The Audio Blog of Steven Sirski

Back in the Beej!

How was the last day in South Korea?

Sorry for the delay, but I guess I was kind of exhausted.

Early morning train, but then there are more??

Didn’t sleep much anyway because of all the other guests in the hotel room partying it up! Laughing, listening to music-ing, drinking, puking, it was all there! So we made sure to shuffle a bit louder when we got up.

Getting a cab wasn’t too hard, but it was still nerve wracking. Playlist included: 

Whitney Houston - I will always love you

Pamala Scott - Paradise

Tom Jones - Keep on running

Wham - A careless whisper

Can’t say any of those songs were really what I was looking for at that moment. 

Made it for the 5.20 train, arrived in Seoul around 8.00am. Slept most of the way.

Stowed luggage, only 3000 won (plus 500 because we were 4 minutes late!)

Off to Songnyemun Gate / Namdaemun Gate, apparently built in 1398. A rather quick walk-through.

Then to Namdaemun market, tried some food. No need to buy anything. Was careful not to burn our tongues.

Walk around the neighbourhood, TRIED to get MEGA COFFEE but COULDN’T because they only took digital payments, no cash. Or, at least, there was no effort to take our money. Settled for Starbucks.

To the airport express, but first some Dunkin Donuts to cap off the trip… yeap, I had a lot this week cause Beijing has none.

Run around the airport trying to claim the tax refund… turns out it was already done to the gf’s credit card.

Move around luggage so everything fits and can be checked, can you pack an electric toothbrush in check luggage? YES. Or at least I did. But if you want piece of mind, take it in your carry on.

Rainy and cold when we left Seoul, beautiful and sunny when we arrived in Beijing. Any smell?

And now… jet lagged?

End of week, off to Seoul on Sunday. We’ll see you there.

If not Google Drive, are there local solutions? QQ got taken out by Tencent, but their file transfer service seems to be restricted in file size.

Google Podcasts gone!

No taxes on stock market gains in Singapore?!

Working on Episode 44, cleaning up the audio!

Gotta start packing for South Korea!

May the first be with you!

New month!

Lunch time workout in… what if I didn’t have a such a structured day job, how would I maintain this ability to workout at lunch time? I kinda get the sense that it might have to change if I did lose the structure of the job.

Chinese markets are closed, except for gold, so your money is locked up until May 6th. And SkyRemit comes through! Flawless! Whew!

MYMYM2024 begins, thinking I might work more on animation this year as that’s something that I might use more of in my language vlogs.

Episode 44 has been saved! Video quality is garbage but… I don’t think people listen for the videos. But this is something I’m looking to upgrade over the next couple of months. Cameras, mics, we’ll see. 

Korean class at 730, I have lost a bit of heart on this one as I didn’t study nearly anything after my usual morning routine.

End of the month! I guess I’m on vacation?

Money remitted!

 And GICs drop! 4.90%?!?

Are we living in the age of always being on?

-there is no retake

Back is feeling a lot better!

Why are there so many Lambourghinis all of a sudden?

New toys! Mic arm, let’s see how this works.

What was that new video about on your language channel?

Paid and now to trade!

Korean class tomorrow morning, I have NOT been working on verbs or vocab as much as I’d like to. Imagine a three week language sprint, how much time can you actually dedicate?

Non alcoholic wine sucks: it’s expensive grape juice! Get Bickford’s instead and add some fizzy water to give it some sparkle.

Lunch time workout: 6.08km in 1hr 1 min 02 sec, was running slow today for some reason. Ten pull ups per round, 20 push ups, 30 squats; lunges, squat jumps, step ups. Lots to do but just get going.

Achilles rehab, shoulder rehab, ATG workout

New track up on STVSKRSKI - Moombahton! Haven’t been at “band practice” lately because I’ve been busy setting up the language vlog.

Spent the evening working on a longer video for the language vlog, learning how I’d like to see these videos. Next up will be a newsletter for which I’m hoping to bring someone in to work on. Dropped a harddrive with my old photos on it… hope that’s okay.

Russian video takes off!

PSY does a concert every summer?!?

Last Korean class with this teacher. Tough going, what was I doing before class? Moving files around.

Damn iPad and Skype!

Workouts in! 6.57km in 41.36, followed by some slam ball work.

Episode 45 to be recorded tomorrow!

Will need to spend some time editing already!

Standing desks: yay or nay? Then your legs still get sore.

Russian class done, how was it? Made a video about it.

Korean class in the morning, how was it? A realization that vocabulary trumps grammar!

Hey, ChatGPT does spoken words now! How is it?

And did I tell you about what happened on Instagram and why I don’t think TikTok is done for, regardless of the rhetoric out of the US?

And apparently Unionpay links to Paypal…???

First rain in a long time!

New week! 

How was Korean class? Using LingoDeer to go through a lot of the basics, follow my language vlog for progress updates, all in English, very little Korean.

How was Chinese class? Still not as fluent as a kid.

Workouts in! Saturday: clubs and a run, today: lunch time run 6.59km in 40.55 plus another 21 minutes of HIIT.

Oh, they were pacers! That’s why they were running so well! Oh, and it was two Kenyans and an Ethiopian.

But now they’re saying it was fixed. Medals stripped, money taken back! 

Canada raises its capital gains tax rate… 2/3s?! WTF!

Welp, some dbag is in town causing all the plug up mess that is the internet these days. Fkg unbelievable.

First Korean class in fifteen years! How bad was it? How much will actually be possible to learn?

Taiwanese Mandarin class again, learned all about bopomofo keyboard, which I remember talking about many years ago. Teacher gave me some materials to work with, much appreciated. Interesting to see that Taiwanese kids don’t learn pinyin, they learn bopomofo-style characters that have a sound associated with them. 

More try outs with the newsletter, relying on ChatGPT is absolutely brutal. But I am glad I’m getting the transcript integrated into the workflow.

Looking into more live streaming but, yknow, placement is tough.

Lunch time work out in, nice days to get outside and swing the kbells!

Why is it okay to put off exercise for a job, but not your business idea? The Steve’s English? How does that sound?

Cherry blossoms are gone. So tough luck if you were thinking of visiting me with a side helping of seeing the spring flowers. Now they’re just trees.

Korea booked! First time in fifteen years! Well, except last year’s stop over. now, how to learn Korean in three weeks?

Russian class done, and where is that newsletter? Spent the evening proof-reading and trying to get ChatGPT to do my job and it didn’t work. Will have that out soon.

Three months from now, what will you have liked to have accomplished?

Did I get a workout in today? Yes, 6.55km in 41.44, plus 15 minutes of slam ball work!

Steven, did you put the wrong date on yesterday’s show? Yes. Oops.

Russian class done, hey why not add some Korean? How is Chinese going?

Lunch time workout: should I just start training one muscle group per day six days a week? Seems to be the thing to do, how would I do that with kettlebells and maces? Or have I chosen the wrong instruments for this tune?

Enjoying the newsletter? I don’t feel a rush to get it out the same day because as I’ve found out, it can take time to transcribe AND then proofread and fix up.

That being said, I see how it can change and modify going forward. Also looking to do the same for my language vlog.

Internet is doing better today, but wow is that ever aggravating. Is it this side or that side that’s doing the meddling?

Exit plan for the beard?

Wow! GOLD STILL GOING!

Oh, THAT’S why the assisted connection device isn’t working: Russian guy in town, followed by former leader of a Taiwanese political party.

Tried out some Twitch streaming to see if I like performing live again. Not bad, not sure if it’s something I want to do regularly. The problem with streaming in China, well, see above issues.

Lunch time workout in! Very slow going but still got it done. 

Taiwanese class… done! A little bit more difficult to express than I thought it would be. Spent the HOUR chatting about the differences in Chineses. 

Working on another longer vid for the language vlog, all about a walk around the neighbourhood.

More automation! Things are coming together! 

Catkins! That’s what they’re called! Those little fluffs flying out! Nothing outside today though as it was raining during the lunch time run: 6.56km in 38 min and 15, a very speedy 5’44” pace per km. I’ve been doing hip flexor work lately so that seems to be paying off.

Lots more automation work, so much so that it’s basically occupying my time. What I want to happen:

-auto-transcribe podcasts, including this one

-make lists of content published across all platforms and accounts

-use titles or descriptions published to generate more ideas (ChatGPT)

-compile a big database of publications so I can see where my time is going every day

-gather several podcast transcripts and video descriptions to create a weekly newsletter that is then emailed to me for a look over before being sent.

Currently working on integrating Instagram, though Zapier doesn’t support TikTok just yet.

Russian class done, slowly learning the tenses, though still a bit shy of posting about it.

Taiwanese tomorrow! We’ll see how this goes!

Four year anniversary of the big podcast, three years of the small cast! What more is there to say?

Ouch, GOLD! SILVER! What happened to Chinese stonks?!

What was that double top you mentioned yesterday?

-RSI

-Price action: did the S&P500 just top out?

Body fat and “normal body type”, Jeff Nippard on Youtube. The reality of getting a six pack. Reversion to the mean, some bodies just won’t be happy at some weights.

Steroid usage: https://youtu.be/VD9p9tEP9RE?si=MGAPdmNB_stxGOtW

Getting shredded: https://youtu.be/larBqTjA7-g?si=BpgdwGfw_HfGdzm0

Language newsletter in the works! Looking to create a bit of a resource and motivational newsletter for those who want to study a language. Substack or another service?

Qingming dao le! Day off tomorrow as the nation remembers those who’ve gone before us, complete with tomb sweeping and street corner offerings.

Last Russian class done with one teacher, will change it up for the next little bit.

BIG learn today: AnkiWeb! Found out you can import CSV files AND add some code that will use TTS (text-to-speech) from your computer to SPEAK the word. ANY LANGUAGE!

New month, new week, new what?

GOLD with the BOOM! Still missing out on this rally. FML Careful chasing this.

Workout in at lunch, 6.48km in 40.02, about a 6 minute per km pace. Rope work, push ups, jumps, pistols after. How are those pull ups? Only got 30-35 done today. Back feels fine, but just want to make sure. Still, doing more than I used to.

Working on automation and application selection: there is a limit to automating stuff. What if an account gets hacked? Passwords change? How much can be automated and how much do we want to be automated? Looking into newsletter providers as I want to automate the weekly minutes from this here audio daily in addition to the video transcripts from my language vlog. Spent four hours working on stuff after work.

STVSKRSKI putting out new tracks, time to mix live? Online of course.

How was Easter? Not too much different here. Not even decorations up at April Gourmet. 

And Riverside reached out, episode 44 isn’t so lost…

Holy Thursday, this is the last day for Stations of the Cross. I’ve always liked the Church music from Easter.

What happened to Chinese stonks? Falling again? Gold with the surprise move (is it USD-related?). Canadian oil still chugging along.

Did not know Canva could actually publish websites. Just as I’ve been looking to switch my hosting provider, might be time to scale down and make the move.

Pumpkin soup recipe:

-pumpkin

-kale

-broccoli

-tomatos

-beef (just cuz)

-cream (optional)

-ground pepper

-ground cinnamon

-ground clove

-salt

-water

Boil the pumpkin and mash it all up, cook beef in another pan (I did just to be safe), add all together, let simmer for a few minutes till broccoli et al are soft. Can throw in rice if you want or pasta to tamper the flavour a little.

Hearty!

Out for a bike ride, is that smog in the air?! Or just a change in the air pressure?

Got a little Xiaomi photo printer, the idea is to keep track of some of my photos a little more. I question how long the photos will last. 

Setting up another pcast episode, looks like April will be busy.

How are those pull ups doing? 10 done today. Push ups? None. It’s okay, this doesn’t have to be done right away but it has to be done.

Nice and chill week before yet another crazy month begins. Feeling a bit knackered, not sure why, change of weather? What will the rest of the year look like?

And now… HARDWELL on Garageband?! Here’s a sample!

New week! Easter week! What do you do?

Visit to the Beijing Capital Museum… the city has been around a loong time, much longer than the 5,000 years most people talk about.

Working on automation, Make.com vs Zapier.com, which seems to be the best fit?

Haven’t heard anything form Riverside.fm regarding the pcast so I’m going to assume that if it hasn’t been altogether lost, then there’s some problem that has damaged it beyond repair. How many redundancies do I need?!

Workout in! Lunchtime run 6.47km in 37.37, 5.42 avg min/km. Followed by some rope work and plyometrics.

And how is Starbucks’ new olive oil latte? Worth the trip?

Friday night at the river! 同事们！Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk??

Lunch time run, 6.49 km in 49.18, brought out the 5kg steel clubs and weight vest cause I can’t do pull ups at the moment! Got like 10 done!

Russian class done, has homework changed? Using ChatGPT…

Chinese class done… on the way home! Should’ve been a writing class but no assignment before class.

No alcohol for a month! First time since I was like 12! Why have you stopped drinking?

Jianbing for the close of the night, 好吃!

Is it the Spring solstice?

Spent the evening trying to automate! Again! Steve when will you give up?!?! Got some things done and couldn’t do other things.

Tried out Zapier and connected a bunch of APPs to it, Google Sheets, Descript, YouTube, etc. Managed to get YouTube titles etc pulled into a spreadsheet that updates automatically so now I have a record of all of the videos I uploaded to my language vlog.

HOWEVER, how much more automation could I do? Can I automate transcription? Emails? And how much of this would break if I changed something?

And yes, Google does enable you to script all of this without using a third party such as Zaper. But when do you want this done by?

Pull ups NOT done! 72 total as of this recording and owww does the back of my arms and lats hurt!

How did Bring Sally up go? ONLY one minute!

Russian class done after work, followed by a Chinese class at 9.30. Didn’t feel nervous at all before my Chinese class which is probably a first in a very long time. I’m aiming to have this teacher just focus on grammar with me.

Horrible guobaorou 锅包肉 for dinner, should’ve made something at home instead!

100 pull ups done! Lunch time workout done!

Beginning of the week! Does it ever end?! Where will you be in another year??

How are those pull ups doing? 101 on Saturday, 55 or so on Sunday, at 75 right now I think.

Lunchtime run: 6.47km in 35.18.

Tubestation pizza tastes like what I remember Domino’s to be like.

Looking for other Chinese teachers, more speaking and writing practice! Will let you know how it goes!

Went to the National Art Gallery! First time ever! BIG exhibit curated from art galleries around the country. Free, it took us about two hours to get through. Didn’t entirely smell like paint, but it was bustling as it was a Sunday afternoon.

While there, met a family who wanted exposure to the English language. The daughter, nine years old, was supposed to practice speaking, though I think my Chinese was better than their English… even though they didn’t understand what I said. The daughter corrected my tones! 葡萄 grapes!

Podcasting tip: brush your teeth beforehand, and use mouth wash before an interview. You’ll feel better.

Smog in, spring warmth in! Winter jackets out!

Another Russian class done! Sounding better, but still rough on the declensions.

Spent some time making memes for TikTok, do you have to be on every platform? I wanted to learn how to do these things, to see if they’d even be fun to do. Some are, but I still can’t say I like editing video too much.

Thinking I might place the extended travel-commentary videos on the language vlog channel.

Workout at lunch! Kbell swings, lifts and steel clubs. Considering what I might get done tomorrow.

RANCH CHIPS ARE AMAZING.

Her did I tell you about the apartment debacle?! Shut down, scolded, removed and then refurbished!

Spring is here with grass and all!

Newsletter in the works! Thinking… no pictures in the email, will post those onto the website.

Another Russian class done! All the fun talking about life in China. Learning more conjugations and parts of speech, so doing better.

Could you live without parts of the internet? Keep in mind, what would you do with your time? Do you think social media can be used as a tool to build, or is it only to distract? Keep in mind how much you look at any one day.

Made a new video for the language vlog, will get to that soon! Lots to do! Get up earlier!

Lunch time workout done! Full on like they used to be! Wondering, what if I DID add a morning jog to the mix? Could I ALSO study Chinese at the same time?

How is Chinese going? No classes scheduled, but I am using Du Chinese for reading every morning, so far so good.

How is Russian going? Another class today. This is an easier language to pick up given its proximity to other European languages.

Further thoughts on social media and getting it up and running.

Created another study sounds video for the language vlog. This is a larger project I’m working on that I’m surprised is taking so long to build up despite knowing what needs to be done. Further, will this here podcast succumb to burnout and abandonment? The thoughts of an old man…

Finally! Time stamps done and done for the podcast! Only took three years! Head on over to Youtube and you can see the chapter breaks. Next, I’ll get them done on Spotify.

Episode 44… where are you?!?!?! In the works!

Successfully did NOT workout after work today, why? We’ll see if this new schedule works:

-MWF: lunchtime run + short intense workout

-TTh: lunchtime weights

-F: heavy workout to end the week?

-Sat/Sun: light runs with light weights?

Did get the lunchtime run in: 7km in 47.35, 6.45 avg pace. Eech! Seemed quick!

Watching these videos of YouTubers quitting. Lots mention they were stressed and didn’t like the fact that their dream job became work, like a trap. Reminds me of why I didn’t like editing travel videos so many years ago. Now, I have far fewer millions to cry into then they do, but the sentiment seems to be the same: is the stress and money worth it? Still looks like YouTubing is a fun job.

All that being said… looking into other products. Not services. Products. This is something I’ve been thinking of for a while and am starting to think if / how I can get this to work. Will keep you posted.

Friday end of week! Still work tomorrow! 

Happy International Women’s Day! 

How did Goggins do it: record audiobooks, author books, work out, ultras, etc.? And when does he do laundry?

AI tech a go go: Canva, DALL-E, and others all jumping in and I’d say it is getting a little bit better. Again, this isn’t ground-breaking art here, but neither were meme-quotes, gifs, or even posters, yet they all had significant impact.

Workouts in! 6.44 km at lunch, but not too many pull ups, maybe 3 or 4 plus push ups and squats per round. Did get some kbells done after work. Is this age or is this just a lack of motivation? What would change this?

Internet still wonky, didn’t get yesterday’s episode up till midday.

And a bit of a change up in my Chinese studies, I actually PAID for Du Chinese so I could read while I walked in the morning. So what about the characters?