Making bubble tea, fixing aircon: Circuit breaker sees Singaporeans pick up DIY skills
Clockwise from top left: Birthday cakes, homemade pearls, DIY aircon repairs and self-assembled wardrobes, these are just some “projects” that have been accomplished during the circuit breaker period.
SINGAPORE — When it was announced on April 21 that barber shops and hair salons would have to cease operations the following day, the Lam family decided it was time the men in the household had a haircut.
But instead of battling the queues that formed outside barber shops islandwide in the wake of the announcement, it was Ms Laraine Lam, the second of three siblings, who had a go at cutting her father and younger brother’s hair in their home.
She has had experience cutting her secondary school mates’ hair, but that was more than 10 years ago.
“My dad says that in the family, I have the best psychomotor skills, so he trusted me more (with a haircut),” said the 26-year-old air stewardess.
By Ms Lam’s own account, her father’s hair turned out “pretty decent”. Her brother, however, ended up with a hole on his hairline.
Ms Lam was not the only one who had undertaken do-it-yourself projects during this circuit breaker period, when shops providing non-essential services or selling non-essential goods are closed.
When it was announced that bubble tea stores would be shut islandwide, queues were seen outside these specialty shops islandwide with people longing for one last drink.
But Mr Timothy Long was not among those in the queue. Instead, the 25-year-old, who works in project management, went down to a supermarket to buy a sack of tapioca flour so that he could make his own bubble tea pearls.
“If there is to be a lockdown, I still want bubble tea,” he said.
After spending about 90 minutes making his first batch, Mr Long found that the pearls could not fit into a bubble tea straw.
“I made the ‘bubbles’ too big, I didn’t realise they would expand,” he said.
Mr Shannon Phua, a research assistant at a chemical firm, had a similarly chastening experience with his first attempt at making his own bubble tea.
The two hours he spent was a stop-start affair; he had to redo the flour batter for the pearls twice.
“The first time I did it, the dough didn’t hold… it thickened and became like Play-Doh,” said the 26-year-old.
For Ms Rebecca Metteo, she has been learning to bake a cake — for her own birthday on April 29.
“Before the new restrictions kicked in, I was already guessing that the authorities would close bake shops, so I already tried my hand at baking some cake,” the 22-year-old university undergraduate said.
She has successfully baked a Milo cake. For her birthday, she will try to make a small matcha cake for her mother and herself.
“I will always remember I had to bake my own cake on this very day,” Ms Metteo said.
FIXING AIRCON, BUILDING ENTIRE WARDROBE
Then there are people like 60-year-old Mohd Suhood, who has put his handyman skills to good use.
A signage installer by profession, he built an entire wardrobe that spans the length of his room.
When the news of the circuit breaker came, Mr Suhood knew he would have time on his hands, given that he would be cooped up at home as he was not in an essential service.
So he bought wood, hinges, screws and other materials needed for his project, and then spent 12 days at home putting together the wardrobe.
With the circuit breaker extended to June 1, he believes he has time to do more carpentry.
“If I don’t have enough time, I will just go and buy (the furniture). If there is time and ideas, then I will make things myself,” he said.
For Ms Wong, who wants to be referred to only by her last name, it was a steep learning curve when she had to fix a leaky air-conditioner in her room on April 19.
“My father and I took turns scrutinising YouTube videos and giving instructions while the other would climb the ladder and do the work,” said the 24-year-old, who works in the telecommunications industry.
After three hours, they managed to fix it but it was not an experience that Ms Wong would like to go through again.
“If possible, we would rather still call the maintenance guy.”
Likewise, Ms Lam said that she would rather her father and brother visit the barber in the future.
“After the circuit breaker period, I will definitely not do it again,” she said.
“About my brother’s hair, my father said, ‘It doesn’t look like a disaster, it is a disaster’.”
