The color red is commonly associated with the “love month” of February because of the Western celebration of Valentine’s Day. But it is also the color—along with gold—that is deemed auspicious by Chinese people, and is thus a common sight during the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations, commonly observed around this time of the year, and also referred to as the Spring Festival.
Xīn Nián Kuài Lè!
Chinese New Year is the most important holiday to people of Chinese descent around the world. It was traditionally observed a special ceremonial day of praying for good fortune and successful harvests, as well as a commemoration of a legendary victory of the Chinese people over the mythical monster Nian in ancient Chinese lore, by scaring it with the use of loud noises and flaring firecrackers. It is, indeed, one season marked with various, vibrant festivities.
The official start of 2021 according to the Chinese calendar falls on the 12th of February. The Chinese Zodiac classifies 2021 as the Year of the Metal Ox, with the Ox being the second among the 12 animal signs.
The Ox is characterized as persevering and hardworking, which makes it a very useful animal to an agrarian community like that of ancient Chinese. Its vital role in Chinese life and culture is one of the reasons it has earned its spot in the Chinese zodiac.
Much of the general horoscopes for this year identify it as a lucky year, most especially in terms of work and finances —provided of course that we are to exert our best efforts to achieve the goals we are longing for; indeed, if we were hardworking like oxen. Feng shui also suggests that to attract “prosperity and success,” lucky for this year are the Metal Ox colors – white, yellow, and green.
New Year, New Strategy to Prosper
Given the troubles of the past year, some might consider this celebration as a fresh start, a transition to recalibrate their strategies to thrive, be it in their careers or businesses. After all, our hard work needs to see the fruits it bore. With many of us having our plans and aspirations coming undone in 2020, maximizing our luck and converting misfortune into prosperity, are key to surviving and thriving in 2021.
Among those realigning their business models in response to the pandemic-disrupted reality is the realm of technology—through “widespread automation”, according to the MIT Technology Review.
This is not surprising given how the pandemic has reshaped economies across the globe, digitizing almost every facet of business operation, affecting both the organizations and the people comprising them. Similarly, entrepreneurs and freelancers experienced the same situation since physical movements were restricted to a minimum—hence, the increasing volume and frequency of online selling, trading, and buying.
Emphasis on the enhancement of CX (customer experience) through an improved and more efficient CRM (customer relationship management) was also identified to be possible in a post-pandemic setup through the implementation of e-commerce solutions. Various platforms are available, such as the more conventional call centers, social media and numerous messaging applications, and even self-help applications that can be installed on customers’ smart devices.
With all these changes now part of actual experience instead of a theoretical scenario in some distant future, it is expected that, this time around, people will no longer be forced but instead be more willing to adapt to the emerging technologies.
Resilient as Metal, Philippines stands firm amidst the upheaval
Speaking of forecasts, a local feng shui expert predicted that tech-related businesses will thrive in the year of the Metal Ox.7 This is logical following the surge of work-from-home setups, as well as distance learning.
Taking into consideration the fact that we are not yet at par with other nations in terms of level of technology, the government has put in place various policies that aim to improve telecommunications infrastructure. Since the middle of last year, the limelight has been on local internet service providers, who are mandated to deliver quality connections to their respective clienteles.
There is some progress, as far as internet speeds are concerned. An article in the Business Mirror reported a rise in internet speeds in the country, attributed to more efficient processes that enabled ISPs to hasten the building of cell sites.8 This trend is expected to continue given the paradigm shift from physical to digital. This gives every eager Filipino the hope to be able to do their own part in the community—from the government offices and agencies leading each locality, to teachers molding their students; to the youth who are our future leaders, and the professionals, business organizations, and entrepreneurs who are our active nation-builders.
Thus, flexible as we always are, Filipinos will need to be equipped not just with the necessary devices but, equally important, with stable internet connection.
Hard Work in 2021 Deserves More Than Just an OX: Get the Best Fiber Internet Connection
Everyone has been confronted with the difficult challenge of 2020, so this new lunar year, why settle for mediocre products and services, if not more trouble, most especially with the new “basic need” – the internet?
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