Mistakes increases with Experience

I wonder if I can call myself an experience baker and no longer a beginner. I started baking when I was in primary school, completed a hotel and catering course WITH training in the commercial kitchens, delivered over a 100 orders this year... I think at least I can say I've enough experience.

Now, if you are a beginner reading this, and have been or is going through some really annoying moments on failures - sunken cakes, burnt cookies, make a mess handling icing, don't know what is a fondant... I hope you feel better after knowing that I had actually had 2 failures in a row just last night, and the worst? I was baking an item I was so, SO good in baking.

How come? Sometimes I think the risk of mistakes is higher for experience people. When you are so experience in something, you tend to be less detail. For example, I wouldn't double check the list of ingredients again (and therefore leaving something out if I haven't been baking that item for a long time), I don't take notes anymore (because I might think that I will remember), I don't check my stuff in baking for 10 times (will just leave it to bake, and before I know it, the stuff might be burnt). There are many more things you tend to leave out when you get more experience.

It is of course frustrating when you fail not an experiment, but an actual delivery. Especially when time is pressing, and it's like 3am in the morning... It doesn't take me any more faster either with my order preparations, I often work till 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. But at the end of the day, when I get good feedback from customers, that's when I said to myself, all the effort and time, and sweat (literally) and tears (also literally) are all very worth it. And of course a little "jia you" message from MFG would be good lah at bad times. Hee... But of course with Carebear (Shall I still ust this blog name of yours?) saying she'll get me a Forever Friends for Christmas is also very motivating :). And LGM if she knows that I've got heavy baking schedule, she'll send me message to check if I was still "alive". Thanks dear, that helped! ;)

Back to the post topic, I think we should try to be careful and detail no matter how good we are in something. Also, sames goes to dealing with people, no matter how close we are with someone, I think we shouldn't be careless and must still try to give the attention to detail at all times. Don't you think?

;)

keeping me going...

Something I got from my instructor of my recent cake decorating diploma course after I've written to update her on my progress. :)

Hi,

Great to hear from you and my apologies for the delay in responding. I just got back into Toronto today from the ICES Convention in Chicago where Tan See Fong and I both did demos. Very successful demos we both had.

As for your projects, they look “TERRIFIC”. Well done! It is quite an honor to have a student do such astounding work of art. Keep up the good work and remember, without a good student, there is no Sifu. Thanks for the kind words anyway. Greatly appreciated. Drop by and say hi sometimes when I am in KL and tell me all about your great projects!!!!

Take care.

Rosalind Chan,
CEO & Founder,
International Centre of Cake Artistry Sdn. Bhd.,
1-1 to 1-3A, Jalan PJU 5/15, Dataran Sunway,
Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel: 603-6140-8835
Fax: 603-6142-1501
Email: rosalindchan@rogers.com
Website: www.rosalindscakeartistry.com & www.2decoratecakes.com

Things that keep me going on...

I've got some very encouraging message recently...

This one after little bro's birthday cupcakes -

Hi I got your details from (little bro). I was leading the ngxm conference when (little bro)'s cupcakes were delivered. They were delicious but most of all I was impressed by the detailing on each cake.

I am writing to tell your how clearly your passion, pride and love of what you do show in your work. Hopefully I will have occasion to order from you soon (if ever in kl long enough!)

In the meantime if you see readers from strange places in Asia, it's just me ( in vietnam now) otherwise please introduce yourself if I am ever in a club where you are.

Regards
(my recently added FB friend)
Regional Group ...
FF Asia

(won't put full details here lah)


This one from the birthday gal of the Chanel handbag -

1st message

That was the most mazing birthday cake ever! Thank you thank you
One coll loves it so much she wanted her pic in front of it (the message was general enough anyway)

You really should make a name for yourself in the sweet pattiserie world...sure sell like hotcakes, pun intended :)

You could start a sweet shop and bloom into sweet chains....(TTB) BUNS hahaa

oh, it was very delicious too!
Thanks again dearie

mwah.

2nd message after my reply

oh goody i will call on you when i want personalised cakes!
mine was the best ever i have ever had in all my 33 years of existence :)

From one of the instructors at the cake decorating centre -

Whoa! didn’t know your orders have gone so far….can do branded stuff… nice Chanel bag…. Good work, Babe!

And I've got some great messages in the TeaRoom blog too :)

MFG sent me this - 甯屾湜浣犵殑澶㈡兂鑳芥棭鏃ュ鐝?) - Haha... which was later translated to this (no, I don't even know how to read those words) - “ hope your dream will come true very soon.”.

So now, must really look into my savory items!

Tired

Very tired lately and haven't been blogging much in here... There is only one order for the coming week, and I have a small project - present for MFG on the opening of his company. So, I guess I'll be going to gym as usual and perhaps get enough sleep. Have a bit of back ache problem since last week...

And I'm currently extremely upset for loosing my gold necklace with the purple crystal pendant. Well, I don't know how I loose it, the last time I saw it was when I took it off to put it into my handbag before I changed into my gym attire. That was last Saturday after a wedding party in the afternoon. There are 2 possibilities, I dropped it when I went down to my car to take my gym shoes (yeah... I left the shoes in the car and went down after I've changed into the gym outfit, with the chain inside the handbag), so maybe when I took out my car keys, the car keys had some how hooked onto the necklace and it dropped, without me realizing of course, otherwise I wouldn't have loose it. Second scenario would be someone stole it... Is it possible? I mean inside the gym? And this has again 2 scenarios, one is someone open the locker, which I don't think so right? No one else would have the keys right? Second would be someone took it from my handbag when the locker was opened briefly - left it opened for a while to blow dry my hair since there were one another 2 members there (non peak hour) and the locker was just beside me...

Arghhh... I don't know how I loose it, analysing would not help either. So... I guess I'll just sulk for a while and hopefully snap out of being upset soon. I wish the necklace will miraculously appear again!

Ohh... on the happier note. Celebrated MC and BIL's birthday today. Belated for MC and earlier for BIL. I hope they like the cake. I would have done something more elaborated but the celebration was quite brief. I will perhaps make the elaborated cake when we have a big party the next time k. Had TTBs on the cake and it was a coffee cake. Will blog this in the TeaRoom blog during the next few nights, since I've got internet access back. Oh yeah, modem malfunction - we've got a new modem now.

Now, today is Sunday. And Sunday nights are normally sleepless, insomnia nights due to pre-Mondayblues.

Wish me luck in falling asleep...

Internet connection!

Ahuh!!! Finally got internet access at home...

I haven't blogged for a week, not in here, but I've been having good number of updates in the TeaRoom blog. "Business" has been quite good lately and that equals to less sleep, no gym and litmited time to blog in here. It's all worth it I am sure, and consider me being really lucky because I've been given so much room for creativity, so called, for the recent orders and I had been able to indulge in a lot of fun preparing the deliveries.

A lot of people was very excited that I've got an order for the Chanel 2.55. So was I. 10 hours of decorating, sleeping at 4.30am in the morning was quite worth it. Surprisingly the feedback was good from the birthday girl although I know there are a lot of improvements to be made, IF only I have another Chanel order. Haha...

This might sound like the Grammy Awards but I really want to thank friends for supporting operation TeaRoom. KG herself ordered a box of cupcake and didn't mind paying a premium for the decorations. Tony also ordered 2 boxes in a week, one of which was for his corporate client. I also have a customer who was more confident in me than me in delivering surprises in cake decorations. And Nick so far has ordered 2 cakes for his launch do and planning to order more. MFG has also been a real good "agent" for TeaRoom it makes me feel bad because I am not at all able to be his "agent" in promoting his business. :p

Baked some cupcakes just now for Saturday delivery and decided to take a break. Will continue decorations tomorrow. I am still planning to publish another post on my birthday present, yeah, just got another one from KG today, so cute!

And my own birthday present, cum reward for hard work... It was on sale :)

Hang in there...

It's only another two and a half hour time to go... LP told me the same just now, when it was 3 hours more to go.

I'm sooo... sleepy. I looked at myself just now in the toilet mirror and I do look like a zombie, no wonder I'm feeling very much like one.

Went to dinner with office mates last night and since I've just confirmed another box of cupcake order from Tony, I thought I'd better complete that box of cupcake due for collection tonight. So I slept at 1am. I've also just confirm another box of birthday cupcake for Friday. Okay... I've been planning to give something to the Friday birthday boy, but I was contemplating between BUYING a present and baking a box of cupcake. So it's destined. Cupcake it is.

Another alarming problem is my waistline. And of course the other parts also lah. I look rounder and blotted in the pictures I took last night. N.O.T. G.O.O.D!!! I guess I better plan in like early morning gym session since I won't be able to make it to gym these evenings. Next week is another extremely busy week! (and I don't mean at work, it's the cake biz).

There are still a few pictures and stories to tell about my birthday and birthday gifts. Hehe... yeah, still feel like talking about my birthday. Meanwhile, I've been spending more time in my TeaRoom blog than this one. Prioritizing business. Very tiring but it's very rewarding. The best reward among all is when you get positive feedback from the customers, very encouraging.

And for these few days, no internet connection at home due to modem malfunction - confirmed by TM's technicians after checking for 3 times. THEY BETTER BE RIGHT ABOUT THIS. Will get a new modem when BIL is back this Sunday. Yeah, BIL finally back from Australia this Sunday. Miss that kid.

And according to MC's last check up, IF the screen was showing all that it needed to show, I'm expecting a niece. :)

Change of lifestyle

I haven't been to the gym for a long time... I did go once last week on Saturday but only for an hour of "casual" workout. My last RPM and Pump class was about 2 weeks ago. Won't be able to go to gym this week because I've got deliveries on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I'll try to drop in at gym during the weekend. Next week will be another busy week, I've got Monday, Wednesday, Thursday (Chanel handbag!!) and Friday. I've got MC and BIL's birthday celebration cake on Saturday.

And that's end of July already. Geezz... time flies.

I remember a few weeks back, I planned to resign in July, open TeaRoom in October. Hmm... I'm still with my full time job and looks like I'll be here for a while - hopefully not TOO long. I really long for a full time cafe and baking job and switch my current baking time back to gym/ hangout/ rest time. I used to go to gym 5 to 6 times a week for average of 2 classes every time. Now I don't even go to gym 5 times in a month sometimes.

I feel like I've aged a lot lately.

How I wish I have a job with working hours I can decide myself. A job that allows me to go around more perhaps, and meet more people. I find my current job too desk-bound. Good and bad of course - best about this is I can attend to emails, instant chats straight away, and perhaps slot in some paper work for TeaRoom. Worst of all is I am too bored with desk-bound.

I need a change.