Engineering Consultancy Practice after 35 Years

On 28.11.2024 at a dinner function at Hilton Hotel, I met one of my ex-engineer staff, Wui Chung who is now known as Datuk Ir. Yong Wui Chung. Wui Chung first joined our C&S engineering consultancy practice way back in the 1990's as a fresh graduate engineer at our old office at the 9th Floor of Wisma Karamunsing. He left our company a couple of years later and joined another company. He and another engineer eventually formed a new C&S engineering consultancy practice. He later joined a local political party, LDP and eventually rosed to become its Secretary General. He was nominated as a Senator in the Dewan Negara of Malaysia for three years from August 2017 to August 2020 (Read here). 

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Wui Chung is not the only one who has made a name for himself. Many who have joined us have left and set up their own consultancy practices or becoming contractors. Some have moved overseas and continued practicing engineering while some have switched to doing other professions.

Occasionally, we met some of them in unexpected occasions. 

Met our ex-engineer, Low Wooi Kiang ai KLIA2 on 21.01.2015
who left the company and moved back to West Malaysia in
2007.

Met ex-engineer, Johnny Ting for coffee at Damai on 04.09.2024

With David Sun (Middle) on 25.02.2024

David Sun who worked as one of the engineers of the supervision team for the KK Water Supply Project in the 1980's now resides in Hong Kong. He came back in February 2024 and dropped by to join the Sunday Church Service at our BCCM KK(E). The photo was taken immediately after the service together with the founding Director just outside the church hall. David no longer practices engineering but has gone into Christian ministry.  

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The changes of staff throughout the company 35-years operation are best appreciated in some of the photos taken during the staff lunches or dinners during Christmas and CNY over the years.

CNY Staff Dinner at Silk Garden, Pacific Sutera Hotel
on 02.02.2024

CNY Staff Dinner at New Gaya Seafood Restaurant at Plaza Shell on 23.01.2023.

A staff dinner at Hilton Kinabalu.

CNY Staff Lunch at Kampong Narayan Floating Seafood
Market Restaurant on 21.01.2019

CNY Staff Lunch on 19.02.2018

CNY Staff Lunch in Jan 2007.

One of the old photos of CNY celebration lunch for staff taken in January 2007. ln those years, practically all the engineers recruited were fresh graduate engineers.

Jonathan Wong (Seated 1st at right). 

Seated second from right is Lai Pui San who was with the company for 5 years from Feb 2002 to Feb 2007. She later left the company after marriage and moved to Hong Kong. After spending 12 years in Hong Kong working for an international consultancy practice, Aecom Asia, her family moved to Melbourne in 2019 and she continued working for the same company in the Australian office.

Frederick Yew (standing second from right) worked only a year with the company from June 2005 to June 2006. He has since his departure worked for numerous companies. Currently, he is the General Manager of a Development Company.

Ian Wong (Standing 3rd from right), He worked for the company for a significant period of time principally in engineering design and project management. 

Low Wooi Kiang (Standing 2nd from left). He joined the company immediately upon graduation from UMS in June 2006 (Read here). A year later, he left the company and moved back to West Malaysia and joined Lumut Naval Base. I recalled contacting him when my wife and I visited Lumut in 2012 soon after spending CNY in West Malaysia (Read here). 

Coincidentally, my son Paul who happened to undergo internship training at the company during his third year at Newcastle University, Australia also joined us for that particular staff lunch.

Interestingly, among the staff in the photo, only three are still with the company to this very day. They are Liew PC, Searon and Tony George. Liew PC who joined the company in January 1992 as a trainee draftsman has risen to become a Senior Engineering Assistant taking charge of drafting work and project management.

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Significant change has occurred since I first joined the consultancy practice in mid-1989, a year after the practice was set up by the founder in 1988. At the time of switching to consultancy practice, I was working as a Senior Civil Engineer with Antah-Biwater in the implementation of the Rural Water Supply Scheme for Sabah.

In October 1994, the practice was re-structured to become a private limited company. Together with the founder, we were the only two directors of the company.

Today, the company has four Directors and an Associate Director. Ir. Wah was made the third Director in 2011 after working for the company for a couple of years. Ir. Arzahri joined the company as a fresh graduate engineer in 2007 and upon his securing his professional practice license in 2016, he was made the fourth Director.

Unlike some of consultancy practices, we manage to have secured the second generation of engineering consultancy practitioners to continue the consultancy service.

Bonding Time in Singapore

A friend commented after seeing our photo posted in Istagram with our two granddaughters in Singapore - "Happy bonding time!".

Indeed, we had a great time bonding with these two granddaughters whom we last saw in March 2024 when they came to KK to spend a short holiday (Read here). For the first time, we stayed and spent 3N4D with them in their house.

Their feeling of this particular bonding time is summed up in the message we received from their mom after we came back to KK. The short message is both heart warming and causes wetness in our eyes: "Livvie and Maddie said the pillows in their bedroom smell like gong gong (closer to the door) and po po (closer to the wall) which is so wonderful because they can always smell them and dream that gg and pp are still sleeping in bed with them". 

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With our children now grown-up, we are also emptying the stockpile of old toys once loved by our children. In this recent trip, we brought along the lego toys to the home of Livvie and Maddie. 

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Christmas 2024 is just round the corner. We helped preparing for the decoration for this annual happy occasion.

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We had an update on the skill of Livvie in her cello lessons.

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An afternoon at the nearby playground.

Maddie met her classmate, Noah.

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Livvie is growing up fast. Our trip to a local shopping complex and back was led all the way by Livvie - from the house to the nearest bus stop, taking the correct bus, stopping at the destination bus stop and then walking to their favourite eating outlet at the shopping mall - Genki Sushi.

It turned out that the waiting time to be seated was rather long. It was first indicated as 15 minutes and 10 minutes later, it was changed to 30 minutes. We proposed to Livvie to change to another eating place. She responded, "We love the place, it's worth the wait!".

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We too had meal time with their dad Sam, Uncle Paul and Auntie Junshi.

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Just before we ended our time with them, Livvie and Maddie insisted to draw pictures for us as the parting gift.

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I recall the time we spent with Nathan and Grace when they were of similar age of Livvie and Maddie nine years ago in November 2015 (Read here). Not all were given the privilege to be grandparents and to enjoy the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren. For this, we count ourselves blessed!

In the tapestry of life's gentle weave,

Grandparents and grandchildren never grieve.

For bound by threads of love so pure,

Their bond is one that will endure.

A grandchild's laughter, light and free,

Is music to hearts as old as the sea.

And a grandparent's wisdom, calm and deep,

Is a treasure the young will always keep.

Hand in hand through gardens they roam,

Finding in each other a second home.

With every hug, a world they mend,

A timeless love that knows no end.

Through whispered stories, lessons take flight,

Guiding young hearts in the darkest night.

While tiny hands cling with such might,

To aged ones worn but full of light.

Oh, what magic this bond does hold,

Bridging the gap between young and old.

A circle of love, complete and true,

Grandparents and grandchildren, me and you.

(Author - Unknown)

Free and Easy in Athens

We visited Athens City twice, first on 11.10.2024 immediately after our Acropolis tour before flying to Mykonos in that evening. The second time was on 15.10.2024 after returning from Santorini, the day before we ended our tour and flew back from Athens to Malaysia.

In our first trip, we spent significant time walking along Ermou Street, which runs perpendicular to Syntagma Square next to the arena of the Changing of Guard.

Coffee break outside a cafe at Ermou Street.

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In both occasions, we had a chance to catch a glimpse of the iconic Panathenaic Stadium. The original Stadium before the refurbishment to its current form was used for the first Olympics Game in 1896. The current venue was used for another Olympics in August 2004 or 28th Olympiad, exactly 20 years ago.

Google view of the Stadium.

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It was during the second stop at Athens when we were taken to the Monastiraki Flea Market. Every city has a pedestrian street or a market where the locals and tourists can explore, congregate and look for interesting food. KK City has the Gaya Street (Read here), KL has Chow Kit and Seoul has Myeongdong Walking Street (Read here). In the case of Monastiraki Flea Market, my verdict is that product variety marketed here and vibrancy was below expectation!

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A popular spot where visitors to Athens dropped by is the Presidential House at the Tomb of the Unknown Solders to see the Changing of Guard. The Changing of Guard is held every hour every day. We were there at around 5pm on 15.10.2024 to witness this routine.

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We had a quick visit to Veneti Great, a huge bakery which is within short walking distance from Moxy Hotel where we stayed. In comparison, this bakery is significantly bigger in terms of floor area and varieties than bakeries in KK.