mentors? 

7.7.2026 Tuesday - feeling a little low

.. because one of the highlights of the day is off. We were going to meet about the new project but at the last minute, he postpones it by a day. It's not the end of the whole, I know but I think that he is a little disrespectful. I tell Leong I don't expect much from him on this front as I regard him as a child, so I'm not troubled by his tardiness. But I'm thinking about it, here I am writing about it.

A swim makes me feel better, though my ankle is still sore - the left one. 

RF dropped by and mentioned that she has finished her Part 2, and is moving back to Kuching. I offered to reach out to a friend who is looking to employ a Part 2 Graduate

6.7.2026 Monday - to the library and then the airport

 

5.7.2026 Sunday - Taoyuan Land Art design conference

 

4.7.2026 Saturday - Luce Chapel, Taichung

 

3.7.2026 Friday - back to Uni

 

2.7.2026 Thursday - Taoyuan Land Art Festival dress rehearsal

 

1.7.2026 Wednesday - Kuching to Taoyuan

We leave at 530 a.m. and arrive at 210 p.m. Puo Chun meet us with tumblers of iced local tea. He packs us up in his car and take us to the project site, and several others as well. Later that evening, he kindly drives us to Taipei, an hour away to our little hotel in the XiMenDing mall. Sam buys Si Yong a large can of Strong Zero after which the conversation gets louder and covers a wider range of topics.

I am here for the fellowship, with this team of Sarawakians and also with Eric's larger group of friends. I am aware that this might well be the final 'study-related' visit to Taiwan, as our friends' priorities change and locations shift. It is also nice to experience traveling with younger people; Fiona especially whom Sam teasingly calls 'ah-girl' during the trip.

30.6.2026 Tuesday - patience (I work, they play)

Yoshi said to me when we first met - to do architecture well, one needs talent. "Patience' - I corrected him.  My patience is tested frequently; clients are demanding, lazy and fickle-minded; colleagues are indecisive, slow to respond and dreaming.  But not daily, and no one is rude or un-reasonable to my me or my team. And most of the issues are solvable - so I am grateful:

1. to have more demanded of me (and my team) to arrive at a better solution. There is plenty of time spent but when the efficiency goes from 72% to 80% - it is time well spent. 
2. to have a chance to work on a problem and solve it, there is a small sense of achievement especially when one of our team outdoes me in giving a solution. 
3. to be useful, and continue a conversation with someone who might be helpful to us in the long run. I realise that it is easier to arrive at an understanding if my tone is friendly (even when I don't feel friendly)

So, nowadays I learn to take a deep breath and don't respond immediately - let it sit for a while; a couple of hours or day. And when there is nothing bothering you, release the information and then call them for a chat, and for him to ask question.

This lunch time, everyone is away for a long lunch giving Ricco a good send off.