Safety Last

Safety Last

By Stanley ChingArts
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Safety Last episodes

  • #32 - Tips & Hints for Travelling to Japan

    On 14/9/2022, Japan announced that it would fully reopen to tourists after more than two years of closed borders. To celebrate this event, along with humanity slowly learning to live with this new pandemic, I decided to record, edit and release a 90-minute podcast with two of my best friends and travelling companions to tell you “What you should and shouldn’t do in the land of the rising sun.” This should spark the obvious counter-question in my intelligent and sceptical audience, “Why should I listen to you?”, to which I’ll answer “All three of us have travelled to Japan twice with each stay lasting over a month, and during that time, we’ve zipped up and down the nation by shinkansen, car, ferry, and bus. Whether it is Kobe, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Sendai, Hiroshima, Sapporo. Yokohama, Nara… If you can name a city, we’ve been there.

    So, for all my travelling enthusiasts who want to know what stores we highly recommend, what events you should miss, what are the most beautiful castles in Japan, what is the most affordable way to travel the country, random Japanese facts, and tips, and much more… Stay tuned for a podcast full of tips and laughter!

    TIME STAMPS:

    (6:36) - Fuji-Q Adrenaline Park

    (14:45) - Robot Cafe Tokyo
    (17:00) - How long should you stay in a city?
    (19:35) - Amori & Hakodate
    (21:50) - Snowboarding in Niseko
    (25:00) - Sapporo
    (26:25) - Sendai
    (30:45) - The best shoes for the snow
    (36:40) - Should you go to the owl cafe in Tokyo?
    (40:45) - Thrift stores in Japan
    (42:00) - Yokohama
    (44:00) - Akihabara: Anime Capital
    (47:45) - Eating the hottest level of curry
    (50:00) - Ueno Park in Tokyo
    (53:20) - Airbnb Tours
    (56:30) - How to travel around Japan
    (59:00) - Osaka
    (1:03:15) - Spas and onsens
    (1:05:20) - Mount Koya near Osaka
    (1:08:35) - Japanese food
    (1:13:50) - Kyoto
    (1:17:35) - Airbnb Tours
    (1:21:50) - Kobe, Himeji & Awaji Island
    (1:31:10) - Team Labs in Tokyo
    (1:34:20) - A summary of key advice

    1 hr 38 min
  • #31 - Favourite Manga? Overrated Anime?

    If I had to make a list of the most common questions that I get asked about, anime and manga would comfortably sit within the top 10. So, today, we’re giving the people what they want along with the second part from my discussion with Srijay Chatterjee from the Only Up podcast. Berserk? Vagabond? (4:50) Vinland Saga? (9:23) The most overrated anime? (11:50) Why I dislike A Silent Voice (16:10) along with a few minutes about how the genre-defining anime Cowboy Bebop influenced my novel (28:35).

    39 min
  • #30 - Should You Start a Podcast?

    I listened to my first podcast in my final year of high school, and honestly, my first reaction was this was a more niche radio broadcast. But during university, I started listening to basketball podcasts on the train ride to keep me occupied. Slowly but surely, my tastes expanded to include more than just dribbling an orange ball. Slowly but surely, other topics like politics, religion and philosophy started to appear on my feed and podcasts became a staple of my life.

    However, the first time that I legitimately considered creating a podcast was because of a homework activity I set as a teacher. The term was ending, and I was tired, so I kept the task as simple as possible, pick a period of history that interests you and then submit your research through whatever medium you want. Thankfully, one extremely bright student chose an audio recording. Not only was it informative, but they also included jokes and humour as well.
    And after that, the idea took root, and for a few months the thought of “why don’t you start a podcast” would just randomly appear in my thoughts at random parts of the day. “Oh, I’m eating ice-cream? How about a podcast on the development of ice-cream into its current stage?” “Oh, I love films like Before Sunrise and YiYi? Well, how about I explain why I love them so much?” “Oh, Pokemon’s new designs seem to be decreasing in quality, why is that?” And, if you haven’t noticed, I have an opinion on everything.
    So, that’s how we ended up here. A podcast about starting a podcast, I don’t know how this can get anymore meta. And joining is me is another fellow podcaster, Srijay Chatterjee from the Only Up podcast where we try to answer the million-dollar question. Should you, yes you, the person listening to this, start your own podcast? In such a saturated market, what are ours hints and tips? Should your podcast have a particular niche, or should it talk about anything and everything like mine? Can podcasting help with insecurities and anxieties? What kind of gear do we recommend newcomers buy? Should you record with friends or by yourself? If you’ve got questions, then we’ve got answers. So, if you’ve ever considered sharing your thoughts and opinions on the air, if you feel like you’ve got insights that deserve to be heard then stick around.
    This is part 1 of 2 episodes, with the second episode heavily focused on anime and manga.
    TIMESTAMP:
    (7:24) – Podcasting as therapy
    (12:19) – Becoming a renaissance man
    (14:37) – Should you start podcasting?
    (18:24) – Editing podcasts & descript
    (20:34) – What traits are best suited to being a podcaster?
    (26:20) – Podcasting with friends or by yourself?
    (30:27) – My hints and tips for podcasting?
    (34:28) – The Vagabond podcast
    (36:32) – Learning to transition with Dave Chappelle
    (39:25) – Investing in your equipment
    (41:48) – Microphones
    (46:34) – Niche audiences
    (47:44) – Naming podcasts
    (50:46) – Adding timestamps
    (52:55) – Being politically correct
    (55:15) – Out upcoming episodes
    (1:02:04) – Inviting friends as guests
    (1:05:40) – Srijay and I’s first interaction
    (1:09:58) – Reaching out to other people

    1 hr 12 min
  • #29 - Being a Young Parent, Actor & Dancer

    There’s a quote that haunts the dusty halls of the internet and it goes “New friends are great but old friends are gold.” Well, how about a friend that you’ve known since year 4?

    Well, that friend is Rennard; a friend who has existed in my life before the Global Financial Crisis (2008), the creation of Instagram (2010) and the debut of the iPhone (2007). Am I officially reaching the retirement age?
    As I often repeat, one of the objectives of my podcast is to bring interesting people and experiences to the forefront of discussion. This means, finding an unusual, or even niche, aspect of someone’s life and then seeing what wisdom I, and hopefully my audience, can glimpse from the discussion. Well, Rennard is both a world-class hip hop dancer, having represented Australia and the state of NSW multiple times, an actor who has appeared in films like Shang-Chi (2021) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and the young father to a daughter! Of whom I am the ninong (godfather) to!
    Join us as we learn how one makes a career in the arts industry, how Rennard balances his talents between dancing and acting, the celebrities that he has met when filming, his advice for other young parents and to hear us gush about the fact that we’re still friends after so many years.
    Here’s a list of time stamps for your convenience:
    (3:31): Being a godfather
    (9:25): Being an actor
    (11:08): Representing Australia in the World Hip-Hop Dance Championship
    (15:04): Pioneers Dance Crew
    (22:11): Being too muscular to dance?
    (23:58): How does one become a paid dancer?
    (29:23): Why did Rennard move towards being an actor?
    (31:33): Rennard's acting career
    (33:50): Shang-Chi and Thor: Love & Thunder
    (35:36): Playing a dumpling god in Thor: Love & Thunder
    (38:10): The pay for actors
    (42:50): Moving towards being the main actor in plays
    (44:20): Being a parent
    (50:20): Advice to young parents
    (53:32): A lack of sleep when raising a child
    (54:36): Raising your child with expectations
    (56:08): Message to Rennard's daughter
    (57:14): Shout out to Rosie
    Did I also mention that I’m also a ninong (godfather)? Oh, I did?
    Fine.

    1 hr 2 min
  • #28 - Late Night Conversations

    I had no idea what to title this podcast – “Friend Simulator” made me sound like a science geek and “Wining & Dining with Nicholas” sounded like we were dating. Eventually, I settled with for the milquetoast title of Last Night Conversations. However, as you can tell from the short snippet at the beginning, this podcast is anything but milquetoast, but rather a wild roller coaster of laughs, inside jokes and philosophical questions all wrapped up in urban vernacular.

    While I have traditionally orientated my podcasts around a single topic, as someone who has been friends with Nicholas (host of Legitimate Psychiatric Emergency & artist behind Self-Titled) for several years, I can’t name many people who are more charismatic or comfortable in front of a microphone.
    So, we picked a time, set up the mics, poured the rose and spoke to our heart’s content. So, if you’re ever wondered what sitting in on an unscripted conversation between my friends and I sound like, well, wonder no more. For your convenience, I’ve added a list of timestamps down below as we jump between a myriad of topics during this podcast.
    Losing motivation (12:55)
    Vipassana (13:38)
    Baths or showers? (30:25)
    Happiness after COVID-19 (37:26)
    Inflation and capitalism (45:41)
    Climate change (49:49)
    Nazism and communism (52:36)
    Philosophy, activism and ego (54:32)
    Becoming vegetarian (1:01:30)
    Buddha and death (1:06:04)
    Why Nicholas knows he will have a son (1:11:07)
    Criticisms of Christianity (1:15:58)
    What in Buddhism was That? (1:22:49)
    Hindu mythology (1:31:02)

    1 hr 38 min
  • #27 - Do You Want to Become an Author?

    I know a handful of people who have said they want to become an author, people who have sworn that they have the winning recipe for the next best-selling novel, people have had revealed that they've always wanted to publish their thoughts onto a page.

    Yet, the stark reality is that I don't know a single person who has actually completed the task. Which is where I come in, I understand how daunting it may seem to have a passion but feel like you have no way to channel that into something concrete.
    In this podcast, I touch upon a number of different topics, all of which are aimed to help you finally succeed and transfer the thoughts swirling around your brain into something tangible that can be enjoyed by hundreds of others.
    Some of the questions that I answer are:
    Should you self-publish or traditionally-publish your novel?
    How to maintain your motivation?
    What are some pieces of art that inspired me?
    Is KDP better than IngramSpark?
    Should you get an editor, and how much did they cost?
    Along with much, much more.

    59 min
  • #26 - Is Philosophy Actually Useful? @OliSUNvia

    Philosophy is a field of study often relegated to the margins of society; nowadays, telling someone you enjoy philosophy is akin to telling them you enjoy Latin or hunting with a bow. It’s just bizarre. However, this ultimately seems to be a disservice to philosophy, as a lot of people imagine these ideas to be impractical or irrelevant to their life, something which I completely disagree with. In fact, I believe every action you take has a philosophical basis; after all, how can you make a decision that isn’t based on values?

    Today, I am joined by Olivia Sun, a rising YouTuber and a student studying a Bachelor of Philosophy to (hopefully) bring this field of knowledge, based off dusty tomes and buried scrolls, into the 21st century. We jump between a myriad of different topics from “Is Western philosophy too rational?”, “What are some of our favourite philosophers?” and “How have these ideas improved our lives?” with the aim of answering, once and for all, “Is Philosophy Actually Useful?”

    1 hr 26 min
  • #25 - Q&A

    A big thank you for everyone who tunes into this podcast, your support is much appreciated.

    For this week's special podcast, we will celebrate 25 releases with a question and answer session! Thank you to everyone who submitted questions. For a sneak peak at some questions, have a glance below!
    1) How has religion influenced sex?
    2) What is a dystopian trope you wouldn't mind living in?
    3) Are you a leftist?
    4) Given the knowledge that you now know, how would you change your childhood?
    5) How has my teaching career been after leaving Chatswood High School?

    1 hr 17 min
  • #24 - School Shootings

    Sandy Hook, Columbine (34:55), Virginia-Tech. These are all names that have been etched into our collective memories, and as of 24th of May, we’ve a new addition Uvalde. For the rest of the world, we can’t help but a sense of despair and confusion that these mass school shootings continue to happen so frequently in America. Why doesn’t this happen in another other developed nation? Why do young men turn their firearms on innocent civilians (39:05)? Why has nothing been done since?

    Today, I’m joined by Clayton and his brother Tyler, Southern Americans who have been surrounded by weapons since their childhood (19:20). I brought them on because I wanted to understand the impact of gun violence not just through statistics and news reports but as people who have seen this violence manifesting in their communities. I recorded this podcast with two specific questions in mind: What is the legacy of Uvalde (1:04:00)? And what is it like raising a child in these conditions (1:05:50)?
    For reference, as of the release of this podcast, there have been another 41 mass shootings with 46 dead and 180 injured in the span of 19 days.

    1 hr 11 min
  • #23 - Am I Too Condescending?

    Flaws, those pesky things that we all try to hide from everyone. So of course, why not record a podcast with fan favourite Giorgio where we deep dive into one of my flaws. Am I too condescending?

    Interesting title, right? I hope it caught your attention. While originally trying to come up with a name for this episode, I toyed with other less abrasive titles such as “am I too motivated?” or “can positives become negatives”, topics that we certainly deal with, but the problem was that such titles emphasised my strengths much more than dealing with the real focus, how my attempts to improve has ingrained a ‘grind it out’ attitude.
    And this realisation already begins to complicate the debate, what if I needed to internalise these ideas to complete my novel, something that I am very proud of? Does that make me a good person? A suffering artist? A martyr who traded their own mental health for the pursuit of greatness? Or does that mean I am just self-obsessed and egotistical, perhaps I even unironically fulfill some aspects of the sigma male archetype that the internet routinely makes fun of?
    This brings me to the my primary question, does one actually need to tap into their darker emotions to be successful? How about people like Michael Jordan who is subsequently celebrated as the greatest basketball player of all time but also someone who routinely used abuse and intimidation to achieve their goals? What does this say about me, and how does one tiptoe over the tightrope between motivation and condescension? During this conversation, we touch on a reoccurring point which may help the listeners in this very position.
    “Maybe our flaws are simply corrupted versions of positive values.”
    Enjoy.

    59 min

About Safety Last

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Straight from the dome to the microphone.