La Patisserie at home

Starting a new chapter of my life and work experience in Singapore was supposed to be super exciting. However, the pandemic arrived in Singapore before I did, which makes this new journey quite unusual.

With a home-based office, mixing work and personal life can occur easily. Without the physical boundaries between home and office, the sense of home quickly diminishes. It might help to add some other elements to this home-based work environment, like developing a new hobby at home. For me, I chose to try my hand at making some sweet treats!  

My first attempt was a simple cheesecake – at a time when I did not even have the proper baking tools. With a small bowl, I successfully made a two-layered yoghurt and mocha cheesecake. Decorated with flowers that I picked from the roadside, my cheesecake became my first self- baked birthday cake.

Having experienced this first taste of success, I became much more confident in making cheesecakes and made my second attempt – with the goal of making a good-looking cheesecake. This time, I abandoned the idea of a smooth and round cake. Instead, I made a wrinkly shape by lining the bowl with baking paper. It turned out to be good! My friends jokingly said that I have a “La Patisserie” at home.

Encouraged by these attempts, I am going to keep baking – for as long as the pandemic keeps us at home. For me, not only is my new-found hobby therapeutic in itself, the joys are multiplied when I share the fruits of my labour with my friends.

Finding a balance between both working and living at home is important during the pandemic. Everyone may have a different preferred method. If you haven’t figured yours out, starting a home-based hobby may be a good start!