林丹给予的答案是“我仍想坚持到东京奥运会 ”。这个答案让喜欢他的球迷雀跃不已，因为这表示还能在赛场上看到他们的丹哥。但另一些人却持有不同的看法，他们认为林丹的竞争能力已大不如前，坚持下去也是没有意义，再打下去也只是输多赢下，根本就拿不到东京奥运会的入场卷，只会让自己陷入难堪的窘境。 

客观分析，林丹要得到东京奥运会的入场卷是真的很难很难，主要的原因是他近两年来的表现不是很理想，奥运积分的排名也比较靠后。中国队还有比林丹更年轻、表现更为稳定的谌龙和石宇奇。以夺金为目标的角度来看，让谌龙和石宇奇入选更为合情合理吧！但是奥运积分赛还没有打完， 在这个时候就断定林丹肯定去不了奥运，不服输的他肯定不服气，好歹让他和师弟们继续竞争到奥运积分赛结束为止。就算最后的结果可能不是自己想要的，但也已经尽了最大的努力去争取，无愧于心。 

其实早在林丹说要竞争东京奥运会时，他已经知道这会是一项非常艰难的任务。他承认这是他面临最残酷最艰难的奥运周期，奥运资格主要是跟队友竞争，谁的积分靠前谁就参加奥运会，他自己能做的就是尽量打出自己真实的水平、竞技状态和斗志。他倔强地表示正因为艰难，才有意义，如果很容易就完成，那就不是林丹该做的事情。 

我不是林丹，我不晓得他这样苦苦坚持有意义吗？但是作为他的球迷，我一定会支持他的坚持。因为我看到一个已经夺得了20个世界冠军的羽毛球传奇，还在为目标奋斗。这对于一位集冠军于一身的人来说，并不是件容易的事。试想如果你已经拿过了所有的冠军，而且一些冠军还拿了不止一次，还有什么动力驱使你继续站在赛场上呢？打了那么多年的球，每天重复着艰苦又乏味的训练，难道林丹不会觉得厌倦和疲惫吗？ 

曾经一段时间，林丹真的厌倦赛场了，特别想过普通人的生活，他也意识到自己没有了野心和对胜利的渴望。他一直在思考到底少了什么，他开始调整自己，慢慢地燃烧赛场上的斗志。如今，当了父亲的林丹，找到了另一股让他坚持下去的神奇力量，那就是儿子小羽。林丹坚持打下去，是希望有一天小羽能到赛场上看他打比赛，他也希望小羽长大后知道，他的父亲在职业生涯后期面对很大很大的困难和争议，但仍然在赛场上努力，去做到自己最好的一面，希望能成为儿子的榜样。 

林丹的坚持让我看到一个已经实现了双圈全满贯，成为羽坛难再被超越的一位王者，竟然能放下过去的荣耀和骄傲，不畏惧年龄的增长、不畏惧被击败、不畏惧被批评和质疑，依然坚定地一路前行。难道他真的不在意胜负、不在意人们担忧的“英雄迟暮”吗？近几年频频一轮游，如果当年急流勇退，给人一个完美的结局不是很好吗？林丹说：“如果是十年前，特别是2012年前后，我会希望自己永远不要从高处跌下来，永远都是一种别人触不可及的状态。”但是经过了岁月的洗涤，登过高山也历过低谷，林丹发现自己可以接受不好的声音，但是不会放弃自己的努力。他补充说：“我当然希望自己离开的时候能够更圆满、更让人嫉妒的离开，但是如果在赛场上，可以留给大家更真实的瞬间，感动别人，这也是我最期待的。” 

“今天我36岁了，对于一个运动员来说，这个年纪可能是有点大了，但对于一个预备把整个生命都献给羽毛球事业的人来说，36岁只是刚刚开始，谢谢所有人的祝福，我会继续前进。”

这是林丹在去年36岁生日当天（14/10/2019）发的微博。

林丹真的很热爱羽毛球，他愿意为羽毛球运动献上他的生命。妻子谢杏芳在“中国体育20年影响力人物”的颁奖典礼上代林丹领奖，发表获奖感言时说：“林丹是我见过的最喜欢、最热爱羽毛球的一个人，即使拿到大满贯和两次奥运冠军还不退役。”

每个运动员想要实现的价值都不一样，有些人会追求他的完美，但林丹更看重的是这项运动本身。他想的是羽毛球会不会在国内发展得更好，能不能创造更好的国际舞台？他希望透过自己的努力，能让更多的人喜欢羽毛球，让羽毛球走得更远，到影响力更大的地方去。所以他这样认为，“不管哪里，只要有推广羽毛球的需要，我都可以去。”

林丹的坚持已经超越了冠军的意义。他在某采访中提到，他收到了无数球迷的来信，而这些来信中，几乎没有人是为冠军而写信，更多提及的是林丹的体育精神对他们的影响。所以林丹坚信，他所要呈现的就是对球迷有激励作用的态度。

那林丹的态度究竟是什么呢？林丹的态度就是“即使我已经获得了20个世界冠军，我还在努力”。 

The post 林丹的坚持有意义吗？ appeared first on Big Woots.

 ‘I pay no attention whatever to anybody’s praise or blame, I simply follow my own feelings’ – W.A Mozart

Classical music can be described as a rainbow, the colors signify it’s diversity, range and emotions; from the Baroque era, to the Classical era, followed by the Romantic era and thus the Modernist era. ( Actually, Baroque and Modern aren’t classified as classical music, but they can still be admired). Classical music is also portrayed as instrumental music. Classical pieces often show complexity in their use of texture, intonation, phrasing, and music development. The instruments of classical music can be divided into 4 families: strings, woodwind, percussion and brass. Each family plays a significant role in playing – whether in the melody, accompaniment; building dynamics, covering different pitches like soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

To answer the question myself, yes, I would say that classical music is still needed in this world! Classical music helps us to align and reposition ourselves to admire the beauty and diversity of classical music, taking enjoyment and fulfillment of the legacy left behind by talented composers. Classical music are often labelled as “boring” or “not interesting”, and thus it is said to be “dying and fading away”, that is a sad occurrence! Classical music also connects us with the greatest composers of all time, granting intimacy with them through the melody, distribution, emotions and pictures of their music. The emotions aren’t expressed in lyrics or words, they are expressed through the tone of music, how wonderful!

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” -Aldous Huxley:

Classical music isn’t just a combination of chords that sound well together, it is designed delicately and carefully, each movement and phrase having a pattern of its own. Classical music also brings peace and relief to the soul, beneficial to the brain and allowing us to think differently and feel differently. From operas, sonatas, symphonies, concertos, fantasies. preludes, to ballets, quartets, mazurkas, fantasies and caprices; each carries their own outline, represented by its own word. Classical isn’t only for the forks or the elderly, it can be admired by all! Classical music is designed with such majesty and wonder- the world would be a dull place WITHOUT IT.

Classical music brings healing to our souls, expresses the indescribable, in my words I would say – music sent down from heaven, as if it’s being sung by angels of music. Undeniably, classical music contributes to the development of this world, and it still plays a vivid role! It is part of history, part of our world, and as well part of our future. I have played classical music for over 9 years, until today, I still find myself being star struck and in awe of it, there wasn’t a moment where I found it too repetitive or dull.

Classical music needs to be heard. Soak in it, submerge yourself in it and you will find relaxation and peace. Why don’t you start listening to it today and get carried away back in the times?

Here are some examples of classical music: (Admin’s favs)

1. Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven
2. Caprice 24 by Paganini
3. Spring by Vivaldi
4. Fantaisie Impromptu by Chopin
5. Liebestraum by Liszt

The post Does the world now still need classical music? appeared first on Big Woots.

Growing up, I have helped my father purchased newspapers from shops when we chose to have breakfast outside. The options were The Borneo Post, The Star Malaysia, and The New Straits Times among many others. I would look forward to breakfast because It would be down time for my father to read the headlines while waiting for the dishes and drinks to arrive. I would dive into the lifestyle section of the papers because I always have a hard time digesting political news.

Whenever I read, it is always an adventure of discovering new words. I love snarky writing styles and some columns are well-known for their sarcasm. I love how writers can string together words to form a beautiful mélange of sentences that makes for that golden paragraph of a conclusion.

Big Woots, to me, is independent journalism. Journalism itself has presented a colourful past and promotes an even more kaleidoscopic future. It remains important in the digital age, whether you are covering global events or local stories. Everyone has a voice and how you make yourself heard is what truly matters. If you are on a date and the person you are with has a hard time listening to you, what would it be like in a sea of voices who struggle to tell their stories?

The beauty of Big Woots is its online presence and the shareability of its content. As much as every brand out there yearns for world domination, we can aim high and be realistic at the same time. By combining keywords and mirroring the current conversation trends, we appeal to the readers’ interest and encourages sharing of the content with their circle of influence. These circles may not necessarily be large in volume but what they offer is relevance. Relevance matters if you are a brand that intends to reach the right audience and featured writing is an integral component of this journey.

#SupportLocal is growing in strength and people are branching out of their comfort zones realising they can no longer fall back to their past years’ strategies if they want to keep up with the times. Home-based businesses are steadily becoming more active on social media and word-of-mouth now spreads like wildfire with the increase in usage of messaging platforms. On a personal note, I strongly agree with Adrian Praveen, Chief Executive Officer at Arrowood International when he included “reading” as an activity you should invest in regardless of the status quo. Big Woots offers a platform to read and it is inevitable that we are readers by nature because we do it when are at work or at home; and based on recent events, both work and home have merged to a certain extent.

Read more. Read Big Woots.

The post Why Do You Need To Read Big Woots? appeared first on Big Woots.

I am a homebody, but I feel depressed because of this lockdown when the choice of activity is very limited. I enjoy spending time at home, but I am not a hermit.

This lockdown creates anxiety. My greatest fear is no one can answer me when the pandemic will end. I have plenty of questions, but questions remain unanswered. If you can read my mind, you will see the questions hovering and spinning: When will life return to full normality again? When will we travel again? When will we visit our parents who live in different state again? When will excursion possible again? When will we indulge in the beautiful nature around the world again? When will DisneySea open again?

Well. Reminiscing does not help to cheer me up. I need to do something. Something that can cheer me up during this lockdown.

As a human, we always anticipate for something. I wish to go on a trip again. But traveling is currently impossible. So to make it ‘I m possible’ to travel, I flip through the old photos of mine, and I share those photos which put a smile on my face to social media to share my happiness and leave all the worries behind.

I read a book and saturate my mind. Reading keeps my brain active and engaged, hence prevents it from losing power. Sometimes reading a book and lose myself in a great story makes the stress I have as a housewife slips away. Reading also fills up my head with a new byte of information, and I believe it might come in handy one day.

I write! Because I can express my emotions in words and aware of my feelings. Writing is a way to resolve my haywire emotions and channel out my feelings. It helps to clear my mind and improve my mood that reduces stress levels. Writing also makes me live more focused. Constantly writing about my thoughts leading me to achieve what I dream of.

I practice the new skill of drawing using a graphic tablet. Drawing with a tablet isn’t easy. I have a pen in hand to draw, but I am not looking at where it physically is. But learning new skills makes me feel good about myself.

I am happy to spend a bit of extra time cooking for my family. I am not a good cook, but serving food with love fulfills my satisfaction.

Declutter my home during this lockdown. There are always unwanted things residing in my home and none of us will use it or even think of it for years. So I remove junk from my home whenever I am free. Surprisingly, after removing junk, I feel my life simplified.

This COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world for bad and good. There are uncertainties during this pandemic. Even when life is out of control, we still have full control over ourselves. So don’t waste your life.

The post Is the isolation due to pandemic trigger depression? appeared first on Big Woots.

No doubt, the entire world is going through an accelerated phase of adopting technology in their processes; be it a cog in a supply chain or as the forefront of a monolithic brand. With that said, other industries have long inculcate technology in their daily work routines. And this begs the question: Are we making informed decisions at work? More importantly, are these decisions backed up by legitimate data? Or it has always been a mix of gut-feel and gigabytes of information?

Let’s dive a little deeper and have a conversation on the importance embracing this paradigm shift and why it is high time we adopt a culture of data-driven decision making:

1. Improved Customer Experience 

Long gone are the days where you would be focusing purely on the executive buy in of the upper echelons of a typical company or businesses. These days, hierarchies are flatter and designations are merely to denote the functionalities of the divisions in order to achieve one common ground: maximising business revenue.

Businesses are steadily empowering their associates to make choices at the workplace. This is an attempt to prevent any form of bottlenecks that might  either hinder the progress of a sale or to present a seamless experience to their customers. Because of this, every role in a company must understand and treat data as an asset and the most efficient way to do this is to also inculcate a culture of learning and development. Before one can adopt, they must adapt and attempt to understand the subject matter at hand. Ultimately, this results in a smoother business flow end-to-end.

2. Attracting and Retaining Talents

To achieve success in tandem with using data, the users themselves must be capable to do so. Hiring is one option but often, leaders tend to overlook their existing people in the process to acquire a new talents. Upskilling and Reskilling are buzzwords that have held their momentum and on the rise in the learning and development scene. To date, more and more companies (big and small) are jumping on the technology bandwagon. These actions are even more reassured by the involvement of conglomerates, small-medium enterprises (SMEs), universities, research companies and government-linked companies.

While it takes time for Malaysia as a whole to weave technology at grassroots level, employers can do something today by effectively identifying skills gaps and addressing them by sourcing for defined and reputable training and development courses. The swift yet sound action to take almost immediately would be to engage in a training solutions provider who is adept in maneuvering through the current landscape that is peppered with big data and technology elements. As it is, we cannot afford to lose amazing talents at a critical time simply because we did not bother to grow with the flow.

A good point to note: we have a good blend of generations in the workforce. Understand what makes them tick and a recipe of relevant work experience in the older generations + tech-savvy millennials should equate to achieving an equilibrium which can only propel the brands in Malaysia forward.

3. Maximising Resources

Human Resources will continue to pivot their functions as the years go by. From handling the people which in turn translates to the business and the brand and managing growth of the associates (both in development and in number), HR has come a long way indeed. Understandably, no division of a company can truly run away from incorporating technology into their business operations. HR started with files and folders and morphed into management systems which relied on the input of humans in order to generate desired reports. This is the current vision but we all know there are underlying desires on improving the status quo.

As it is, data resides in every possible nook and cranny of a business. Be it in Excel spreadsheets, Keynote presentations or even balance sheets piled up in the store room. Truly, it is what we do with the data available that makes all the difference. We have been dependent on our information systems and reports to project actionable next steps. But there is more to it than just spotting trends and patterns. Deep learning of data analytics can range anywhere from descriptive analytics, diagnostic analytics and predictive analytics. We can fully harness this by deploying a regime that makes everyone in the company a data champion. 

Inculcating a data-driven culture at your organisation will take time and effort—it’s a long-term one, and not an overnight achievement. The people themselves will continue to be the most difficult aspect of an imminent cultural change. If you focus on the key points outlined above, you should reach a tipping point where the data champions in your business eventually outnumber those who do not advocate for its utilisation.

Author’s note: This article was originally written for 6Biz Academy (www.6biz.ai).

The post Why data-driven decision-making matters to organisations in Malaysia? appeared first on Big Woots.