The Audio Blog of Steven Sirski

Boxing Day, how does it go? I still worked. Spent much of the day rewriting the newsletter, reflecting on Christmas as an expat. Christmas songs, was trying to do a few traditional Ukrainian songs for December Drumming but my keyboard skills are that good. Got a bunch of other tracks done but stuck on 23rd and 24th. -“There are two distinct groups of Ukrainian Christmas music. Koljadky (Ukrainian...

It’s Christmas! Have you ever seen the end of the NORAD Santa tracker? I finally did! Trying out this web-based program called Repurpose, will help distribute content to multiple platforms. This is exactly what I was thinking of trying to build on my own. Looks very useful. Taking a few days off at the end of the week so I can spend some time on a few projects and possibly get out of town for a bi...

What was thaaat??! Working on Episode 43, may have to release it next week. They say work will lighten up next month, we’ll see about that. Keep in mind, Spring Festival begins February 9th.  Workouts in, cold! And barely moving! 5.74km in 41.52, barely got through any pull ups or anything else. Did get through the weights at the end of the day.  I tend to do full body workouts, but I have been th...

Winter Solstice! Shortest day of the year! Did you do anything? I worked! December Drumming tracks coming along, trying out a few things, but staying mostly digital. Santa Claus Rally, what is it and why does it matter? -Joined by First Five Days, January Barometer (aka January Effect) -Careful about the percentages! If it moves 80% of the time, how much does it move? One percent? How much does th...

More cold! Schools closing! “Cities including Jiangsu's Nanjing, Changzhou and Zhenjiang, as well as Anhui's Lu'an, Wuhu and Chuzhou all have suspended classes or implemented flexible school hours” “A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Jishishan county in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Northwest China’s Gansu Province on Monday midnight” Workouts in! 6.5km at lunch in 43.32. Avg 6min...

Cold and snow! Longest it’s been like this since I arrived. Babies being born, new China boom? Newsletter in the works. Or is this just a blog by another name? Need to hedge this output. Episode 43 has been tough to get around to cause of all these other projects. How do I make my life easier in 2024? What tools can I use? What plan do I have? And yes, there is a plan behind this. Reading the Powe...

A week till Christmas and three days till Solstice! Half way through the month already? Still cold outside Workouts in: -6.65km in 38.02 -Sunday’s run was 8.98km in 57.17 -After work workout today: mostly 14kg kbells -tomorrow should be mace swings Article on running: can you get faster or at least maintain your speed as you get older? https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20848096/age-matters-fo...

End of the week Workouts in, lunchtime was a bit cold, need to roll out the back December Drumming continues at skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com Would you trust someone who’s trying to do a lot of different things, or would you pref someone be a specialist? Nine, twelve, seventeen income streams , however many it is just how easily is it to generate them? And what is the reality of earning money through Y...

Still snowing! Is this a Beijing blizzard?? Getting a bit cold to be reviewing characters outside. And the Powell pop! Oil, gold n everything bounces on the word that US interest rates will be cut in March! What is the Fed? What are interest rates? What is inflation? Some books to read: William J. O’Neil’s How to Make Money in Stocks Gerald Loeb Battle for Investment Survival  Story time: Reminisc...

More snow! And cold! Workouts in! 5.95km within 36 min 55 sec. Not much time for anything else at lunch so another after work workout with kbells n clubs. Trying out Trello for organizing podcast workflow, probably something I should have done before. I used to do this on paper so I’m not sure how much this will affect things. Watching Billions, a show about a billionaire hedge fund manager. These...

Feeling far better! Newsletter out! All about expats leaving. Thinking, going forward, how else could I change up some things and make them better? Make my life easier? I did not know you could import CSVs into Canva! What else am I doing wrong?! Oil down! Getting trounced! Tax loss selling and oftentimes one of best times to get in. Do your own research! December Drumming continues… keeping it si...

感冒了Sick, like flu but not too serious, down throughout Sunday, Is it the new coov? JN.1 taking over from BA.62.whatever. Newsletter written, will send out tomorrow. Not much of a newsletter, more of an extension of things that are innit? December Drumming tracks are up! http://skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com We got snow! Doesn’t happen often! Keeping motivated: why do you do the things you do? New wee...

More about NAC https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nac-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_10 Life speeds up over 40? Is it true? Reading recommendations…Chinese books The Wedding Party - Liu Xinwu Strange Beasts of China - Yan Ge China in Ten Words - Yue Hua And of course books by Peter Hessler SMOG causing breathing issues! Come to Beijing! Come to China! Visa free for Singapore and many other countries! No...

NAC - what is it and what does it do? Basically a strong antioxidant used to flush toxins from the body. Can help with pushing alcohol out of the system, doesn’t mean that the alcohol still won’t harm your brain or gut. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34208683/#:~:text=It%20has%20a%20well%2Destablished,to%20oxidative%20stress%20and%20inflammation. December Drumming continues, trying some things ou...

December Drumming updated! Still creating, but it’s taken time to figure out how to post everything. Work outs… both in! Couldn’t resist getting two in. Was feeling a bit anxious so decided to lift instead. Lunch time run 5km in 32.37, followed by ball slams. After work kbell work. Clear morning, then smog rolled in. Smelled like BBQ… I wondering what they’re cooking these days?? Expats are shuffl...

New stove top! 燃气灶 ránqìzào Found the archived files for previous December Drummings and Jamuary’s. Turns out I did NOT start in 2020 but in 2021. Oops. Workout done! Mace bell and steel club swings… forgot to use the kettlebells! After dinner walk with the clubs on the treadmill. In praise of books - Carl Sagan What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with f...

December Drumming continues! Four tracks done and up on Bandcamp skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com This is the third year I’m doing this. Smog rolling in but still a run outside. Less grey matter I guess, but it was warmer as a result of the coal dust blanket. 6.54 in 35 min 11 sec. Newsletter being written. Gold popping! So too with the Bitcoin. Nothing like a peaceful Sunday afternoon interrupted by… the...

New month! End of the year! Going anywhere?? Departures! First in a long time! Expat life, where will you lie? December Drumming kicks off, check www.skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com Workout in at lunch, 6km with lunges, pull ups, push ups and squats. Lots going on. Will lift heavy tomorrow at lunch. Show notes up on stevensirski.com Have a good one!

End of the month! Already! What have you got left to do in 2023? Does it matter? Setting up for December Drumming 2023! Address:  https://skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com/ Not sure if that will stay the same as apparently Skrski is an actual Polish name, while “skr” is apparently also onomatopoeic for the sound of cars screeching to a halt. I like the name, we’ll see how it goes. Looking to publish all of...

Health check done, how was it? Afternoon get together and a rather startling beer, sleep, and a midnight run. Maybe a good time to start splitting up my workouts? Gold and silver moving! The Land Before Time was released 35 years ago! Sad news about the girl who voiced Ducky. Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Have a good one!

Newsletter out! Up-skilling in the age of AI? Worth it? Language learning, worth it? Some neat plugins being created for ChatGPT, it’s a new skill and tech you’re going to have to learn. Take a look at https://aieducator.tools/ Silver moving, gold crawling, oil stocks falling. Money in, money out! Rent due! Pausing on the language vlog, want to consider a few things and move into longer form video...

Episode 43 recorded! Newsletter in the process! Need to get a health check done soon. Workouts in! Lunchtime grind: barely made 5.29 km within 38 min 20 sec. -Then steel club work After work: mace swings and lifts. Six days a week going to continue for a bit, how will this work over the next few months? December Drumming starting up on Friday! Show notes n tracks available on stevensirski.com Have...

Black Friday begins! What will you buy now?!?!? How is Ukraine doing?  “Redefining Success in Ukraine: A New Strategy Must Balance Means and Ends” by Richard Haass and Charles Kupchan https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/redefining-success-ukraine -blames Trump, thinks he sides with Putin and Russia -laments how many people Ukraine is losing, neglecting to consider the effect on Russia’s own pop...

These days are a flying by! Getting cold as the wind picks up! What are Beijing winters like? Happy US Thanksgiving Day! Professional sports in Las Vegas?! Spend an hour after work as a non-negotiable time to yourself for study. I did this with Mandarin, now with social media. Air line points are expiring! Where to go?? Or what to buy? Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Have a good one!

Last of the warmth? Like clockwork… Little Snow day today and magic… the weather will turn cold in Beijing! Workouts in! Lunch time run: 6.5km within 37.16 Slam ball! After work kettle bell flow Ultramarathons are the new Corvette! Ten ideas No stink socks No sweat sweater Cheap, but good compression clothes Pants with a money belt built in Clip on shoes Spray-on compression clothing Deodorant str...