Episodios

  • SSAB - April 14, 2026

    SSAB - April 14, 2026
    Apr 14 2026
    How was Chinese class? What does HSK 5 really mean? Watching another YouTube channel In Chinese, this lady I guess used to live in UAE and taught Chinese to kids. Does all of her videos in comprehensible Chinese. Mentioned 去有风的地方 “Meet Yourself” TV show.
    Up and out in the morning, chest day today. No run.
    Recorded another component of the online course.
    Thinking of uploading allll of my travel videos to… Pexels?
    And talking about living in China, is it worth it?
    Donate to the show! PayPal link below!
    https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA
    ***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com
    And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4
    Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com
    Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog
    Hope you have a great one!!
    00:00 Morning Routine Reset00:29 Expat Life Crossroads01:35 Cost of Living Talk03:57 Teaching Burnout Reality05:22 Automate Work With AI07:15 Is China Worth It08:21 Will Chinese Rule09:55 Chinese Class Recap10:58 HSK Goals And Focus17:34 HSK Grammar Frustrations19:03 HSK Five Reality Check19:55 Shadowing and TV Advice21:17 Why Chinese Media Fails Me24:25 Speaking Practice and Course Ideas25:03 AI and Accent Training Thoughts28:06 Gym Morning and Street Chinese30:14 Caption Workflow and Editing Tools32:40 Podcast Direction and Better Videos35:02 B-Roll Library on Pexels37:10 Wrap Up and Links
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    38 m
  • SSAB - April 13, 2026

    SSAB - April 13, 2026
    Apr 13 2026
    Up early and out the door! Trying to get back into running in the morning. Leg day today. Yesterday did 7km “around the block”, today was 3km to the gym, 3.5km back. Is this sustainable? And when do I move?
    Did we go to BreadFest in Beijing? NO! 39 RMB for a ticket?? We could buy lots of bread on our own!
    Qingfeng Park for the flowers… boy was it peaceful.
    Sorting the books, which ones stay, which ones go? And when?!?!
    And re-starting Chinese lessons tonight! Gotta get through HSK 5!
    Donate to the show! PayPal link below!
    https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA
    ***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com
    And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4
    Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com
    Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog
    Hope you have a great start of week!
    00:00 Morning Routine Reset00:44 Why Record Earlier02:11 What This Podcast Covers06:18 Expats And Culture Gaps08:26 Back To Morning Runs09:01 Beijing Air And Allergies11:19 Sleep Patterns And Alarms16:58 Running To The Gym20:08 Gym Costs And Membership21:48 Leg Day Recap22:35 Morning Workout Focus23:55 Bread Fest Ticket Debate26:42 Beer Fest Pricing Rant27:10 Cherry Blossoms Reality30:07 Quiet Park Escape32:16 Decluttering The Apartment34:35 Selling Books And Stuff35:44 What Is Stuff Worth40:47 Chinese Lessons Restart41:32 Wrap Up And Links
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    43 m
  • SSAB - April 10, 2026

    SSAB - April 10, 2026
    Apr 10 2026
    Up early and out the door! Jet lag hits!
    Out for a run, 7 km in 59.16, then off to the breakfast place for a small feed, and then the gym for an easy back day.
    Spent the day recording the basics of my course. One didn’t record the audio! Grrr!
    And it’s getting green out there! Catkins are here!
    Donate to the show! PayPal link below!
    https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA
    ***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com
    And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4
    Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com
    Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog
    Hope you have a great weekend!!
    00:00 Early Notes and Routine00:31 Back in Beijing Jet Lag01:52 Nap Gone Wrong04:11 Middle of Night Decision06:06 Predawn Compound Run08:56 Breakfast Bike and Protein10:43 China Tech Frustrations12:11 Early Gym Habit Reality14:36 Back Workout and Stretching15:31 McDonalds and Morning Gap16:24 Decluttering and Wardrobe18:17 Decluttering Workout Gear18:58 Dreaming of Online Workdays19:29 Building an IELTS Course20:46 Recording Four Lessons21:15 Who Are IELTS Examiners22:51 Learning ClassIn Platform24:19 Band Descriptors Breakdown28:09 Course Plan and Monetization31:22 Finding Students for Samples34:57 Deadlines Heat and Selling Stuff36:56 Spring Air and New Routine38:05 Wrap Up and Links
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    39 m
  • SSAB - April 9, 2026

    SSAB - April 9, 2026
    Apr 9 2026
    Cold and rainy, but back at it and into the gym! Light workout to get back into the swing of things.
    Spent the day troubleshooting VPNs! The life in China! Do all those people on the socials proclaiming the advancements of China (especially on Threads) actually live in China? Or do they only post about it? Cause I tried ShadowRocket, LetsVPN, Mullvad, and ended up going back to Astrill. Also looked at SurfShark and TotalVPN.
    Don’t forget to register!
    Don’t forget to eat your noodles! (出门的饺子 进门的面)
    Taking photos with the locals (already!)
    And time to start cleaning.
    Donate to the show! PayPal link below!
    https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA
    ***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com
    And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4
    Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com
    Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog
    Don’t forget to do your accommodation registration!
    00:00 Back in Beijing01:01 Jet Lag and Gym Plans03:41 Bare Bones Gym Reality04:35 Apartment Shock and Visa Free Return07:26 Workout Gear and Reset Day10:20 Gym Pricing Math13:01 Breakfast Stop and Photo Requests14:57 Foreigner Spotlight Rant18:07 China Registration and WeChat Woes20:19 WeChat Registration Hassles20:53 Gmail and VPN Catch-2223:31 iOS App Reset Frustrations24:11 VPN Shopping Spiral25:36 Why LetsVPN Gets Blocked27:14 Testing Mullvad and Others28:18 Shadowrocket Setup Headache30:20 Privacy Red Flags and Payments32:25 China Tech Hype Reality Check33:24 Expat Life and Work Limits40:01 Noodles Tradition and Resetting41:02 Wrap Up and Support Links
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    42 m
  • SSAB - April 8, 2026

    SSAB - April 8, 2026
    Apr 8 2026
    Made it to China! How is it? How was it?
    The flight! Productive, some bumps along the way. First food was good, breakfast not so good.
    Paid for in-flight internet and WELL WORTH IT! Paid with points… or I tried to. Contacted customer service and they ended up giving me a promo code for the flight! Free internet!
    Got some things done and research did. Vietnam, Canada, Argentina, and where else to do what else?
    And did the donuts make it?
    Donate to the show! PayPal link below!
    https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA
    ***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com
    And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4
    Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com
    Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog
    Hope you had a great trip!!
    00:00 Back on the Mic00:16 Landing in Beijing02:27 Vancouver Stopover Stories05:08 Expat Life Not a Vacation07:28 Am I Done With China11:31 Visa Free Entry and Canton Fair Plans14:59 Beijing Airport Arrival Goes Digital18:48 In Flight Wifi and Work Session21:42 Where Next Vietnam Canada Argentina28:05 Donuts Survive and Wrap Up30:13 Outro and Air Canada Arrival
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    32 m
  • SSAB - April 7, 2026

    SSAB - April 7, 2026
    Apr 7 2026
    Here we are at YVR!
    Importing donuts to see how many survive the trip!
    How has it been so far? Mostly eventless, though no WIFI on the YWG to YVR flight. Pretzels were good. And free wine and beer on a domestic flight?! (Didn’t have anything.)
    Sorry about yesterday’s episode, I was falling asleep while posting it!
    Thirteen hours to Beijing, here we go!
    Donate to the show! PayPal link below!
    https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA
    ***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com
    And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4
    Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com
    Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog
    Safe travels!
    00:00 Airport Intro Donut Mission00:30 Heading Back To Beijing01:06 Will Border Let Me In01:56 Business Visa Snag04:15 Backup Plans And Cambodia05:49 Transition Year Reflections08:24 Suitcase Full Of Sweets11:11 Flight Food And Sugar Guilt13:00 Winnipeg To Vancouver Flight Notes13:52 Airline Entertainment Rant16:23 13 Hours To Beijing Anxiety17:23 Recording Setup And Time Zones20:10 Plane Game Plan Newspapers25:44 Vancouver Airport Love27:03 Wrap Up Links And Goodbye
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    30 m
  • SSAB - April 6, 2026

    SSAB - April 6, 2026
    Apr 7 2026
    OMG I’m at YWG! On the way to Beijing, weee!
    Am I excited? I have a confession to make.
    How was security?
    How long will it take?
    And how was Easter? Did you go to liturgy? YES! 7.30 am!
    And stuff is going out the door!
    Donate to the show! PayPal link below!
    https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA
    ***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com
    And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4
    Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com
    Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog
    Hope you have a great one!!
    Track listing:
    1. ​ Exapostilarion
    2. ​ The Gospel
    3. ​ Christos Voskres
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    51 m
  • SSAB - April 3, 2026

    SSAB - April 3, 2026
    Apr 4 2026
    Good day and Good Friday! Or Great Friday as they say in the Ukrainian-Greek Orthodox faith. First time here for Easter since before the pandemic.
    Off to Starbucks in the morning (using up my points), the city seems pretty open.
    Off to church for the afternoon service! Very different from when I was a kid.-All in English except for one song-New shroud-No clackers-Cross with thorns was there, but the boulder was not-No altar boys except for a few men picked from the congregation to carry the shroud.-Very few kids in general -We did walk outside on the sidewalk. Mom did not.
    Fasted most of the day! Coffee, water and… collagen? Then realized I had collagen in the morning and that is made up of cow skin. Oops.
    What’s the plan this weekend?
    Two songs are:Troparion 2Straladane Mate
    Donate to the show! PayPal link below!
    https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA
    ***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com
    And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4
    Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com
    Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog
    Hope you have a great one!!
    00:00 Good Friday Morning00:37 Back to Beijing Plans01:56 Great Friday Explained02:45 Church Then and Now04:16 Adult Baptism Ritual05:35 Fasting Slip Up07:29 Fasting and Nutrition09:16 Procession and New Shroud11:48 Sermon and Crooked Cross15:17 Hymns Language and Demographics18:33 No Clackers New Traditions19:47 Service Timing Recap20:12 Priest Style and Faith Questions21:52 Bible Origins and Lost Texts23:27 History Notes on Jesus24:39 Good Friday Shroud Rituals25:32 Growing Up in Church26:51 Who Shows Up Now27:58 Mortality and Gratitude28:31 City Open on Holiday30:50 Calendar Confusion Easter Dates33:43 Photos as Cultural Memory34:42 Travel Plans and Money Talk35:28 Wrap Up and Easter Wishes37:06 Explaining the Two Songs44:01 Final Sign Off
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    45 m