Some lessons were of beneficial self-discovery and brought on lasting personal change.

The pandemic allowed so many to finally press pause on overwhelming commitment-filled days and have that elusive pocket of time to embark on a journey of self-discovery that revealed hidden talents, as shared by these individuals.

Breaking bread together

For husband and wife team Tunku Farahat Hussein and Mazuin Mutalib, opportunity smiled at them twice as their hobby, unexpectedly generating persistent demand from friends and neighbours, has bloomed into a micro-business.

Mazuin, 47, who spent decades working in child education but taught herself – just for fun – how to bake cakes and cookies, used the swathes of time during lockdown to learn sourdough bread making.

She also pulled Farahat, who worked in corporate previously, into the hobby.

But what the couple did not expect was for their sourdough-making to rise to business proportions – one that now sees them occasionally waking at 4am to get a headstart on preparing the day’s bounty.

“When you’re doing something with your heart, you get excited and fuzzy inside – especially when you get good reviews,” smiles Mazuin, who added that this sourdough hobby is like another baby – a baby that is now called Y2BAKE.

While Farahat takes care of the hard loaves, Mazuin steps up her game by prepping the soft loaves due to unceasing requests from customers in older age brackets.

“The softer loaves have raw brown sugar – and sometimes butter and milk – in them,” she elaborates, while also relating how she became more adventurous by adding gouda cheese, olives or cranberries to add variation.

For those intimidated by the complexity of sourdough bread-making, Mazuin reassures that one only needs flour, salt and water as ingredients.

“As for utensils, you’ll need a mixing bowl, a proofing basket and an oven. Even a tabletop oven will work,” she adds.

“Sourdough bread is not complicated, but it does take time and patience as commercial yeast isn’t used. We rely on the natural yeast that is already present in the flour and air around us instead.”

Designing her downtime

For early-childhood educator Elizabeth Yeoh Yuan Min, 25, embroidery went from a hobby she taught herself from YouTube videos to a full-fledged passion.

“I’d never tried embroidery before even though I’d done some sewing of hand and finger puppets for the kids because of my work,” she says.

A bookworm who plays the piano and ukulele, Yeoh found the pandemic was the perfect time to embark on her long-gestating interest in embroidery.

And now, Yeoh, who details how she acquires affordable materials online from Shopee, hunts for pretty designs which may sometimes land on a cloth bag for her mother, who loves the daughter’s new hobby and sews pyjamas and pillowcases herself.

“I’m the sort of person who will stick to an activity if I find it is relaxing. But I don’t think I’ll make it into a business as that might stress me out,” she laughs.

Breaking boundaries

For independent filmmaker, vocalist and writer Esther Josh, her long-harboured interest in rap finally reached a crescendo.

Says the 28-year-old from Kepong, “I’ve always been fascinated by rap. I’ve always sung and written my own songs, but rapping is a whole different ball game.”

She confesses she had never dared to explore this art form before – not because it looked hard but because it’s always been a ‘boy’s game’.

“The female raps I was exposed to were mostly sexual, and it gave me the idea that female rappers are just eye candy. So I never ventured into it until I came across the American-Indian rapper Raja Kumari. She inspired me to bring my own ‘flava’ to the game,” she explains.

Becoming a fledgling rap artist has allowed Esther to go beyond stretching her vocal cords, as she reveals that she discovered an alter ego within.

“She goes by the name Lil Kaali!” laughs Esther.

But Esther’s new hobby, borne of finally finding time during the pandemic when production and shoots were on hiatus, is something she’s planning on growing beyond pleasure.

“I’ve written enough verses to make about 11 tracks and I have begun collaborating with other new artists. Some tracks are in the works and I’m honestly thinking about doing this seriously!”