The Roof Deck Before #1
The Roof Deck After #1
The Roof Deck Before #2
The roof Deck After #2
It seems so long since I wrote. It has been a busy couple of weeks. Ever since I moved into my condo there has been one project or another, one shopping expedition or another.
I’ve spent most of the last two weeks working on my roof deck. There’s a spiral staircase from the living level up to the roof, where there is a covered area, a big deck, and a view out over the ocean. Yet when I moved in, it was all empty. Well, you know me—give me a blank slate, and I just have to draw on it. So, slowly, after work and over last weekend, I started building “bali hai” as it’s come to be known. I bought some plants from a local nursery—palm trees, hibiscus (bunga-ria), philodendrons, and assorted other tropical things. Then came the real work—I decided I wanted a pond, so I got a pond liner and a pump, and stated collecting rocks from the jobsite. I was bringing them home by the trunk load, having the bellboys load them in a wheeled hopper, and bring them up to the condo on the 14th floor. From there, it was basically a 1 rock at a time up the spiral staircase and out onto the deck. Rocks, bricks, concrete blocks. Day after day. My driver, Afizul, and the bellboys all get gold stars for effort, and a hearty thanks for buying into my goofy dream. And after the rocks were up, there was washing them off with the hose, placing and stacking them, and slowly the blank slate started to become something.
Around town you see a lot of Chinese prayer alters—red, about 6 foot tall, with golden dragons and symbols on them. I bought one. The little Chinese man I got it from said that he’d never sold one to, frankly, a white guy. Ever. That was a week ago Saturday. They delivered it on Monday, and Afizul met them at the house. Well, the delivery guys took one look at the spiral staircase and said, “no way.” So when Afizul called with the news, I told him ok, tell them to take it back, and that I wanted a refund. Well, when they reported this news to the old china man who sold me the alter, there was a long conversation. Suddenly, they felt motivated to try it again, and in 5 minutes it was up on the roof. Apparently, profit is a strong motivator.
After that I got a joss-pot. They burn incense in these alters. Well, I just thought it was a cute brass pot with sand in it, and you stuck the incense in and burnt it. Wrong! Raymond, the helpful Chinese who sold me the pot, taught me the whole traditional way to set up the incense burner. He too, had never sold any of this to a matsalah (white guy in Malay). First, you use rice ash, not sand, then you place 5 antique Chinese coins—wording up, not symbols up, in the bowl. Place them one in the center, and one for each direction—north, east, south, and 
west. Then add the “special” beans—5 kinds—and then cover with the rest of the ash. Fascinating. So now, my little alter is complete, and “official.”
I also bought a rattan rocking chair, and some other chairs for folks to sit on. I’ve also ordered a rattan table. It’s kinda cool cuz we just happened to be driving by a place where they were loading chairs into a truck, stopped on a whim, and it ends up that it’s the place where they actually make these things. Got to go in and see how they do it. Hand work, virtually no tools, everything just lashed together.
I also bought an inexpensive stereo/dvd player. Now I can watch movies and rock out. Didn’t cost much, and really enhances the livability when you’re all alone. Then I got some lamps for the bedside, so I can read at nite, and one for the living room—the lites that came with the place were bright and awful. Got a couple of gorgeous
orchids for the living room too. They’re cheap a nails here.
So, in a couple of paragraphs I’ve described the work of two weeks. Long, incredibly hot, and laborious. But now it’s all worth it, and the place is starting to feel like home.
Last nite, Saturday, I had a house warming party. I was really a good time. And it was a beautiful evening. I had the SunPower folks over, and the drivers. I spent almost all day cleaning the place, getting the roof deck ready, and cooking. I made German potato salad; a cucumber, tomato and green onion salad (with no vinegar for the dressing—yipes! I did forget one thing—so I improvised with lime juice), and we barbequed chicken. Rice, or nasi as it’s known here, is a major staple of their diet. They eat it all sorts of ways, so I made a saffron rice with carrots, peas, raisins and almonds, and it was a big hit. That was very satisfying—to get some kudos from folks who really know their rice. Everybody had a great time.
Including Bob and Mike, who are from my office in Portland. They got in Saturday morning, and are here to help out the local design firm. It was really good to see some familiar faces. They’ll stay here a couple of days, then go on to Penang to try and help MEI turn the corner in a couple of key areas of the building’s design.
During the course of the evening, I gave every body a joss stick (incense) and we had a little ceremony. As everybody held their lit sticks, I asked for a happy home, good luck for SunPower, and safe driving. Everybody was a little uncertain about the whole thing, but as they got the sticks lit, mostly wondering if they were sparklers, they warmed to the occasion. And after I made the little invocation for good fortune, everyone was really into it., placing their joss-sticks in the joss pot.
About the only down side was that the chicken got a little over-done. A bit crisped and blackened. We tried to rush it onto the coals, and I gotta admit that the Malay style barbeques were something new. But, judging by the fact that everything got eaten, it wasn’t that much of a disaster.
About 1 everyone left for the bar here in the condo unit. I don’t even know where it is. I stayed back. I was done. Cleaned up a bit and went to bed.
Work has been going well. The other evening, rob even said he’d been thinking about hiring me for a couple of years. He’s pleased, and that’s what counts. It has been fairly exhausting. Trying hard to get the project moving in a more positive direction after a couple of months of floundering. But lots of meetings, deadlines, and concentration.
At least a couple of times a week we go mountain biking at lunch. It’s great. Need to keep it up, and even try to go more frequently. It is a good way to burn off calories and tension. Cripes it’s hot out there!
I’ve spent most of the last two weeks working on my roof deck. There’s a spiral staircase from the living level up to the roof, where there is a covered area, a big deck, and a view out over the ocean. Yet when I moved in, it was all empty. Well, you know me—give me a blank slate, and I just have to draw on it. So, slowly, after work and over last weekend, I started building “bali hai” as it’s come to be known. I bought some plants from a local nursery—palm trees, hibiscus (bunga-ria), philodendrons, and assorted other tropical things. Then came the real work—I decided I wanted a pond, so I got a pond liner and a pump, and stated collecting rocks from the jobsite. I was bringing them home by the trunk load, having the bellboys load them in a wheeled hopper, and bring them up to the condo on the 14th floor. From there, it was basically a 1 rock at a time up the spiral staircase and out onto the deck. Rocks, bricks, concrete blocks. Day after day. My driver, Afizul, and the bellboys all get gold stars for effort, and a hearty thanks for buying into my goofy dream. And after the rocks were up, there was washing them off with the hose, placing and stacking them, and slowly the blank slate started to become something.
Around town you see a lot of Chinese prayer alters—red, about 6 foot tall, with golden dragons and symbols on them. I bought one. The little Chinese man I got it from said that he’d never sold one to, frankly, a white guy. Ever. That was a week ago Saturday. They delivered it on Monday, and Afizul met them at the house. Well, the delivery guys took one look at the spiral staircase and said, “no way.” So when Afizul called with the news, I told him ok, tell them to take it back, and that I wanted a refund. Well, when they reported this news to the old china man who sold me the alter, there was a long conversation. Suddenly, they felt motivated to try it again, and in 5 minutes it was up on the roof. Apparently, profit is a strong motivator.
After that I got a joss-pot. They burn incense in these alters. Well, I just thought it was a cute brass pot with sand in it, and you stuck the incense in and burnt it. Wrong! Raymond, the helpful Chinese who sold me the pot, taught me the whole traditional way to set up the incense burner. He too, had never sold any of this to a matsalah (white guy in Malay). First, you use rice ash, not sand, then you place 5 antique Chinese coins—wording up, not symbols up, in the bowl. Place them one in the center, and one for each direction—north, east, south, and 
west. Then add the “special” beans—5 kinds—and then cover with the rest of the ash. Fascinating. So now, my little alter is complete, and “official.”I also bought a rattan rocking chair, and some other chairs for folks to sit on. I’ve also ordered a rattan table. It’s kinda cool cuz we just happened to be driving by a place where they were loading chairs into a truck, stopped on a whim, and it ends up that it’s the place where they actually make these things. Got to go in and see how they do it. Hand work, virtually no tools, everything just lashed together.
I also bought an inexpensive stereo/dvd player. Now I can watch movies and rock out. Didn’t cost much, and really enhances the livability when you’re all alone. Then I got some lamps for the bedside, so I can read at nite, and one for the living room—the lites that came with the place were bright and awful. Got a couple of gorgeous
orchids for the living room too. They’re cheap a nails here.So, in a couple of paragraphs I’ve described the work of two weeks. Long, incredibly hot, and laborious. But now it’s all worth it, and the place is starting to feel like home.
Last nite, Saturday, I had a house warming party. I was really a good time. And it was a beautiful evening. I had the SunPower folks over, and the drivers. I spent almost all day cleaning the place, getting the roof deck ready, and cooking. I made German potato salad; a cucumber, tomato and green onion salad (with no vinegar for the dressing—yipes! I did forget one thing—so I improvised with lime juice), and we barbequed chicken. Rice, or nasi as it’s known here, is a major staple of their diet. They eat it all sorts of ways, so I made a saffron rice with carrots, peas, raisins and almonds, and it was a big hit. That was very satisfying—to get some kudos from folks who really know their rice. Everybody had a great time.
Including Bob and Mike, who are from my office in Portland. They got in Saturday morning, and are here to help out the local design firm. It was really good to see some familiar faces. They’ll stay here a couple of days, then go on to Penang to try and help MEI turn the corner in a couple of key areas of the building’s design.
During the course of the evening, I gave every body a joss stick (incense) and we had a little ceremony. As everybody held their lit sticks, I asked for a happy home, good luck for SunPower, and safe driving. Everybody was a little uncertain about the whole thing, but as they got the sticks lit, mostly wondering if they were sparklers, they warmed to the occasion. And after I made the little invocation for good fortune, everyone was really into it., placing their joss-sticks in the joss pot.
About the only down side was that the chicken got a little over-done. A bit crisped and blackened. We tried to rush it onto the coals, and I gotta admit that the Malay style barbeques were something new. But, judging by the fact that everything got eaten, it wasn’t that much of a disaster.
About 1 everyone left for the bar here in the condo unit. I don’t even know where it is. I stayed back. I was done. Cleaned up a bit and went to bed.Work has been going well. The other evening, rob even said he’d been thinking about hiring me for a couple of years. He’s pleased, and that’s what counts. It has been fairly exhausting. Trying hard to get the project moving in a more positive direction after a couple of months of floundering. But lots of meetings, deadlines, and concentration.
At least a couple of times a week we go mountain biking at lunch. It’s great. Need to keep it up, and even try to go more frequently. It is a good way to burn off calories and tension. Cripes it’s hot out there!
Hey, Scott!
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoy learning about Malaysia vicariously through your blog. My friend, Faizal, is from Penang and he said to tell you be sure to visit Penang - they have the best food there. :) Sounds like things are good for you; hard work but rewarding. Enjoy it. Love ya'!
Carla