3.2.2025 Monday - first day back at work, and a hot breakfast for everyone

 ..and ang-pows as well. Followed by our Monday morning meeting, our numbers grown due to Milan (first day) and Ryan (back from Uni) together with Clarissa and Roosh, and Ricco. George and PH zoom-ed in from KL - all is well. 

Later in the morning, I meet with Leon Lo who used to work with Freddo -  we chat in the office, (and discover that he is class-mates with Calvin), and continue downstairs over coffee.  He is 28 but with dreams about making an impact later in life, about leaving a legacy and such a polite and sincere young person. I would like to keep in touch with him. Lunch time, I catch up with Andy Wong who visits from Brisbane via Prague and Germany, Grace and Alvin join him for lunch. It is always good to speak to Grace, her sly sense of humour and pretty smile. She compliments me for my improved Mandarin (it has been 15 years!) - 'you used to reply in English or Hokkien even though I spoke to you in Mandarin, now we can have short conversations completely in Mandarin'. A highlight of my day.

After this breakfast, we decided that we will take turns and cook breakfast for each other on the first Monday of each month.

Another highlight of the day - Tabuan Desa is revived! as a residential development - another project to work on. We prepare a proposal several months ago - now Melvin will take over with Ricco to assist.

27.11.2024 Wednesday - meeting school friends

Highlight of the day is the dinner with old school mates, we eat pizza and burgers, and drink beers with soju. I enjoyed Jon and Sasha's company - they are quite genuine and funny. 

I treated Sasha and Jeanette to dinner and walked slowly home, work problems temporarily set aside. Interesting note: Da calls medicated rubs 'gosok' which sort of makes sense. 

The low point of the day was hearing that our serviced apartment project has not been given planning approval. We would have to re-invent the scheme and re-submit.

9 May 2023 Tuesday time to sit quietly and draw (interrupted by an annoying man)

 

Today was meant to be a busy day; a visit to the site to review built in fittings, then a 10 a.m. meeting to discuss Building Plans submission schedules for apartments and later at 2 p.m. a client invited us to visit an engineered timber factory. Normally this would screw up by day somewhat especially if I had planned to draw. 

But PH kindly offered to let me sit out the 10 a.m. meeting - in return I finished the Block 13 proposal for him. Leong and Fiona attended the site review at PD residences - which left me time to work on Tabuan Desa with Hui Phing. 

Freddie attended the factory visit for me, but brought back an annoying man (steel contractor) who wanted a re-cap of what we had briefed him a month ago. He uses this excuse often when he is unable to finish the work. Other excuses include 'has it been confirmed by the client?' (after our drawings have been issued for construction one month ago), 'so and so told me it is no longer required' and so forth.

I decided that we don't have time for all this, and rang the client to suggest changing the wall sculpture in steel to wall paneling in timber. He agreed (it will be faster and cheaper) and for the remaining works, he will engage a less experienced steel fabricator to work with us. 

Life is too short to put up with other peoples' insecurities and petty concerns about point scoring.

My young people have better ideas about how to spend their time wisely - Yasmin (forever the glue) invited them to go bouldering, and to my surprise many went and judging from the photos enjoyed themselves (not from the bouldering but from the company of friends).

Peggy, Sherlin and Jenny

Hui Phing

Eunice and Peggy