6 May 2022 Friday - break through

At the Roxy site with Freddie and the client's project team

Sean and I spoke about him coming home to work with us; I asked him what were his thoughts about it. Many of his projects have come to a halt, and he is mainly doing CAD-work - though he is not the type to complain about it. I have been prompting him to think about continual learning, about professional registration exams - he can do this at our office. And we are getting busier. 

He thought I should either be his dad or his boss - words that summed up our roles nicely in the coming months and years. He once said I was the hardest boss to work for, maybe because he saw me at home as well as at work. 

This time round, I place him under the care of Freddie, someone closer to his age who can guide him and supervise his work, and in return Freddie will get a design partner and assistant. 

Freddie had other ideas; thinking that Sean can go into the deep end and take responsibility for his action and decisions. Sam agrees.

5 May 2022 Thursday - patience

I have not drawn this way for a while - pencil/pen on paper with a straight edge, drawn to scale and with annotation and dimensions. I did this because two interns asked me what to show in their working drawings. I thought it was easier to show with a drawing rather than a text message. I also thought how strange is was that they do not know this at this stage of their education.

But if there is one thing I have learnt this year, it is patience - to take my foot off the gas and listen, to try and understand why this question is asked, to see the other person's point of view. So I sent this to them and waited.

One replied with some questions - whether the roof overhand was disruptive to the overall form. She suggested an alternative which proved more viable and one we will adapt for the final proposal.

summer

4 May 2022 Wednesday

 

3 May 2022 Tuesday

 

2 May 2022 Monday

 

1 May 2022 Sunday - visiting ghosts

 

30 April 2022 Saturday - favourite people, favourite place

When we were studying overseas, we came home once every two to three years. These days children travel home on public holidays and long weekends, as Sean and Sara did over the Raya break for a bit of pampering from mom. This is good for my mental health; an opportunity for us to talk about future plans, developing relationships, work and study situations, about Honey who is sick and boarded at the vet, and to see amah who is also getting on in years. 

From 2pm to 6, I was in the office with mom; I was working, she was interrupting. After getting the kids from the airport, Sam swung by and picked us up for an early dinner at No. 27.