KIM Possible? Now why does that name sound so familiar? Ah wait, isn't that the cartoon character from the Disney Channel yonks ago?
The teenage girl who spends her spare time saving the world from super villains?
But this Kim Possible is spelt K-e-e-m-p-o-s-s-i-b-l-e. Typo, perchance?
"Hi Intan, would Vibes be interested in interviewing this Insta-famous baker?" reads the rest of the message on my phone, causing me to abandon the half-eaten fish on my plate.
Errk, it's one of the bosses, I note, sitting up with a start.
Ah, lunch can wait. This seems to be a more interesting proposition, I muse aloud to my cats who'd been waiting expectantly for morsels to be tossed.
I need to check in with Mr Google guys, I mouth to them before making a beeline for my study to do the necessary.
Well, it doesn't take long to discover that there's definitely no typo. There IS a Keempossible and she is indeed a famous baker on Instagram who's synonymous for her amazing bakes — cakes, breads and desserts — that feature intricate hand-drawn patterns and designs.
Her real name? Keem Ooi. Further research reveals that this self-taught baker had captured the attention of both local and international Instagram (IG) users during that period of the first Movement Control Order (MCO) last year, causing them to hit the "follow" button on her account.
Keem's designs, which also included games characters from the Animal Crossing series as well as Pokemon's Pikachu, were simply breathtaking. Her page had been a canvas of the most exquisite artistry.
Her IG account, which she had been using since 2015 to share her baking creations and to advertise her pay-to-view tutorial videos, shot up to more than 58,000 followers within the space of just a few months.
And then it happened. The account was hacked.
Sometime last year, the baking instructor became the target of hackers when she attempted to get her IG account verified. Her account @keempossible, which had by then amassed close to 60,000 followers, had every single one of its images deleted.
BOUNCING BACK
"For sure, that experience devastated me," confides the bubbly 51-year-old when reminded of the episode.
"Not only was it an album of all my work, the account was also an archive of really nice comments and encouraging words left for me by fans and friends from all over the world."
Adding, she says: "I'd also just embarked on a business venture then and the account was important as it was used to create work relationships. And of course, to lose 60,000 followers… that was hard. But I'm not the sort of person to let things get me down. When it happened, I was sad, yes, but then I said to myself, just bounce back stronger!"
And indeed she seems to have made good on her words. A quick check on her IG account and I note that to date, the attractive mother-of-two has amassed more than 26,400 followers. And her gallery of creations has never looked better.
Her latest eye-catching wizardry taps on that image of US Senator Bernie Sanders sitting on a chair complete with coat and mittens during President Biden's Inauguration, which has inspired countless memes worldwide.
"When I first saw Bernie Sanders' memes popping up on social media everywhere, I immediately had the idea to recreate it on my signature roll cake," confides Keem, chuckling mischievously.
"I mean, what better subject right? I took about an hour and a half to complete the cake, post it and the response has been overwhelming!"
This happy-go-lucky baker appears to have her finger on the pulse of what makes for good social media fodder.
"Oh my, you also have my favourite singer, Ed Sheeran!" I exclaim to her delightedly, having spotted the ginger-haired, British pop-god in her IG gallery — on a cake!
Again that happy chuckle ensues as Keem, who's also a classical piano and vocal instructor, shares that this recent creation was done in collaboration with Warner Music Malaysia and had been inspired by the colours of the singer-songwriter's latest cover art for his brilliant new single, Afterglow.
And in time for Chinese New Year, the talented home-baker who's based in Damansara, Kuala Lumpur also recently produced an online video tutorial of her highly-requested Prosperity Kumquat Roll Cake for her loyal followers.
Incidentally, anyone wishing to purchase this lovely roll cake, with its meticulous attention to detail not only outside but inside, just needs to send her a message.
Confides Keem: "I've always loved the vibrant colour of kumquat, which means golden orange. It's a symbol of prosperity. For this creation — set on a roll cake — I've paired the picture of the fruit with the Chinese word for blessing."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Prior to the lockdown, Keem shares that she never actually retailed what she makes.
"But when the MCO happened, I had to stop all my classes. In the end, I decided to accept orders — but only a maximum of six cakes a day as my cakes cannot be mass produced. The prices range from RM120 to RM350, depending on the type (of cake) and design."
On whether it's difficult to learn how to make those amazing creations that she seems to have got down pat, Keem is swift to assure that nothing is too difficult to learn.
"At the end, it's just about how detailed you can get within the time that you're given. I teach my students, comprising both professionals and home bakers, what they need to know. My only advice is that practice makes perfect!"
That's not to say it's easy. Keem is also quick to advise that in order to be proficient at this, or anything for that matter, it's important to be patient as it's always going to be a journey of trial and error.
"It can be quite challenging to coordinate the colours and you also need to have the skills to combine both art and bake to produce a wholesome piece," she adds.
Asked how she herself had been able to hone her skills, Keem shares that she used to spend whole afternoons immersing herself in books, Pinterest and Youtube videos.
"You can get so many ideas. Also, in my teens, I loved to sew and made things like soap dolls, patchwork, cloths and bags. I was able to apply all these early skills that I had to my cake creations. You can see from my dome-shaped cakes and also character buns."
Passion, she adds, an earnest expression on her kindly face, is another very important component.
"You can't just see this as work or a business that you're doing just to make money," she says, softly, adding: "It has to be your passion. You need to believe that you're creating these lovely edible pieces of art to bring joy and meaning to others."
Patterned cakes, such as those that Keem makes so beautifully, have actually been around — and popular — on the Internet for years. It gained in popularity in Japan but the technique isn't actually unique to the Land of the Rising Sun.
In fact, the French had been creating intricately layered cakes wrapped in a patterned cake called joconde for years.
It's essentially a classic pastry technique which uses a thick-coloured cake batter to create the design and a lighter sponge cake for the backdrop.
Nodding, Keem concurs with this nugget of info that I share with her.
With a smile, she says, a hint of pride lacing her tone: "Definitely it has been around on the Net for years. It's just a matter of applying your creativity to set your creation against another. Actually, my creations have been rated the most beautiful in terms of cake texture and design, internationally!"
THE EARLY YEARS
A self-confessed workaholic, Keem hails from picturesque Taiping, Perak.
The third of four siblings (she has two older sisters and a younger brother), the 51-year-old recalls that her childhood was an idyllic one.
"We're a close-knit family. My father was a businessman and mother, a piano teacher," she says, simply.
Her school years were spent in her hometown of Taiping and she remembers being particularly inclined towards the arts.
"My favourite subjects were drawing, painting, and I enjoyed our cookery classes too. I was also into sports such as volleyball and athletics," declares Kim.
Her family, she adds fondly, was very musically-inclined, so it came as no surprise that she too aspired to become a musician or a singer. "My parents were very nurturing and incredibly supportive of our interests and talents. They were instrumental in our later success."
The young Keem eventually went on to study classical piano and singing.
Her teaching certificates, shares Keem proudly, are from London's Royal School of Music and Trinity College for both piano and singing (soprano).
Beaming with pride, she confides that her daughter is a qualified violin and piano teacher too.
"She's an Anime Comic Game violinist," says Keem, before elaborating: "She dresses up as an anime character and performs on stage for various events in addition to major anime festival events."
Her elder son, meanwhile, is an IT systems engineer and a martial arts practitioner.
Rewinding back to her own journey in the world of baking, Keem, who has more than 33 years of experience as a classical piano and vocal teacher, shares that when she was growing up, her mother and aunts used to bake a lot albeit simple home recipes.
"It was pretty normal for us to gather on weekends and bake," she confides, matter-of-factly, adding: "Of course, there was nothing as complicated as what I make today! Thinking about it, the seeds of my interest must have been planted during those times when I used to watch them in the kitchen, poring over their baking."
The artistic part of her baking prowess only came later. And by her own volition.
"I loved to paint. One day, I suddenly felt like creating a cake that would not only taste great, but also be aesthetically artistic and beautiful. I wanted to create something that would have an identity," recalls the talented baker who also enjoys turning plain furniture such as wooden stools and tables into works of art.
Her passion grew when she joined a Facebook baking group four years ago, shares Keem, recalling that a theme would be given fortnightly for members to submit.
Asked to describe what her first creation looked like, Keem, who loves folk art and vintage Peranakan designs, replies apologetically: "I can't remember to be honest, but I do remember being immensely proud of it."
Dreamily, she adds: "It was like a joyful journey into the unknown; one which I wanted to continue on to see where it would lead!"
And continue on she did. One creation after another, and each imperfection being improved on by the next.
"I continued to be inspired," shares Keem, saying that the challenges she faced only served to fuel her determination for perfection.
Life itself, muses the devout Buddhist, is an on-going motivation.
"Challenges, as well as the ups and downs that we constantly face in our daily life are the best lessons to make us better and more capable people."
A MASTER PLAN AND MASTERPIECE
Suddenly turning the conversation to the challenging landscape that has blanketed the world, Keem confides that she believes nothing is permanent.
Thoughtfully, she elaborates: "This pandemic situation will eventually end. My eldest sister said to me that we should regard it as World War III — but just without the bullets and bombs. We must continue to count our blessings since we can still have the comfort of our home and food on the table."
Like a lot of Malaysians, Keem too refuses to be beaten by the unseen enemy and has continually sought her own silver lining.
"This period has enabled me to push myself and go beyond my comfort zone," she confides, adding: "Funnily enough, despite this pandemic, demands have been pretty high and I've been surprised by just how well I've been able to cope. I've spent much of this MCO period working on my baking ideas and refining my creations."
Thinking out of the box is also something she's getting used to, admits Keem, who happily confesses to being a workaholic and cites sleeping as her only form of relaxation.
"I find that I'm getting better at adapting and operating more effectively within the constraints of the lockdown. I'm just grateful that through all this, I've been able to discover strengths I never knew I had."
Her private music classes, which she'd hitherto been conducting in addition to her group baking classes held at a baking studio called The Upper Kitchen, may have to be put on hold or even stopped completely.
There's also no guarantee that her students will continue on after the MCO is over. But Keem's not allowing those thoughts to dampen her spirit. Negativity, she tells me softly, has never been something she subscribes to.
"I'm prepared for this part of my career to be changed forever, to be honest," she says, before adding: "My father always emphasised on the importance of being adaptable, and stressed to us that if we work hard and work honest, life will be okay."
Looking ahead, Keem has resolutely set her sights on further elevating her baking skills and learning to master as many different cakes as possible.
Eyes flashing, the affable baker concludes: "I just need to keep improving my skills, boost my creativity and ensure that every bake turns out to be a masterpiece. I'll do this one cake at a time!"
Follow this amazing home-baker at www.instagram.com/keempossible_2.