Books · Hobby · review

Unleashing Your Potential: Exploring the Transformative Ideas of “Range” – part 1

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Hello everyone! Long time no see. Lately, in my office, we’ve started a weekly book reading program that encourages everyone to complete a portion of a book every week. I find it incredibly helpful for expanding my knowledge. Building on that experience, I’m excited to introduce a series where we break down books into bite-sized posts, making it easier for you to digest the content. This post is dedicated to exploring the thought-provoking book “Range” by David Epstein. Although I’ve had this book for a while, I haven’t had the chance to dive into it yet. However, I’m eager to read it alongside you and help you grasp the main ideas.

Whether you’re an aspiring athlete, a curious student, or a professional seeking fresh perspectives, this series aims to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the book’s content in a time-efficient manner. In each post, we’ll delve into different aspects of “Range” and highlight its key takeaways. By focusing on specific themes, stories, and lessons, we’ll uncover the transformative power of embracing diverse paths to success.

My goal is to present these ideas in a clear and accessible manner, allowing you to absorb the essence of “Range” without requiring extensive reading time. Each post will provide concise yet thought-provoking insights, ensuring that you gain a comprehensive understanding of the book’s content within a short timeframe. I strongly believe that knowledge should be accessible to all, and this series aims to make the profound wisdom within “Range” readily available to anyone seeking personal and professional growth.

So, join me on this enlightening journey as we unravel the thought-provoking concepts of “Range.” Get ready to be inspired, challenged, and motivated to embrace a broader range of experiences and skills in your own pursuit of success. Let’s dive into the world of “Range” and discover the transformative power of exploration, adaptability, and late specialization.

Together, let’s embark on this series of “Range” explorations and uncover the secrets to unlocking your full potential. Let’s begin!

Introduction

In our quest for success, we often believe that early specialization is the key. We’ve been told to focus on one thing from a young age, dedicating countless hours to deliberate practice. But what if there’s another way? What if a broader range of experiences and skills can lead us to greatness? In the book “Range” by David Epstein, the stories of two remarkable athletes, Roger Federer, and Tiger Woods, challenge our preconceived notions and shed light on the power of exploration and late specialization in achieving success.

  1. The Myth of Early Specialization: Tiger Woods, the golf prodigy, is the epitome of early specialization. From a tender age, he honed his golfing skills, practicing tirelessly under the watchful eye of his father. While Tiger’s focused approach brought him fame and success, it’s not the only path to greatness. Roger Federer, the tennis legend, followed a different trajectory. He dabbled in various sports, allowing him to develop a broader skill set and a more versatile approach to the game. The message here is clear: early specialization is not the only route to success.
  2. Parental Guidance and Support: The role of parents in shaping an athlete’s journey cannot be overstated. Tiger’s father, Earl Woods, played a central role in Tiger’s early specialization, pushing him relentlessly towards golf greatness. In contrast, Roger’s parents fostered a supportive environment that allowed him to explore multiple sports and find his own path. This highlights the importance of striking a balance between support and freedom, allowing children to explore their passions while providing guidance along the way.
  3. Uncovering Motivation and Goals: Success is not always fueled by breaking records and aiming to be the best. Tiger’s unwavering determination to conquer the golfing world was driven by his competitive nature. In contrast, Roger initially had more modest aspirations, dreaming of meeting tennis legends and playing at prestigious tournaments. The important lesson here is that individual motivations and goals can evolve over time, and it’s crucial to align them with our true passions and desires.
  4. The Power of Deliberate Practice: Deliberate practice, characterized by intense focus and expert guidance, is often heralded as the key to expertise. Tiger’s upbringing perfectly aligns with this approach, as he dedicated countless hours to perfecting his golfing skills. However, Roger’s journey challenges this notion. Although he didn’t engage in the same level of deliberate practice, his diverse range of experiences and adaptable skill set brought a unique perspective to the game. This suggests that deliberate practice is essential but not the sole determining factor of success.
  5. Late Specialization and Talent Development: One of the most compelling aspects of Roger’s story is his late specialization in tennis. While he explored various sports as a child, he didn’t focus solely on tennis until later in his development. Despite this, he went on to become one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Roger’s journey defies the conventional wisdom that early specialization is necessary for long-term success. Late specialization can bring valuable experiences and a fresh perspective, allowing individuals to excel in unexpected ways.

“Range” challenges the notion that early specialization is the only path to success. By examining the stories of Roger and Tiger, we learn that a diverse range of experiences, late specialization, and adaptable skills can be powerful catalysts for greatness. The book urges us to embrace exploration, nurture passions, and provide guidance without stifling individuality. “Range” offers a refreshing perspective on success that can transform how we approach our own journeys. In a world that often celebrates specialization, let us remember the power of range.

See you in the next post. Thank you for reading, and I hope this has been helpful.

Ciao!

Wang Family Kitchen
Dessert · Food · singapore

Wang Family Kitchen

MelsLeave a comment

How far would you go to try on new food? Luckily for me, it is easy to travel around Singapore due to their amazing public transport. So, this time I went to Hillview area, which is located in Bukit Batok. I was invited by my friend on her birthday to have dinner there. When she told me about this restaurant, I was excited and couldn’t wait to try it. They only make meal sets, which are different every day! Of course, there are some side dishes that are almost every day included in the set menu. The food they are served is Korean home-cooking style.

Wang Family Kitchen Location Google Map
Location Wang Family Kitchen on google map

The restaurant is located in Hillview Community Club on the 1st floor. When we came, there was only 1 table left and the uncle let us sit there. After we sat, we saw a queue outside. How lucky! I only saw three people managing that restaurant. The couple, who are in charge of the dining hall, and 1 lady as a cook. That day they also have a special set with beef ribs soup, so the uncle asked us which set menu we wanted. We told him we wanted the normal set for 2 pax. The food took quite some time to prepare, but it was all worth it!

We can check the menu on their Instagram account @wangfamilykitchen. They posted every day what was on the set. We went there on June 16th, and their menu set consisted of Gimbap (Korean rolls), Yangnyeom-chicken (Seasoned Fried Chicken), Jjolmyeon (Spicy, chewy, sweet and sour cold noodles), Grilled Saba Fish (Grilled Mackerel), Miyeok Julgi Bokkeun (Stir-fried seaweed stem), Homemade Mashed Potato Korean Style, Gyeranmari (Rolled omelet), Kimchi, White Rice, plus Soup of the day which was Soybean Sprouts Soup. Don’t worry, they all came in a small portion. But yes, it IS still A LOT lol.

Set menu 16 June 2022

Of all these, I managed to finish Gimbap (Korean rolls), Yangnyeom-chicken (Seasoned Fried Chicken), Grilled Saba Fish (Grilled Mackerel), Miyeok Julgi Bokkeun (Stir-fried seaweed stem), Homemade Mashed Potato Korean Style, and White Rice. They were all delicious and I really enjoyed them. It can be considered as comfort food for me. Their Jjolmyeon (Spicy, chewy, sweet and sour cold noodles) actually was yummy as well but it was too spicy for me, unfortunately, so I couldn’t finish it. Well, the other reason was that I need to spare space for their dessert. Their kimchi

I am not a fan of omelets, and I also thought that their Gyeranmari (Rolled omelet) was too dry and not fluffy enough for my taste. Their Kimchi is also not that great in my opinion. It lacks spicy, sour, and salty taste, so it is rather bland. The Soybean Sprouts Soup was okay, actually, I almost finished it.

After we finished our meal, it was time to wait for the dessert. According to my friend, their desserts are always watermelon and a waffle. I wondered why no ice cream on the waffle, and I found out the answer when it came! I tried the waffle first and O.M.G.. it was sooo good! The outer was crispy, and when I bite it has a chewy texture. The sweetness was also on spot, just as I like it. The waffle was still warm as well! Meaning it was fresh from the kitchen. I was so happy after chomping it all. Happy tummy! And all that for only $17.90 nett. No service charge, No GST. Wow.

Watermelon and a waffle

I definitely will come back again next time! And maybe will also try the coffee shop next to it. I heard they sell good coffees.

Address : 1 Hillview Rise, #01-04 Hillview CC, Singapore 667970

Experience

A Note on Brainstorming

MelsLeave a comment

I am sure we all have heard or even used brainstorming in our daily life or work. There are a lot of article about brainstorming as well if you haven’t tried it, but in my case, I joined an online course on brainstorming (yes! there is one!). While I don’t have all the information from the course, I do have some notes that I found in my old notebook and decided to put them here so I can review them when I need them. So what are they?

  • Brainstorming is a group meeting to propose and generate ideas to solve a stated problem. Make sure to introduce and state the brief clearly. Define a set period of time for the session.
  • In doing brainstorming, we should emphasise on Quantity of ideas, rather than the Quality of ideas. So, say everything that you can think of related to the problem. We don’t look for quality first in the early stage of brainstorming.
  • Criticism of another person’s idea is STRICTLY forbidden. This is the important one. We have to accept every idea that comes out no matter how foolish it is according to us. Remember point 2 that quantity is more important at this stage.
  • No more than 10 people are present, to aid effective group dynamics.
  • Have lots of flipcharts, markers, pencils, and paper available.
  • Following a brainstorming session, a review should be undertaken to identify ideas or aspects of the concepts generated that have merit for further consideration. This is the stage of elimination after we have all the possible ideas.

Hope this helps and do let me know if it works for you. It works for me 😉

Ciao.

Lithops progress after watering wrinkle gone, plump healthy lithops My First Lithops
Experience · Hobby · singapore

My First Lithops

Mels2 Comments

I got a lithop on my birthday as present and was so happy! My first Lithops! When I paid attention to it, I saw the lithop looked wrinkle and dry. Hmm.. it is not supposed to look like this. I know it because I saw a lot of Lithops photos before lol. They are small plump thing looking like a rock. I felt like something was wrong with this one and I did some research to find more about this plant. I know this plant is similar to succulent in term of can’t water too often, so I was only making sure I didn’t do anything wrong to it (or even worst, killed it..).

Lithops Horizontal Wrinkle Thirsty
Lithops arriving at my house!

There are A LOT of blogs and vlogs about this little guy and the information are overwhelming. Some of them are contradictory and some people didn’t really explain the detail about how to care for this plant. I spent one day (on and off) reading and listening to all those, while doing my job ( I did it when I was on train/bus commuting from one place to another for my work ). And finally the next day, I found something that seem make sense. All of those information need to be stored somewhere in case I forgot about it, so here we go! I’m gonna put it here and maybe can help someone else too who is wondering on how to take care of Lithops. Disclaimer : I’m a first time Lithop owner, so the info here might be inaccurate, BUT I will always update my findings and results to see which one works for them.

1. You got your Lithops, what to do?

Always check for the roots for newly bought plant (or if you got it as present like me). It’s good to see the root’s condition and also the kind of soil used in the pot. Pour out all of the soil and if some soil stuck to the root, clean it under running water. Gently remove the soil. Check the root. Healthy root should be white and firm when touched. Red and mushy root is bad. We need to trim that and wash the root. Be gentle. Let them dry up before repotting them. It can be within a day or even for a couple of days depending on the weather condition at your area.

Healthy Lithops Root
Check for their root. White root is a healthy one.

2. Soil and Pot

Lithop needs a well-drained soil and pot. Make sure the pot has a drainage hole. Use a deep pot, minimum 3 inches deep for Lithops as they have a very long tap roots. I’m using a 3-inch terracotta pot. For the soil, I use the mix of pumice and akadama soil. If you want to use cactus soil, use at most 10% of the total, and use perlite/pumice for the 90%. Do NOT use organic soil, such as peat mossm as it can hold moisture for too long and Lithops hate that. It can cause root to rot.

Pumice Akadama Lithops Soil Mixed
Pumice and Akadama Soil Mixed

3. Lights

They like bright location both with direct or indirect sunlight. Four to Six hours of direct morning sunlight is ideal. Move them to location with indirect sunlight in the afternoon as they can get sunburn if get hit by direct sunlight at that time of the day. If you are forgetful or too busy to move them around, just place them in location that is bright with indirect sunlight, and they will be happy. Lithops hate shades, location with not enough light. They will try to reach for light by elongate their body. If the light condition doesn’t improved after some time, they can die ( I know… I was also shocked when I read this in a blog, died due to lack of light ). I have a south-facing balcony, so I placed him there. There won’t be any direct sunlight but at least the location will be very bright most of the time.

4. Watering

When I read about Lithops, this is the most important factor that I need to master. Most people killed their Lithops due to overwatering, so I was so scared to do it. I need to find something that is helpful enough for me to tell whether it is the correct time to water them. And, I found out about they have different stages as well! How am I supposed to know on which stage they are in? Lol. I also read the general rule of watering which are “when you have doubt whether to watering or not, do not watering them” and “only watering when the soil is completely dry”. The problem is they also can’t be left out underwatered too long or they will die. So how to tell they if they are thirsty other than checking the soil? Because on some stages of their life, we can’t water them as well even though the soil is dry. Confusing, right? It was, until I found out about the trick , tried it and it worked (so far). Let’s get to know about their cycle first, while I will add a note about watering on each phase.

5. Cycle

Lithops has several stages in a year so it’s good to know on which stage they are in. If you are in northern hemisphere, water them on spring and fall season. During summer (or the hottest time of the year or your region), they go into dormant. Therefore, they don’t need water. If during summer they wrinkle, give just a little bit of water just to plump the leaves back to normal. Then how about me who lives in Singapore? We don’t have 4 seasons here. Only dry season dan rainy season. I read on one of the blogs rainy season is the time for Lithops to grow so let’s see.. Next, when they split to have a flower, you can water them. Make sure the soil dry before watering again. Then stop watering when the flower has wilted. They will grow a new leaves by using the water retained on current leaves. When the old leaves has become very dried and easy to remove, you can water them.

How to water them? Some people do the bottom watering. Dip the pot in water for a few minutes and that’s it. Or, what I always do with my succulents, water them until the water is coming out of the drainage hole (soak and dry method). They will store up that water and use it for the next couple weeks (or even months).

In summary, here we go :

  • Dormant phase : when nothing is happening –> Water only if you see wrinkle on Lithops, or if they have flattened down. How much water to give depends on how much wrinkle on their body.
  • Flower phase : when they split to have flower (usually on Lithops older than 3 years old) –> Water them. Make sure the soil is completely dry before you water them again.
  • Flower wilted –> Do not water. Wait for next phase.
  • Split to grow new leaves –> Do not water. The new leaves will grow by using the water retained on current leaves.
  • Old leaves dried up and easy to remove –> Water them. Then wait until they are thirsty by looking at the wrinkles on their leaves/body.

The lithops that I got didn’t seem to start flowering or splitting, and it had a lot of wrinkles which appeared even more in several days. Therefore, I watered him until the water came out of the drainage hole and wait. After about 1-2 days, he revived! He looks plump and healthy even more a couple of days later. I haven’t watered him again since then.

20 August 2021 – I watered him a little on 18 Aug’21 but the wrinkles were still there
The transformation after watering. I watered it until fully soaked on 23 Aug’21.

I hope you can get what you need to know about growing Lithops from here, especially if you are living in South East Asia. I’ll update here again if my Lithops has gone to the next phase. Right now, it still doing nothing. I heard they would only grow flower if they were happy. So I guess my mission now is to make it happy 😉

Thank you for reading. Ciao!

Experience · singapore

That time when I received Quarantine Order

MelsLeave a comment

Monday, June 14th, after the meeting call with my boss I got a call from unfamiliar number. The person at the other end said he was from Ministry of Health (MOH) and confirmed my personal data that he had and told me I got a Stay Home Notice due to contact with a COVID-19 case. What?! Stay Home Notice means I can’t go out from my place at all, even to throw away my trash on refused chute. He also told me during these 48 hours someone from Quarantine Service will call me and arrange for the pick up so I need to prepare clothes and other stuffs to stay in the quarantine facility for 5 days.

After the call ended, I spoke to my friends and they suggested me to confirm it with the COVID-19 hotline number in case it’s a scam. I was quite sure that it was not, because the person didn’t ask for money or document and he sounded legit. But then there is no harm of checking so I did it anyway. I called the hotline number on Ministry of Health (MOH) website. Once connected, I told her I that I got a call from someone who claimed to be from MOH and I want to confirm whether the call was a scam or not. She asked me what is the number that call me. I gave it it her and she did a check. After a while, she got back at me and told me that the number is registered in their database, which means the number is genuine and not a scam. Oh well, this is happening then!

So it’s real that I can’t go out.. And my next thought was how am I gonna walk my dog?? Since I can’t walk outside, I quickly contacted my friend to ask her take care of my dog as soon as possible. Luckily, another friend who’s staying at the same place with me able to help me with the arrangement so the transfer of my dog to another friend was going smoothly. One problem solved. Some friends asked me why don’t I keep my dog at home to keep me company. The reason was simple. She can’t use pee tray so she will hold it until she can go out, so she has to go on a walk. Therefore, as much as I want to keep her at home, I prefer her healthy routine to be maintained.

I was curious about the quarantine so I called the number that the person gave me. It got connected to their Customer Service. I asked her when will they come to pick me up and can I just stay at my home since I live alone, but she couldn’t answer me. She told me to wait for a call from the officer and when prompted about the pick up I could request to stay at home. Alright then, let’s just wait for the call.

Now, I’m gonna share what did I need to do during the quarantine and other informations that might help you in case you got a call from MOH (hopefully not) :

1. The next day, at 6am MOH sent an SMS to notify the official arrangement for the quarantine. On the SMS, I was told to download an app called Homer. Once I downloaded the app, I need to insert the post code of quarantine location and that I have to stay within that location the whole time or else they will fine me. By that time, I was not sure where would I be so I didn’t continue with the app. MOH keep sending the SMS about the quarantine but I had no idea why they did it. Then someone called me from MOH and asked me to download the app. I explained to him about my situation with the location and he said to just put my home post code. In the end, I inputted my home address post code with the assumption I could quarantined at home.

2. It’s no use to call the Quarantine Service number. The customer service will always ask you to wait for an officer to call you. When I was wondering about my quarantine location, I called them and in the end I still have to wait for the call.

3. Keep your phone with you all the time. They will call you at random time, and sometime video call as well.

4. Submit the report on Homer app right on time. I had to submit my temperature reading and other symptoms (if any) on the app 3 times a day during specific time range (8 – 10am, 1 – 3pm, and 6 -8pm). Sometimes I forgot to submit it and someone would immediately call me, even when I was late for 1 minute. So, if you don’t want to be bothered by the call, just submit them on time 😀

5. If you’re staying alone, you can request for Home Quarantine. They will send someone to your place and do the checking / interview to see whether you are eligible. I also found out if I chose the facility, it was in a hotel and mine was supposed to be at Hotel Swissotel The Stamford, which is quite nice I think. But no matter how good the hotel is, I prefer to stay at home. I got all my entertainment to accompany me! And secondly, if I chose to go to hotel, they will pick me up in a full cover and it might cause a commotion then.. (unless, of course, when you had no other choice).

6. If you have to go to the facility, prepare enough clothes, entertainment (books, ipad, Nintendo switch, laptop, etc), and also dining utensils (bowl, cutlery, knife to cut the fruit, glass, etc). They will provide food at the facility (most likely in Hotel), but according to my friend, who’s been in quarantine, you might get bored after 2 days eating the same menu, so you would end up ordering food delivery as well. They won’t provide utensils as it’s a precaution.

7. You can’t meet anyone at all. When you order food delivery or when your friend come over to deliver something, you can’t see them and received the item. You need to tell them to put the item/food in front of your door and leave it, then when they leave, you can pick it up. While it is true that no one will know if you meet them, I think as a ‘suspect’, we have a responsibility to protect others. Assume we could bring danger to others so it’s better to be careful.

8. Garbage disposal. I need to rely on a friend to throw away my garbage. I put them inside plastic bag, tied them up and left them in front of my door. Then my friend, who is my neighbour, took it and helped me throw it away. I’m really grateful for this friend! Imagine to keep the garbage for a whole week, how disgusting the smell would be.

9. Need to do swab test two times. The first one was supposed to be done on second day of quarantine but they were late. They just came late night on 4th day without notice. He told me gonna do 2 times swab for ART and PCR test. The swab for PCR test was horrible! The ART result was fast. Within few minutes, it showed Negative result. The PCR result was announced the next day by SMS. Although, I’ve found out the result through Health Hub App first (This app is amazing btw). It was negative as well. Then on the day before last day of quarantine, another person came to do swab PCR test. This time with notice. He called me before and came at promised time. He did the throat and nose swab. My first time doing throat swab and it wasn’t that bad. The person was really gentle and patient. This time they didn’t even notify me the result! I only saw it at Health Hub App. It was negative 🙂

10. “Where did you get it? Who was the person?“. Many of my friends asked me this question. When I told them I didn’t ask, they said “Why don’t you ask?”. I don’t think knowing the person or where were you can help you in any way. I don’t see the importance of it, so I don’t need to know. I did asked the officer out of curiosity, and he said only the Contact Tracing Officer know the detail but even so they can only tell you the date. Not much helpful either eh?

11. “Check from your Trace Together App. You can see it under ‘possible exposure’ tab”. Some of friends also told me this. They must have thought I didn’t know about this tab on the app lol. Well, I checked my Trace Together App to see if this exposure was record on “Possible Exposure” Tab but it wasn’t. So, apparently you can get a Quarantine Order even tho there is no possible exposure on the app.

The last thing I wanna share is the mentality when this happened. I understand that some of my friends were curious and care for my well-being so they asked those questions. Some of them also offered me help to deliver food or ordering something, which is very helpful. Although, they only asked in the beginning and later on seemed like everyone’s moving on with their busy life. So, if you really need help, do not hesitate to ask for it.

Some people might suspected you go to ‘dangerous area’ hence you got the quarantine order. It sucks, but normal reaction. I hate it when people started to ‘accuse’ me doing something bad that brought this QO to me but then I must remember it’s a normal reaction during this pandemic. Therefore I tried to reply them still in a nice way or just ignore them lol. Why bother with toxic people, right?

Most important thing when we serve on quarantine order is to keep on positive thinking and enjoy your ‘relax’ time in quarantine. Do something you like, something that can divert your attention if you get panic easily. Or you can get busy with your work as well. You still can do your office work at home/facility. Anxiety doesn’t help you overcome this. We need our immune system to work by feeding it with happy thoughts 😀

People thought I got bored by staying at home for a week. In fact, not at all lol. I enjoyed it. Yes it suck can’t go outside. But well, I can’t do anything about it, so why ruin my mood by thinking of something I can’t do?! If I can’t go out, then let’s do something fun at home! 🙂

Thanks for reading this long post. I wish you all stay healthy and safe. Wear mask and wash hand frequently ( I know.. heard this so many times right? Lol). You can share your quarantine story with me as well or if you’re currently under quarantine, please comment below.

Ciao.