SSAB – July 1 2022
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 programming language, Blackberry, IMAX, Canola, the telephone (-ish), Seems it’s been a good place to invent some stuff Nothing like a reality check on my Chinese with a practice test: 48%! Listening was alright, reading was worse than I thought it would be, and writing was abysmal BUT! I was able to craft (grammatically incorrect) sentences with correct characters! This is an improvement.
Show notes tracks n vids up on my site stevensirski.com. Thanks for listening!
SSAB – July 4 2022
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 trip to Chicago for the Cubs vs White Sox at Wrigley Field, and then New York before China. And let’s not forget the movie Independence Day! HSK 5 prep: margaritas help! Or maybe I was just tuned in? 61%! Today’s mock test was just a grin and bear it. (49%) Do I sweat more or less? Generator is on and I can’t sleep with that thing running. Have considered finding the source.
Show notes n tracks up on the site stevensirski.com! Have a good one!
SSAB – July 5 2022
oke 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. Can be applied to anything: writing, music, teaching, business, money making ideas, how to profit from a falling stock market. Got some ideas for ESL teachers! Thinking about the guy who is in charge of flicking off that generator, maybe he’s locked down? Reading The Stand doesn’t give me any good visions of what might have happened to him! Strangely little Chinese done today but I did get my workouts in. It poured just as I was getting ready to leave in the morning so I had to delay a little.
Website updated with show notes n tracks! stevensirski.com 😀 Have a good one!
SSAB – July 6 2022
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 off?! Ten ideas… fot drinking coffee. Thinking about getting a VA (virutal assistant), might make life a little bit easier. S
how notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com Have a good one!
SSAB – July 7 2022
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 negative NAT within 48 hours is required. The more I read the easier it’s getting so will need to keep this up somehow. Newspapers might still be too difficult. Yangqing off limits now as TWO new cases somehow popped up.
Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com. Enjoy the day 🙂
SSAB – July 8 2022
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 different types of sentences they could use for one of the written section! This makes things a little bit more manageable. Will focus on doing a few practice tests this weekend in preparation. Shinzo Abe shot and killed, assassinated! When was the last time that happened?
Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com! Have a good weekend!
SSAB – July 11 2022
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 way through the HSK test prep book that breaks down each section. I… am not doing well! I don’t want to say this could be a practice run through as I am confident in my abilities but the points aren’t lying. 2-3 hours to raise your score by a point. What is my goal? Just to pass. But what if (for whatever reason) I wanted to go back to university? What score do I need? 210+ it looks like! Using home workout equipment or buying stuff, or going to the gym?
Ten ideas to workout at home with whatever you have
-washing detergent bottles (better handles, can be used like small steel clubs for controlled movement)
-water bottles (4, 5, 12 L bottles for kettlebell-like workouts)
-couch bed dips (triceps)
-push up variations (from normal to one-handed, spider / split pushups)
-stairs (load up those 12L water bottles and do a few flights)
-chair lift (chairs offer an off-of-center weight, pick it up, turn, put it down)
-squats (with water bottles or variations, split squats, water bottle over heard squats, normal squats)
-pistol squat prep off of a chair, do half until flexible and strong enough!)
-suitcase carry (load up a suitcase with those water bottles and carry on one side)
-floor cleaning ab or leg workout (can use the rags as a type of slider, keep the legs stationed and slide out on your arms, or keep the arms stationed and slide out the legs to the side or to the back)
This is all in addition to the normal burpees, pushups, sit ups and crunches you can do!
Website update with show notes tracks n vids! stevensirski.com Have a good week!
SSAB – July 12 2022
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 South Korea, Tokyo Japan, Montreal?, Vancouver?, London?, Slovenia?!
Opportunity to study, now using Daily Zhongwen on YouTube for reading the HSK books for me! Test prep reading is tough! Show notes n trcks up on stevensirski.com Have a good one!
SSAB – July 13 2022
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 more days, reading us tough and slow! Am I making progress?
Two workouts again, up early and out early. Wondering, could I use a white noise machine to wake myself up at an earlier time? Would sound better than some abrasive alarm going off. I swear I heard a one note piano this morning… Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Have a good day! Slava Ukrainii!
SSAB – July 14 2022
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, remember to hydrate!
Watching Don Draper on Mad Men. Never really watched the show but a guy at work likes it. Looked around at a few uni jobs, there are some in the area. Today’s bike ride showed me how close some of them were!
Did I mention the ten jobs I see foreigners doing here in Beijing?
1. ESL teacher (international schools)
2. voice over actors / voice talent
3. acting (low budget / commercial)
4. bartending
5. management (corporate)
6. beer brewer
7. filmmaker
8. stunt personnel / trainer
9. self defense training
10. Douyin personality (in Mandarin)
11. Copyeditor / proofreader
12. Journalist
Looking ahead, how often should you change jobs?
Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Have a good one!
SSAB – July 15 2022
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. Never did any practice tests cause… they’re soooo loooong! My big issue is vocab (for reading and listening) and then grammar for the correct the sentences portion.
Looked at the HSK 6 books, they actually don’t look as daunting as they once did.
KNIFE SHARPENER!
Quarter / Half Murph again this morning:
2.08 mile run (time 20:45)
1.01 mile weighted run (10:31)
7 rounds: 5 or 6x pull up variations, 12x pushups, 20x squats (22:11)
1.06 mile weighted run (11:29)
Time: 44m 11s
That piano sound? A car backing up! I should have known this! Ten ideas for languages to learn! Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Have a good weekend!
SSAB – July 16 2022
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 reading practice using mock tests. 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 gauge of 2-3 hours of study increases your grade by 1 point, then at the very least this test will give me an indication of how much more I need to do. Finish the textbooks, finish the mock tests, finish the test prep book!
Show notes n tracks up on the site: stevensirski.com.
SSAB – July 18 2022
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 absorbs into the body and does who knows what?
HSK 5 test most defo did not pass BUT this gives me a good jumping off point AND should kick me out of my complacency. Aiming for three hours a day of language use.
Went to JingA after and met a guy from Winnipeg! He’s returning to Canada soon and so that makes two people from the city now going back. He actually recognized me because he saw me running around the neighbourhood with my camo weight vest. Ha!
Website updated. Along with Chinese studies thinking I might spend August focusing on animation. Bought some Chinese plasticine and was thinking of trying out more stop motion.
Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com Have a good start of week!
SSAB – July 19 2022
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.
Ten ideas for music NFTs:
1. Music files mp3/wav,
2.MIDI files,
3. Project file,
4. The making of the project (video/audio + maybe a special thank you),
5. Images of the WAV form (like a film strip) that also contains a music file built-in,
6. USB of everything,
7. Blog post with screenshots (ebook?)
8. Meeting with maker + video n audio of the meet up
9. Jpeg poster of cover art (+wave form of soundscape?)
10. Cover art for the song itself
Show notes n tracks up on the website stevensirski.com Have a good one!
SSAB – July 20 2022
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 works!
Two a days: some slow n steady days. Lift heavy, but slow, instead of blitzkrieging through a hundred kbell swings
Show notes tracks n vidz up on the site stevensirski.com
SSAB – July 21 2022
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. Their breakfast was alright but it was the fact that it was always open that was good. It was one of those places that serves delivery people and other passersby, not typically foreigners. It was the last hold out of that stretch of buildings and now it is gone!
Aaannd… Ancient Greek Civilization for English Learners!
Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com Have a good one!
SSAB – July 22 2022
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 world have used these things… why are they not more mainstream?
Watching this Netflix doc called ‘How to Change Your Mind’ with Michael Pollan -he talked about going off of coffee for three months on Joe Rogan’s show some time back.
DONE first book for HSK 5, I can’t help but feel rather sleepy when reading these texts! Looked into radicals
Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com! Have a good weekend!
SSAB – July 25 2022
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 languages. It seems like it’s a good idea. How to do Chengyu? Curious, what would you want to hear on this daily digest of a podcast or something similar? Is there anything missing?
Ten wondering thoughts:
1. Mandatory exercise would mean you have to dance with your boss. Mandatory exercise means that if you are the boss you have to lead the dance.
2. I think I need a day off. Why? I don’t feel well. What’s wrong? I’m sick of work. 😀
3. Whatever you’re doing right now, can you imagine doing it in 15 years’ time? :O That’s something to think about!
4. What species do you think they will first use for an authentic-look, real-world view camera in a smartphone? Would it be fish eyes or something else?
5. One thing I’ve found that has helped me get excited for the next day: buy good coffee.
6. If were overheard by your boss complaining about your job and management, etc., and then he she they walked up to you and said the job is yours, do you think you could do it?
7. Most populous cities have had generations of people walk over their land. Do you think your footsteps are historical?
8. What technology do we take for granted today will be obsolete in a hundred years? I kinda think bluetooth (yes, like bluetooth mice n headsets)
9. Bamboo sheets? Why aren’t they more common?
10. If you could do a TV show of your life, would you? What would it be like?
Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Have a good start of week!
SSAB – July 26 2022
Flash card HSK – slowly going through the several decks I have have: physical, Ankidroid x3, and Memrise. New vids up on SLV, tongue twisters! Are they actually useful for teaching ESL? SpaceLab, ever been? Neat but food is only 还可以. A report from Slovenia and… Georgia! Live streaming… did I just eliminate my evenings out?! Is there another way I could do this to give me some flexibility?
Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com Have a good Tuesday!
SSAB – July 27 2022
Right… livestreaming can have connectivity issues. Sprints… still… eeech, BUT, I’ve noticed that doing sprints of skipping has been cutting down on fat. Like, noticeably! There’s something beautiful about hearing the rain… but can you sleep with it always there? HSK flashcards continue… SLV videos continue and an idea for a TikTok channel! Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com! Happy humping day!
SSAB – July 28 2022
HUGE shout out to the coders n programmers that have created such cool tech! Trying to livestream from my.phone while using the recorder app AND overlaying show notes from another APP! Simply neat and impressice! More SLV vids up: walking and eatinf chocolate. Can’t live stream from my phone cause I don’t have enough subscribers on Youtube just yet. So go subscribe! 😀 August animation… have been thinking about this. I guess I want to hear if I still have an apartment before committing to this month-long project. I bought a bunch of plasticine and thought it would be fun to play around with. Began assembling Episode 31 of the podcast. Wanted to have it released but then all of a sudden got drafted into work sooo had to re-arrange things. Behind the scenes walkthrough? Bike ride today morning, then mobility, a run and a skip in the aft. Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com. Have a good one!
SSAB – July 29 2022
End of month! Humidity hits! Tough waking up today, is skipping destroying me? Or was it the Nordic curls I tried yesterday? I feel those today! Haven’t felt a strained muscle in a very long time! Quarter Murph done and another two miles and slow mo workout in the aft. Gold bounces! Crypto charges! If you’re not publishing, do you exist? What do you think? August Animation? With work hitting full time now, how to make time for anything else? Show notes tracks n vids up on stevensirski.com Have a.good weekend!
SSAB – July 30 2022
A weekly wrap up of the topics discussed on this week’s podcasts! July 25 to 29 2022.