Shaun T. Dy's Business & Economics Perspective Blog

I wrote about how I believe pinyin will bridge the gap in Mandarin learning  and how pinyin helped secure business permits . I think a new challenge that some may face is learning pinyin through the 23 consonants and 24 vowels method. Back in college, I took Mandarin as my required foreign language (FOLA) elective. It was my attempt to find out what went wrong with Chinese language classes in Chinese schools. Zhuyin was used for too long (read here )   and isn't the ideal bridge between Mandarin and non-Mandarin speakers. Meanwhile, romanizing on your own without learning the pinyin gives the wrong reading. It's like how nobody should Sh in the place of X. I could talk about learning using the 23 vowels and 24 consonants method. The early stages of teaching pinyin followed the bopomofo method. The Chinese language teacher in college didn't use the 23 consonants-24 vowels method. Instead, we had the pinyin arranged using the bopomofo method. It was simply to translate all th

Is it me or are Philippine politicians that fond of band-aid solutions? A few days ago, I ended up reading from The Philippine Star where Senator Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. aka Jinggoy Estrada proposed yet another band-aid solution. Here's an excerpt from what Estrada wants to do: It seeks to amend Section 20 of the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines to include a provision mandating refund credit to a customer who experienced a service outage and disruption for an aggregate period of 24 hours or more within a month. Under the proposed measure, the refund credit shall be also granted to customers subscribing to a service on a prepaid basis. “Why should we pay for a service that we have not benefited from? And at a time when almost everything depends on gadgets and digital devices, it is important to have a fast, accessible and reliable connection,” Estrada said in Filipino. “Genuine accessibility can only be achieved if the connection services are regular, reli

This is yet another stupid claim from Kabataan (Youth) Partylist. I wonder if the organization is linked to that joke of a Facebook page called the Philippine Anti-Fascist League (PH Antifa). You have had other similar organizations such as Anakbayan (Children of the Nation), Bayan Muna (Nation First), IBON Foundation, Kilusang Mayo Uno (May 1 Movement), and the League of Filipino Students that insist on the unsustainable demand for higher salaries, lowering the prices of commodities, and handouts for everyone. The idea itself is already not feasible  (read  here ) yet they keep demanding it. One must wonder are they a group of economic idiots or do they have ulterior motives? Do these groups understand what FDI really means? I noticed that people coming from like-minded groups (such as Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna) have their own bizarre ideas. I could still remember his Rappler article which he also wrote about FDI. If the likes of Casiño are linked with the likes of Kabataan Partyl

Translation:  Raise up salaries! Lower prices!  Let's all be united and move for a sustainable salary!  It's tomorrow! Let's see each other on #MayOne2023! It's May 1 today and it's referred to as Labor Day . One of the many organizations in the Philippines called Kilusang Mayo Uno (May 1 Movement) has been doing the same nonsense all the time. Do these people even have the slightest idea of wealth generation? I doubt it. They have been demanding the same thing all over again. I wonder if these people are aware that it's not sustainable (read here ). The same movement has been to have salary increases in the midst of inflation. At first, it sounds like a good idea. However, the economic aspect will totally reveal why it isn't feasible. The Economics Help website presents why doing so can actually worsen inflation: Wage Push Inflation. If labour is able to push for higher wages, despite lower growth, then we could get a combination of rising inflation, but s

As summer hits, it's normal for me to want a cup of cold tea. One of the many things that could revive interest in Mandarin learning is not just Mandarin shows resurging on paid digital subscriptions. It's the rise of Taiwanese MNCs around the world. In my case, as a coffee and tea person, Taiwanese tea shops are practically my alternative to coffee shops, even if both tend to cost just as much (read why here ). After Chatime, I'm going to use Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea. You can see the use of Pinyin, English, and Chinese calligraphy. Taiwan may still teach zhuyin as part of its tradition. However, I believe that Pinyin is truly the bridge between Chinese speakers and non-Chinese speakers in this Asian century (read here ). I may have my criticism about the lack of tones in the Yi Fang. However, I could really appreciate how the use of Pinyin makes it easier to get a business permit. I find it stupid how we were still using zhuyin over pinyin to learn phonetics. These days, I

Asteria Lending The long weekend is over and it's back to work and school, right? I was reminded of a conversation I had during the 2016 elections. An issue I rose was specifically was that "Regardless of who wins, the candidate must work hard towards the removal of economic restrictions." I received one stupid answer that made my jaw drop, "Why will you let them invest in here? Only FDIs will get rich!" So says the person with  very expensive taste . The person has a taste for imported luxury items. He goes out with people with expensive tastes.  I was reading about the news of how Apple would have a factory in Communist Vietnam . It's really ironic how some people I know who are anti-FDIs are using Apple luxury products . I even remembered one person I argued with (and trolled to expose his inconsistency) that he hates FDI while using an iPhone . I'm not too surprised to learn of some members of the CPP-NPA who are using MacPRO laptops. There are also

  As the long weekend is well, about to end , I want to write this new post regarding education. Classes are about to resume in the Philippines by Tuesday since Monday will be declared an extended holiday for April 9. April 9 is the Day of Valor which commemorates the Fall of Bataan to the fallen Empire of Japan. As classes are resuming and I'm seeing a new batch benefit from what I never did. Right now, the second semester started in January and school starts in August--which I think should be the thing. I want to recall something from when I was a teenager. I really didn't like high school especially when the previous generation say stuff like: "When I was your age, I already did a lot, I became a parent in my 20s, I already had this and that..." "If we were honor students back then, you should be an honor student too!"  "You're just getting spoiled! Lessons aren't getting harder these days!"  Lessons are getting harder these days. It'