Homemakers with a passion
Published on: Sunday, March 15, 2020
By: Lorena Binisol
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Maria is also good in baking cakes.
“Before we moved to Kota Kinabalu, we were all in Lahad Datu. My husband was working and I looked after our children. I couldn’t stand not doing anything apart from taking care of the children,” she said.
Among her favourite pastimes are cooking, sewing, gardening, housekeeping, administrative work and dancing. Being involved with many associations, Maria is blessed to have many friends, especially those who enjoy doing charity work like helping the underprivileged.
She said she wants to give back to society and all soft skills are important.
“There is nothing to lose. It is fun and joy all the way doing this so-called, ‘grandma’s work’. Well, I am a grandmother, anyway,” she said, citing her pastimes like sewing. She has four grandchildren.
There are many interpretations of ‘housewife’. It depends on how one interprets it. Some housewives love cooking and throw parties for friends, some open restaurant and try to find extra income for the family while others focus on their children’s wellbeing.
“So, there is no right or wrong interpretations, everyone is correct in understanding what a ‘housewife’ means to them,” she claimed. Her friends would share their skills and Maria hoped to see such camaraderie continue, as it would go a long way for the betterment of anyone, especially housewives.
“There is nothing to lose when you gather a few good friends or even strangers who are interested to learn. I am all out to share my skills,” she said.
Irene Perete, a friend of Maria, was interested to learn about making Macrame, a plant hanger and Maria was happy to teach her as long as she was open to learning.
“Anyone can do what they want to do in life. Life is full of joy and opportunity. As for me, I find joy in everything I do. There are endless opportunities to get from anyone, you just need to search for it,” she said.
Maria said Macrame is easy to do using trade and a few props to make it whole. It is a type of hanger to put pot of plants and a beautiful decorative item for the house.
Meanwhile, Fay Lidwin-Jintoni from Penampang said when she first started baking cakes, it was just a hobby. It then grew into passion. She was thankful to her friends and relatives who made a lot of positive remarks on her cakes; some even said she could go far.
It was in 2014 when she first handled the baking equipment, having no knowledge or interest in the beginning.
“Well, it all started when I felt like eating cake one fine day but I was too lazy to go out of the house to buy one.
“I said to myself, ‘why don’t I bake one and eat all by myself’. So, I did it, and ate and enjoyed the whole cake myself. I especially love carrot cheese cake,” she laughed.
When she realised her cake improved over time (when relatives and friends kept saying her cake was delicious), it prompted her to attend proper baking classes. So, she did.
She realised her cake wasn’t that good at first. She decided to do “research”
in finding ways and the right recipe for her carrot cheese cake. A lot of modifications and trial-and-errors were done to improve her baking.
“I guess it was hard work and a bit of smart work had something to do with everything. We cannot just blindly follow the recipe on the internet. We need some creativity and imagination. I had both, so today, I could bake any kind of cakes,” she said.
YouTube is another place where one can learn about baking, she claimed. With internet free for everyone, Googling anything can be done.
“I am still learning, actually. I cannot claim that I am a pro, but it is the encouraging words I get all the time from friends that prompted me to move on.
“I really never thought of going this far in baking. I am glad I did not stop halfway,” she said.
Apart from carrot cheesecake, she could bake butter walnut, chocolate moist, red velvet and pure yam cakes, among others.
As for future plans, Fay doesn’t have any. However, she would continue to bake as long as she gets orders from friends and relatives. She believes in doing something good while being a housewife, time is never wasted.
Today, the word “housewife” is upgraded to “homemaker” which sounded better and apt, said most people.
“We move the society, we contribute to the economic status, we contribute in our own ways, so never underestimate housewives.”
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