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He took a degree in Chinese history… in Chinese?!? I must be doing something wrong! Stay away from the market! Says her father, who has a PhD in Economics! I don’t blame him! Meeting with the head faculty… about those office hours! Video editing getting done and my Singapore video taking off… why? Chinese classes a go go and trying to keep up the writing! And, what’s the use of learning Chinese? Oh, well it can count towards your visa. But does that matter? Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great one!! 00:00 Cold Open Teasers 00:38 Beijing Or Somewhere Else 04:41 Colleague With HSK 6 06:44 Sitting In On Classes 12:00 Why Learn Chinese 13:24 Visa Points And Categories 22:43 Spousal Visa And PRC 27:52 Stock Market Debate 34:14 Finance Degree Daydream 37:58 Faculty Meeting Office Hours 45:15 Wrap Up And Where Next

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Got the moon cakes! Feeling better! Maybe it’s my only fan?! My breakfast place is STILL CLOSED! WTF happened? Video editing getting done, should I move this podcast onto video? New Chinese class! How was it? Talked about eating pig’s ears. And, Steve, have you seen any changes in the neighbourhood? -“Older” lady who worked at April Gourmet no longer there. -Cass beer no longer available -Workers aren’t using the bicycles in the morning… though maybe I’m leaving at different times. -Lots of the shops by DaoXiangCun are empty -I’m told there are more foreigners at The Local… but I wouldn’t know cause I never go there. Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing 中秋快乐！ 00:00 Mid Autumn Greetings 00:29 Restarting Life Beijing 01:29 Mooncakes Festival Plans 03:57 Editing Day Indoors 06:31 Teaching Schedule Check 10:15 Weather Air Health 16:19 Breakfast Shop Mystery 18:54 Neighborhood Shops Closing 29:22 Water Prices Food Costs 40:38 New Chinese Teacher 44:06 Automation Video Podcast 44:48 Wrap Up Links Thanks

Hey we got rain! Probably the last for a while! Why haven’t the leaves turned colour yet? Up and out early to… study Chinese? Practicing Chinese writing once again! Gotta get into the habit! Last Chinese class today with one of my teachers, but signed up with another one AND… another language? Why? Out to the gym for deadlifts then back to the apartment to run on the treadmill! Steve, is that the one you’re trying to get rid of? YES! Video editing started! Gotta get this done! And what am I reading now? American Gods by Neil Gaiman, a very easy read! Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great one!! 00:00 Morning Routine Reset 00:31 Back in Beijing Blues 03:36 Calendar Chaos and Classes 05:18 Italki Language Strategy 09:12 Teaching Talk and Barriers 14:05 Mid Autumn Mooncake Chat 19:25 HSK Goals and Auditing 25:04 New Teachers and Russian 30:59 Gym Plan and Murph Debate 33:57 Treadmill Running and AQI 36:24 Editing and Social Uploads 41:16 Reading List and Wrap Up 44:41 Outro and Links

It’s the weekend! No work tomorrow, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday! Two classes next week! Up and out for a workout this morning, feeling alright, mostly back workout today. No run yet. Meetings all day and it seems like a better idea than classes… but, it’s more work. How much do I have to carry the conversation and listen to the same responses? And, many plans for the upcoming holiday? Other than video editing, maybe get back into doing some AI building?! Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great one!! 00:00 Weekend Kickoff 00:33 Back in Beijing 01:58 Mid Autumn Break 06:09 Holiday Plans 06:49 Editing Strategy 08:30 Podcast Rebrand 10:10 Language Learning Tools 11:20 Vlog vs Podcast Split 17:54 Beijing Staycation 19:04 Gym Routine Update 21:58 Coaching and Running 25:29 Office Hours Reality 28:04 Classroom Activities 34:06 Using AI for Essays 39:49 Student Nerves and IELTS 43:15 Wrap Up and Links

Too soon on the “I don’t hurt!” post-gym sesh! Owie! Up and out for a run early this morning, and wondering how workouts actually change. Is it because you stop doing the things you don’t like? If you continue to work out for a while, then you start to add some variations and if you stop, you’re like, why am I doing this? Thinking all these books… did some math on how much time I spend doing each thing each day and… not sure I’ll ever finish these books! And hey, I found a rehearsal studio! I guess they always existed, but I’ve never used them. Should I pick up the sticks again?? Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great one!! 00:00 Post Gym Reality Check 00:37 Why I Returned to Teaching 02:53 First Year Classroom Vibes 05:41 Speaking Exam Strategy 09:58 IELTS Memorize Debate 15:00 Sore Legs Morning Run 18:19 Supplements I Actually Use 21:22 How My Training Evolved 27:02 CrossFit Trends and Why 30:27 Book Math and Reading Goals 36:18 Time Budget Reality Check 37:33 Rehearsal Studio Drumming Return 43:52 Wrap Up and Links

I’ve been PSB’d! Passport gone until October 8th! Now the lovely yellow paper is all I got! Class prep and podcasts, will they work? Off to the gym and hitting 75 kgs on the bench! Could I bench my body weight? Squats lagging bigly. Missed a Chinese class! And thinking… 1100 RMB for teaching an infant? Where do I sign up?! Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great start of week! 00:00 Passport Taken by PSB 00:35 Weekend Recap and Jet Lag 01:56 Visa Questions and PSB Visit 04:43 How China Visa Transfers Work 07:37 Yellow Paper Travel Limits 10:16 Reworking the Language Log 22:03 Missed Chinese Class and Meetings 26:40 1100 RMB Infant Teaching Offer 34:02 Back to the Gym Bench Goals 45:58 Wrap Up and Links

New donation! Thank you! Join the club! Paypal link in the show notes! First week done and it already feels like it’s going faster! Gotta keep the students speaking! So far, so good! Evening orientation for the newbies: don’t talk sht about sht! Up and out this morning for a workout, deadlifts, pull ups and upper body. When can I get my run in? And Beijing has banned drones! Like, even having them in the city! Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a good weekend! 00:00 Quick Housekeeping 00:40 Back in Beijing 01:29 Orientation Rules 02:55 Strikes and Penalties 07:20 Classroom Surveillance 09:19 Learning Student Names 11:07 Course Setup Sustainability 15:40 AI and Office Hours 20:08 Holidays and Scheduling 23:35 Donations and Production 27:50 Gym and Fitness Plans 32:48 Beijing Drone Ban 37:04 Wrap Up and Links And how’s the food at the new uni??

How about this: we record right now so we don’t have to fight through the jet lag? Fell asleep right after recording yesterday’s episode and up at… 2 am again! Never did eat my guobaoriu! Finished The Stand! Finally! Looking at the condition of the book, looks like I should just get rid of it. What’s next? How were those books for the gf? Can she read them? Yes… but understanding is still a bit difficult. Got a new APP to read Chinese books… reader-made, not professional. And doing some calculations on the life of an expat… how long and where do you end up? Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great one!! 00:00 Early Recording Plans 00:37 Beijing Expat Update 00:50 Teaching Schedule Breakdown 01:55 Course Prep Confusion 02:34 Office Hours Frustrations 05:12 Tomorrow Class Activities 06:48 Jet Lag Battles 10:19 Chinese Class Complaints 12:21 HSK 5 Semester Goal 15:02 Course Goals And Exams 21:52 Language Log Season Plan 23:27 Finishing The Stand 26:18 Books And Time Budget 28:49 Girlfriend Reading Practice 31:49 Tomato App For Chinese 35:09 Expat Life Calculations 37:55 China Visa Age Limits 42:37 Money And Content Real Estate 46:45 Final Thoughts And Outro

Quick! Record now before my food shows up and I fall asleep! Jet lag strikes and up at 2 am! Went for a walk and no one was out. Last first class done, now onto the second. Meetings a go go and what are the office hours really? And when is class prep or grading time? FREE apparently. Off to the gym in the morning for the first workout in a very long time and then a run in the afternoon… now my chest hurts. It’s smoggy outside. And did China steal the blueberry? I don’t often buy them here any more since they are kinda expensive, 25 RMB for a small clamshell box of them. Neat how they do the growing, however, in coconut fibre. https://www.wsj.com/business/driscolls-berry-farms-china-competition-b0b49f04?mod=itp_wsj&mod=djemITP_h Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great one!!

Better record this now because jet lag a startin’! How ya feeling? Yesterday’s episode was ROUGH! Class is in! And how does it feel to be back? How are the students? What’s it like? Learning some new APPs: Tencent Docs and WeChat groups, but much more freer than last year. And are you seeing any changes? Not much… other than a new elevator and sign: don’t pee in the stairwell! Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great start of semesters! 00:00 Back in Beijing Jet Lag 03:05 Flights Luggage and Winter Plans 04:57 First Day Teaching Again 07:15 Campus Commute and Facilities 14:38 Office Hours and Tracking 20:19 Assignments and AI Rules 23:44 Content Strategy Substack Shift 26:31 Student Boundaries and Participation 36:25 New Apps and Apartment Changes 41:12 Wrap Up and Links

Hello from Beijing! Back to the city and into my humble abode… again. Still. How was the trip? How was the food? It was decent but has been better. Same with the snacks. No brownies this time. They seem to be giving free beer on domestic flights these days. Watched Suits, Succession, and Narcos. Are you a YouTuber? And, do you like being back? Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great one!! 00:00 Back in Beijing 00:38 Air Canada Flight Recap 01:54 Carry On Seat Drama 03:58 Souvenirs and Books 06:01 New Job Starts Tomorrow 07:51 Arrival Customs Tips 09:39 Canada to China Itinerary 11:28 Headache and Airport Shopping 14:26 In Flight Shows and Editing 17:24 Vlogging Without B Roll 22:02 Are You a YouTuber 30:58 Do I Like Being Back 38:42 Closing and Links

End of week and end of my time in Canada! I can’t believe it’s over and… I can’t believe I couldn’t get it to work. Packing almost done, next up, getting stuff ready to sit for another year. When will I come back? Another recording done! Let it Crash! Or something like that. And are you ready to get back to Beijing? Back to China? Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great weekend! See you in Beijing! 00:00 Last Night in Canada 01:44 Goodbyes and No Visitors 02:22 Book Gifts Gone Wrong 04:51 Three Days of Transit 07:16 Teaching Prep and Creative Labor 11:00 Packing Lists and China Snacks 11:52 Why China Again 17:24 Cymbals Album and Microphone ROI 23:20 Online Teaching Dream Failed 28:17 Content Strategy and Language Vlog 31:30 Final Packing and Loose Ends 36:10 Not Ready for Beijing 42:00 Wrap Up and Links

Up and at it 6 am… or thereabouts. Gotta get back into the swing of things. Happy sun spin to me and out for dinner with Mumsy! Sorting files and hoping I’ve got the shots I needed… won’t get any of this done until next week. — Check for differences:diff -rq /path/to/computer/folder /path/to/external/drive/folder (Returns a blank line if folders are 100% identical.) Dry run (Simulate copying missing files):rsync -avn --ignore-existing /path/to/computer/folder/ /path/to/external/drive/folder/ Actual transfer (Copy missing files only):rsync -av --ignore-existing /path/to/computer/folder/ /path/to/external/drive/folder/ 
(Note: The forward slash / at the end of the first folder path and the space after it are required.) Useful Keyboard Shortcuts Up Arrow: Recalls your last used command. Option + Left/Right Arrow: Moves the cursor word-by-word. Control + K: Clears/deletes everything from the cursor to the end of the line. — Upstairs a workin’ on that cymbal album… Why? Some latency issues and stick around for a sneak peak. And, interesting conversation, if kids want to use social media, should they get a job? Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Happy Sun Spin! 00:00 Early Start Reset 00:33 Leaving Winnipeg Soon 02:13 New Semester Schedule 05:16 Skills Split Teaching Plan 07:08 Morning Routine Workout 08:21 First Week Prep Meeting 09:38 Icebreakers And Class Ideas 11:24 Packing Gifts And Visa 14:25 Gear Loss And Filming Runs 17:36 Birthday Dinner With Mom 18:26 Magazines And Media Rants 22:05 Backing Up Travel Footage 22:29 Sharing Photos via Drive 23:56 Terminal Backup Tricks 25:51 Diff and Rsync Explained 27:55 Vlog Titles and Thumbnails 29:59 Cymbal Album Motivation 35:02 Logic Pro Latency Problems 38:59 Avoiding a Vanity Album 40:33 Kids and Social Media Debate 46:18 Wrap Up and Links

Hello from Winnipeg! Made it back after some trouble with the flight. They destroyed my luggage! $20 for a pint?! There goes the food budget! Back into the Peg and getting ready to go once again. Bought the cigars I needed and Halloween Kisses. What else do I need? And I did a manly thing today: I cleaned an eaves trough! Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Hope you have a great one!! 00:00 Back in Winnipeg 01:01 Toronto Security Chaos 03:15 Water Bottle Standoff 06:24 Random Pat Down Drama 08:32 Twenty Dollar Pint 11:54 Forced Gate Check 14:21 Zipper Break Fallout 17:52 Racing Back to China 19:54 No Screens No Plugs 21:05 Travel Lessons Learned 21:20 Airport Legalese Mode 22:29 Shouldve Kept Carry On 22:57 Do Airlines Track You 24:09 Back In Winnipeg Errands 25:34 Microphone Rental Regrets 26:37 Flight Back To Beijing Plan 29:44 Insurance Timing Trap 35:07 Travel Vs Medical Coverage 37:45 Cleaning The Eavestrough 43:04 Maybe A New Career 44:49 Wrap Up And Links

Made it! Hello from Toronto! The Great Grand American Road Trip is now over and it’s back to work for this guy! Lyft to the Gordie Howe International Bridge, yes, the same one that was in the news a while back. Apparently Canada paid for it, but now the US wants to charge tolls or something like that. No idea. Took 45 minutes to walk across… but that’s because I was taking pictures. How was your last day in Detroit and in the America? Pretty good. -Buddy’s Pizza (talked about that yesterday) -Riverwalk -Walked much of the way back to Hamtramck -Didn’t make the Polish Village Restaurant -Saves the Day closed out the Labour Day Hamtramck Festival. And yea, how was border security? Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com Transcript and more available on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1om1Geup1o6Adi-A8kTAnCf12Zo7nDkAt?usp=sharing Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Google Stock Tracker Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharing Safe travels!