The Audio Blog of Steven Sirski

Why do I even read these books?! End of the Universe? My descendents will have to make the jump? Yet all I'm worried about is my next paycheck. And reading some books I may never have an actual use for. This was inspired by Michio Kaku's The God Equation. Maybe I should have just had a beer instead? Bought a Russian grammar book... in Chinese. The idea is to study both at the same time. Eech. Chin...

Parts of Fengtai locked down, city-wide testing, Omicron has been found in the Olympic loop. How and why? Good thing my books arrived. Jamuary continues with the website updated. Looking forward to Finish February. Beijing has snow, is it even real if it doesn't stick to make snowballs? Snowman 2022 done. And... what if still China, but not Beijing? Where else would I go within China? Would I want...

Thanks David. Morning workout pushed back to the afternoon. Still got it done. Friday night but it's a work night here. Lockdowns? Could they become a reality here in Beijing? That would suck but it's not impossible. Bought some books, Bill Bryson and Michio Kaku, both authors I've read for a while. Why don't I read more? I do spend most of my time studying Chinese! Why do I care about hyperspace?...

We're out and about in what may become a rare event in the very near future. Saw a play titled "Medea", based on the tragedy written by Euripides so many years ago, but now interpreted in a modern context and... in Chinese. Understanding? 10%. Good thing there were subtitles at the theatre. Spoke with the director, Donnie Fan, right after the performance to get his take on the one act play and fol...

Smoggy outside but was out for a run this morning at 620. Only ran a mile, no weight vest, want to test out a morning running routine in preparation for the 4x4x48 in March. Back to work tomorrow Medea, an interpretation, theatrical play tomorrow night. Going out? Is it even possible? Should have skipped Chinese homework today or at least worked on my other textbook, not the HSK materials. 6 out o...

Productive day! Mobility = hip stretches = sitting all day because... getting shtuff done! Chinese (four hours, 55% on my latest practice test), audio blog, JAMUARY tracks (17th, 18th) AND.... last but not least... a POEM. DAVID HARRISON HORTON let me read his poem out loud for the masses, his work "Above Below Beneath Over Under Underneath" is featured on today's Episode. I spent much of my day t...

Twitter Spaces, are they worth it? How many socials can you handle? Xiaomi 6 band vs Garmin HRM Pro, verdict? Peet's Coffee vs Starbucks vs local options of Wagas n Baker & Spice. Relaxing weekend of doing nothing! Didn't even go to Chinese class! Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com! Have a great start of week!

Food, fasting and figures. Still on the restricted eating schedule but have not been following any sort of nutrition restrictions (Hello, GuoBaoRiu). May change that up. Morning workout in and out, done in 50 minutes. Hardest thing is to deciding to do it and then get up and get it done. Beijing lockdown, Tianjin lockdown. Olympics not too far away. Jamuary continues. Got some time now to get some...

Forgot to record transcript! Thinking about Dunkeroos, Lucerne Ice Cream bars, and pizza pops lately. What happens if I leave my job here in Beijing? Do I have to leave the country right away or do I have some time to find another or get my stuff and get out? People are leaving for greener pastures, or at least not as caging. Beijing locking down, free to move about within the city but risky to le...

Down early, up early. Trying out transcription software. Had some success with the Python version two years ago but it had limited use, as do most freebies. Using Otter.ai as it has 6000 minutes free but it has to be done live and within the web browser. Not sure about the APP. Will try it out to see if it makes life easier. And with all this technology, have we left the past behind? Could we ever...

Website updated with latest upload from December Drumming. A little walk through of some inspirational drum beats. Jamuary continues... And Chinese for five hours. But I still don't feel like I accomplished anything. Did better on the practice tests though, scored 55%. Language learning and a lot more. Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com. Have a good day!

Russian class cancelled, will I get credit? Chinese class.. still having trouble understanding despite progress with vocab. Tech and teaching: will THE METAVERSE merge with teaching? How can I automate my teaching while still providing personalized service? This and more in today's audio offering. Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com, have a good start of week!

Have you ever found yourself with a collection of sound bits you've collected over the years as you've lived in a city? No? Well, some of us have. These here are some of the sounds I often hear while living and working in Beijing. Among them are a passenger announcement, cooling fans, knife sharpeners, people eating, and me trying to speak Chinese. Show notes and tracks up on my website stevensirs...

Missed yesterday cause I fell asleep so a weekend edition it is! Theatre techniques for language learning: put a pen in your mouth. Russian trial classes, interesting to try out a few different teachers to see their style and methodology. Another trial run on Monday. Chinese homework took forever but at least it's done. Sticking better now. New workout for the morning that doesn't rattle my head a...

Beat Boxin with Claps. Trying it out. As so many others on soc med seem to be publishing electronica and the like, I seem to fall back on Beat Boxin and Body Percussion. Maybe i's the easiest. I'll look to change it up going forward.

The year is 2022! Whoops Never tell your teacher you have time, they'll fill it with homework. ... Even though I know that languages are learned on your own time, not class time. Classes are mini tests, the real learning happens in your own studies. Jumped a few percentage points today in my latest Chinese practice test. Hit 42%! Yey! But that's because I went through the chapter prior to the rela...

Well Happy Birthday Dad. Hope you are well. Dad passed away a few years ago prior to my current employment. He managed to visit China with my Mom the year before he died. The only thing that gets me is that the travel agency suggested he get a ten year visa! I did write a post and later made a recording of it on my website. It's titled Quotes From My Father. I'd encourage you to read it as it has...

Like hoping the teacher won't pick me in class, so I check my work allocations! Studied Chinese for FOUR HOURS today! Last practice test I took on Sept 20 2020 I scored 9/31, or 29%. This time I scored... 9/31. The exact same! WTF! Smells different, is it a different type of coal dust in the air? No more daily health checks! NATs still are. Jamuary continues... Updated some more of December Drummi...

Nice and quiet. People must be leaving as it is a month till Spring Festival... and the Olympics! Updated the website with a lot of last week's tracks. I see I missed a a few days in December Drumming, though one or two of them I know I recorded somewhere. Podcast about learning Chinese and why it's so difficult. Few, if any, cognates (words similar across languages), character / sound difference,...

All about today's Jamuary 2202 offering: Building Beats. Using Garageband to mix up an EDM track, here is something I put together in what I consider to be part two of a possible trilogy. Yesterday was the intro, today the main beat, tomorrow, what will it be? Tracks and commentaries up on stevensirski.com, take a look!

Up and at them! Happy New Year! Here is a little traditional verse my family used to say on the morning of the New Year. My Dad used to take us around to the Elders' houses after church to say this little verse. Here are the words with translation after: Сію, сію, посіваю З Новим роком всіх вітаю! Щоб Вам весело жилося, Щоб задумане збулося, Щоб ніколи не хворіли, Щоб нічого не боліло, Щоб у праці...

It's New Year's somewhere! Kiribati marks the day first, even New Zealand is already done! Was told I stink and I have to put away my cycling clothes soooo... working from home to begin in 2022?! A business idea I had... Watching Office Space (1999), remember that movie? Finishing up those December Drumming tracks and getting ready for Jamuary 2022. Let's get after it! Show notes and tracks up on...

Second to last day of the week, month and YEAR! Can't believe it's already the end of the year! Feels like only yesterday we were wondering if THE VIRUS would disappear with the likes of Trump and the year 2020. Turns out not. Was it a productive year for you? Did you get done the things you wanted to get done? What are you planning for next year? Looking to get a fitness band or watch or chest st...

Out and about! Talking to a few people who have studied English at the academic level and are able to write ESSAYS in it? Could this be a challenge for myself in 2022? To write an essay in Chinese? Something to think about... Could happen at the HSK 6 level but HSK 5 would still be a little bit tough. Huge difference between reading, writing and speaking a language. Show notes up on stevensirski.c...

Pay day! Bills! All the things I want, I need, but haven't had, so do I really need them? How to save money for rent and put your money to use. Guess I should go pay that hot water bill already. New tracks, DnB, and more in the works. Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com! Hope your day is productive!