The Audio Blog of Steven Sirski

Trying to broadcast while recording, thinking of setting up a new channel on YouTube Downloaded THREE DECKS of flashcards on Anki PLUS Memrise, we're hitting those characters hard! Thinking... if I don't get an apartment renewal contract, I may be forced to move which would mean... uni job? Are they still available? Been posting a few English vids on my language vlog, some tips on learning languag...

Rain! Unexpected but that will cool things down. Another bike ride this morning, 10 miles / 16 kms, plus a one mile run after. Afternoon workout was a run and kbells... then I ripped a callous off. Ow. DRUGS! Shrooms, pot, kava etc., do we need them? What about alcohol or caffeine or tobacco? What about music? Why do so many musicians partake in these substances? Indigenous cultures around the wor...

That generator is still on! Gold looks good! Is it a replacement for cash? Zhengzhou bank runs and red QR Codes! What about crypto?! Episode 31 in the books! Recorded and now onto editing. GoPro battery swollen and stuck... required some finaggling with a knife but got it out. Battery still works but it's a pain to get it out and I wonder if it's safe. Noodle place gone! Shut down as of yesterday....

Another going away party! And a few words from someone who has been in the country for over nine years. What do you want to accomplish in that country? Why do you want to go? When do you know that it is time to leave? Would you swim in Liangma River? HSK prep continues, eech buuut... I'm the only one left in the country from my former Chinese class! The others have left! Podcast episodes in the wo...

Hot and did not sleep well! Another bike ride this morning and a skip n ballz workout in the aft. New SLV up, took a while to get rendered, not sure why. Podcast lineup in the works! NFTs: airplane tickets as collectibles?! If the airlines can garner another 10% profit... they will. How to make an NFT? How to open a wallet? Which currency to use? Ethereum seems to be the on that comes up a lot. Te...

On vacation! Relaxing!... Except for all the noise! Generators and air conditioners running all the time! Aiya! Hot AF as we are now into the 伏天 fu tian, the three sets of hottest times of the year. Ten days each for a grand total of 30 more days of this! +34 pretty much all the time and hardly a wind. Stay hydrated! How much sun is bad for the skin? And hasn't SPF even come under scrutiny as it...

HSK 失败了！ #FAIL Or at least not very good. Didn't freeze or anything but simply was not prepared enough. Areas to work on: reading speed at HSK 5 level which means more practice dense. These texts are dense and the answers aren't always easy to see... at least in my impression. Vocab! Much more work on this. Words forgotten: 失败, 休息, 提高, 胳膊 (arm), wrist, keyboard 键盘. If going by the ga...

Friday night! Night before HSK 5 test! Still not really nervous, more just want it over with! Almost done with the second go through of the textbook, will probably need one more go through to finish them up. Then the workbook practice tests. Spent the day listening to all of the texts and reviewing vocab. Will continue to focus on vocab review and practice some writing before the test tomorrow. Ne...

Dual workouts in, mostly cardio. One hour bike in the morning, run and skip in the aft. Gotta get those legs moving if you want skipping to count. Five or whatever hours of Chinese studies. Went from Chapter 18-30 in the second book with a glance at vocab, grammar and collocations. Tomorrow hope to go through the rest of the book and do a couple of practice tests. Half Murph tomorrow again, rememb...

Joe Ro saying the govt saying alien aircraft could be real sounds fishy while it's navy pilots seeing these craft in airspace reserved for military.... hmmm now that you put it that way... Webb telescope and it's latest picture of deep space! Russia makes bullets, Ukraine doesn't. Remember media saying Russian troops were retreating? Or were they letting the separatists take up the fight? Three mo...

Omicron Variant Sub BA.5.2.??.!! Shanghai shanghai'ed! Ten years from now, what will you have wished you did sooner? Are there still avenues left to explore here in China? Living in China or leaving? How do different places compare? Family considerations, both old and new, environment, what else needs to be considered? Ten places: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, France, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Seoul or Busan Sou...

Vaccine mandates... rescinded! Some places? BA.5 IS THE MOST CONTAGIOUS EVER! Than what was before? But at least there is still no mandate and it is optional. This whole thing it actually looks as if China is scared / worried / concerned that this virus will have a disproportionate affect on their own people, for whatever reason. Is that the reason for the constant vigilance? Test prep: working my...

Another ten percussion tracks, this time with Garageband! Have a listen at the end of this episode! Joe Rogan on Lex Friedman's podcast, good talk esp if you're into the performing arts or want to hear about how Joe Rogan handled the attempted cancellation. Reading through this HSK 5 test prep book, makes sense what they are saying and how they break down the questions. Didn't know there were 12 d...

Ten percussion ideas! VACCINE MANDATED... for some placee, but not all, and it's up to the BaoAn, those often grumpy guardsmen. BUT... since I don't really go anywhere, do I STILL need to get vaxxed? Need two shots, most Chinese people I know only got one... or none! Get vaxxed? Get in line, the waiting list is LOOONG! HSK 5 entrance ticket is now available! No mention of vaccination required, but...

Generator is off! Maybe it had something to do with he humidity over the last few days? Textbook tests are harder than practice tests! 45% for the workbook, 62% for the actual practice test! Did a lot better than I thought I would! Sub BA5 spotted in Shanghai, new lockdowns? Not even sure whatbit means any more! Beijing bars reopening. Two months to go! How will I trim the beard? Or just shave it...

Joke about guns, and another shooting in the States. This time in Chicago, but most people who are from the city wouldn't be surprised. Sad, tragic and disappointing. Biden to roll back tariffs and that causes markets to fall? Chinese markets are moving up, including tech. Crypt crushed, USD up! 10 ideas a day, can you do it? Idea comes from James Altechur, not sure if I've mentioned it before. Ca...

USAmerica Day! Independence, when the great experiment of 'we can do better than you!' created the US of A, or at least the beginnings, and would later set the borders of where Canada would be. Despite the seemingly chaotic political environment, ask just about anyone and they'll tell you they'd take the chance to move to the US. Most of my former students are there! Walk down memory lane with a t...

Happy Canada Day! Though I know it seems to be a bad thing to say these days. Accomplishments? Honestly? I don't know! Canadarm on the space station, James Naismith invented basketball, Chris Hadfield - an astronaut in space who played guitar and wrote a few books, Wayne Gretzky, Tim Hortons, the telephone was invented, Red Green, famous comedian, Coffee Crisp, Crispy Crunch, THE WONDERBRA, Java p...

The fkg generator is back on! 太麻烦了(o﹏o) HSK 5 prep continues with looking at some collocations. 搭配 dāpèi is the word I was looking for yesterday. They make a whole lot more sense now then they did before. Lots of folks I know who have hit HSK 5 level or thereabouts all seem to say the same thing, ' I wouldn't mind getting the 6'... yet none of them have... even though their Chinese is stell...

Thunderstorm awakening! Still got the workouts in! Wages for ESL teachers go up... but they have to be in-country. And those who aren't from the Sacred Seven 'native English spealing countries (and passports)', well, we'll just offer you less. So... a move away from Beijing? Geez, could I even? The asterisk is gone! What means? No more travel restrictions. Flights are still expensive $7000 CAD to...

Hydrate for the weather! Preparing for HSK and making language study part of the evening ritual. A trip down memory lane across Western China. Next VIRUS-like pandemic to be warded off by good health practices? Or are we just kidding ourselves? Show notes tracks n vidz up on stevensirski.com. Have a good one!

Sunburn! First of the year! Thunderstorms! Drink your water! Humidity will dehydrate you! And why do we feel so tired? Cicadas are out in full force now. Schools being let back in, in-house dining, too, but still no generator! Have decided to go ahead with the HSK5 test in July sooo... time to hardcore prep! Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com. Have a good one!

Friday, but who's counting? Work this weekend. Dual workouts done around work and NAT tests. When will this end? Working on pistol squats and one arm pushups Expat living, here or there, what matters? Taxes follow so how to accommodate? Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com. Have a great weekend!

Rain cooling things down, looks like next week will all be rain. Life must be getting back to normal as construction sounds abound, inside, outside, and all around. Keeping busy with the language channel if you haven't had a looksee just yet. Enjoying this Bill Bryson book The Body. It's my night time read. Should be taking notes! Tech layoffs continue! Surprising given the big push towards AI and...

Daily workouts, or new habits to take forward? No two a day today, humidity and mindset sapped my strength. Good workout this morn tho. Vids uploaded, MYMYM2022 - Sluggin it Real Time and another SLV in which I introduce different coffee making methods (second take). Oil plunges, as do markets. False flag? Watch daily charts as they are more detailed into how the markets move during these times. W...