14.8.2026 Thursday - Doris, Terry, Grace and Luna

Today will be a long day, made longer by the extra meetings we plan, with people we want to see in different places. 

Doris and I have met twice; the first time was when she crossed the seminar hall to greet me - 'Hi, you must be Min, we are Facebook friends'. And the second time is this morning, she in in Kuching to meet her boyfriend. I invited CY who also knows her from their interactions on the Art Festival in Taiwan. It turns out that she knows SL as well - it is a small world.

Our flight takes us to Penang by 2pm in time for a 4pm meeting, even after waiting for PH's delayed flight. Work is work, there are a few areas that I have to work on still - there were gaps on both sides. But I think it can be sorted within the next week. By dinner time, it has been a long day, and I did not get a chance to talk with Grace. It is lovely to see her little family though hard to imagine when we met her as an intern ten years ago - hardworking but the system fails her, answered for but stuck in a rut (the drummer boy). She kept in touch and over the years we would meet up, hear snippets of news about her milestone, celebrate them with her - we threw a 'wedding party' for her in Kuching complete with tea ceremony at No. 40.

Our hotel room reminds me of line in the Eagles's song 'Hotel California'. - we are able to leave but I want to go back.

19 April 2022 Tuesday - one week of mostly aimless walking around

 

Thean Chun Kopitiam

30.11.17 Second Trimester

I worried about many things this year.

Some were within my control. Some were not. But all of these events affected our work, and the way we do our work. Often times, I have had to suck it up and face the music as leaders often do. And now that it seems like the worse is behind us, one thing stands out. People have been kind, some have stood quietly (and resolutely) by my side. Others picked up the pieces, and tidied the house. Sam said some of the young ones in the office love me, perhaps like a father figure.

And that's a reassuring thought. 

16.11.17 Managing people

At our last site meeting, I turned to my client and asked, 'do you know what's the hardest thing about managing a project?'

'The client?' she hazarded a guess.

She is partially correct, it's the people. Managing people who often have different mindsets and objectives, made more difficult when their objectives are not apparent.

People who point out problems, but do not offer a solution (even when they have one). Choosing instead to be smug about it, or defer the decision to someone else because they fear accountability.

I turn 53 in two days, I have no time for this small mindedness.

Lebuh Nordin, Penang

Every time I see the shop houses along this little lane, their facades are raked with the evening sun. I walk here from my hotel nearby after a long afternoon's meeting with one sole purpose. To buy Beh Teh Saw (马蹄酥) from Hock Lok Siew Biscuit Company, a small family store that makes and sells these delicious flaky puffs filled with treacle. They are often warm from the oven when I buy them.

So, this sketch is to commemorate the short walk I take each fortnight; 0.74KM - I know, because I measure it on Runkeeper.

Nyonya Breeze

Travel sketches - Boey Chong Kee, People's Court

This little cluster of public housing is off Lebuh Cintra in Penang, many know this place for the old Cantonese restaurant on the ground floor of one of the flats - Boey Chong Kee. I like it for the clever use of a simple grid elevation to create the right balance of exposure and shade with concrete, steel and the right amount of timber (doors and windows). I like it because I know someone sat down and thought about it and drew up several options (and decide on the best). I like it for its 'hidden away' charm - I always have to look for it and once I get there, it is like stepping back in time.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

La Maison Bleu

Built by Cheong Fatt Tze “one of China’s last Mandarins and first Capitalists” this flamboyant masterpiece of 38 rooms, 5 courtyards and 7 staircases was acquired in 1990 with the aim of restoring it from its dilapidated state into an authentic original form. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has an eclectic style typical of 19th Century Straits Settlement architecture: a Chinese floor plan combines with Gothic louvred windows, Chinese qian-nian porcelain works with Stoke-on-Trent floor tiles, and Scottish cast iron works with Art Nouveau stained glass windows. It is said that the aura and “Chi” of the man pervades the whole building.

Ar. Lawrence Loh talks about the excellent 'chi' in the central courtyard

For architects and lovers of our building heritage, it is re-assuring to see that the restored building has found a new use and earns its upkeep as a heritage hotel and events venue. It has recently expanded its repertoire to include fine dining in the upstairs front rooms - done thoughtfully and sensitively, this form of adaptive reuse will guarantee the preservation of our heritage buildings for generations to come.

Old man Cheong would have approved of this.

Sketching Georgetown

View of Komtar Tower from Lebuh Chulia

These sketches of Georgetown were done during different times but with the same type of ball point pen (BIC Cristal) in a cheap note book. By varying the pressure on the page, I am able to produce a variety of line weights and shading.

Cathedral of the Assumption, Farquhar Street

The interior of the cathedral

Trees in the Drive

This is a one of my house projects under construction - this photo of the front elevation includes a tree which happened to be right in the middle of the crossover from the road. It would have to be cut eventually, which gave me the idea of planting trees in the driveway - in line with the car parking bays so that the owners can park their cars in between the trees.

work.share.run.fly

I am very pleased with my time spent in Penang - busy the whole three days that I was there. 

I traveled there with Alfred, Sofia and Eng Hooi - we arrived at noon on Friday just in time to collect our Penang Bridge Marathon race packs, and eat a ChaKuehTiaw lunch at Lorong Selamat before heading to my first task. 

WORK - site meeting to resolve construction issues for the Ramp House, a three-storey house designed as a series of landings connected by ramps and in between these landings is an urban forest designed by Pe Yang. The photo shows the first ramp which is in concrete, the rest will be built in steel and clad in timber.

arrival ramp from entry to dining room

SHARE - on Saturday morning, after a quick hotel breakfast with Alfred and Eng Hooi, I headed to the PAM (Malaysian Architect's Institute) Centre to give a talk titled "do what you like", sharing my thoughts about the sustainability of our profession, doing 'bread and butter' work to support our design 'explorations' which sustain our creative interest and therefore the lifespan of our practice. I also talked about the importance and my enjoyment of working with and nurturing architecture students. Despite the potential seriousness of these issues, you can probably guess from the title that there were many light-hearted moments in my presentation.

I told them the story of the ramp house

It is always enjoyable to give talks in Penang, the venue is intimate and people are genuine and inquisitive. They always take me out for a nice lunch, with good company.

after the talk, I chatted with Ar. Jong, Datin Teng and Ar. Boey

RUN - at 3:30 a.m. Sunday I started my fourth Penang Bridge Half Marathon. It would have been a nice birthday present (the next day) if I had better-ed my personal best of 2:29. But I didn't, and to quote dear Sara after her Additional Math paper, - "it's in the past, I don't want to talk about it".

Penang International Bridge Marathon - I did the Half

For the rest of Sunday, we were 'gallivanting gourmets' Alfred, Eng Hooi, Frances, Larry and I strolled from cultural spot to food destination; sampling history and folklore with chendol and curry noodles (more in upcoming post).

FLY - We took off from Penang at 7:10 a.m. on Monday - I left my sketch book in my luggage which explains why these two sketches are done on the AirAsia barf bags.

Early flight home with fishballs from Ah Chiat, my favourite cab driver in Penang

Ramp House

I remember sketching this view from my hotel window as I waited for Lee Hui to get ready in the next room. She has been developing the design for our 'ramp house' and we are getting ready to review our construction drawings with the engineers who are based in Penang. 

That was two years ago.

For those who follow this blog, you might remember that this house has ramps as its main circulation route in a series of half levels that form the house's main rooms. It has been a long gestation period but all good things take time...

Breakfast with Sara

I drew this while waiting for Sara to finish eating her "Kuih-Tiaw-Thng" - we are seated along Lorong Ceylon (off Argyll Road) - at the same level with passing cars. I had eaten breakfast an hour earlier, but came along because someone had to pay for breakfast. 

I also saw it as an opportunity to sketch more of Penang's street-scape; and to spend more time with Sara. Not that we engage in meaningful in depth conversation between her spoonfuls of pork broth. Teenagers are oblivious to the other people in the world; conversations can appear frighteningly self-centred "Dad. I am hungry  - can we go eat?" or a more recent one "Go home, shower, smell nice, eat, go to sleep"

Even if we are in our own worlds; me concentrating on capturing a view on paper, she in slurping noodles with one eye on Meg Cabot's latest novel, I like spending time with my children; to borrow a line from an old song;  I like the near-ness of them - it strengthens me and gives purpose to what I do.

Steward Lane, Penang

More from the stolen afternoon of sketching in Penang, my attention was caught by the many textures of this elevation. I drew in ink 'on-site' and colored in after I returned to Kuching.

Wan Hai Hotel on Steward Lane

 

I didn't have my camera with me and forgot to write down the street name but fortunately I was able to find a photo taken by Calvin Kwok to accompany this post.

 

Work, Run and Family

Sara and I went to Penang for the Bridge Half Marathon; I decided to work in a bit of work and met with a client about a house and gave a talk at the local Architecture school (USM). I also brought my parents along since my Mom has not been since I was in Secondary school. 
At 3 a.m. Sunday, I ran my third half marathon (3:39) - didn't make my target of 2:27. It was a busy few days but I managed to steal away for some sketching on the last afternoon when Sara went shopping with Pris, and Eng Hooi played tour guide for my parents.
 

Campbell Street Market