They took my duck ’n’ chicken! It’s an economic decision, NOT a biohazard!

Import Agency:

https://inspection.canada.ca/en/importing-food-plants-animals/food-imports/food-specific-requirements/approved-countries/china#a2

Search “AIRS Automated Import Registration System”

https://airs-sari.inspection.gc.ca/airs_external/english/decisions-eng.aspx

And hello from Canada!

How was the flight? Crying. Lots of it. Lots of families travelling. Sat next to a family with three kids! They must not be Mainlanders. Smelled like poop. And then the kid started crying two hours in.

What about the AirPods? They didn’t have the nature sound cancellation.

Amazing how eleven hours of your life can just pass by. What did I get done?

Two episodes of Succession, Season 3, Episodes 3 and 5, I think.

Barely any editing done.

TRIED to get to the airport early aaaaand yet still just made it as boarding was underway.

Packed up some DaoXiangCun and got some cars for the boys. A couple other gifts that needed to be repaid.

Hot so it was hard to stay not sweaty.

Traveller’s tips:

Bring earplugs or ocean waves on your phone (make sure AirPods are charged)

Don’t drink alcohol. Drink lots of water. Welp… what’s worse, a glass or wine or beer or a crying child?

Compression socks

Change of clothes in your backpack. Especially undershirts

Brush your teeth before your first flight.

Zinc and magnesium

It’s going to suck.

Lastly, make more money to afford business class

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Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

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Safe travels!!

Is it the weather? The workouts? The upcoming plans? Or the testosterone?!

FIFA is over and Spain wins! 1-0. Goodbye Messi. Not an overly exciting game (only watched the last half of it) but it did go into extra time. Next will be in 2030 in Spain, Morocco and Portugal. Would love to go to Morocco. Missed the half time show. Apparently there were a bunch of singers there.

Used up the Carolina Reaper beef jerky! Put the last few pieces into a chilli and it was AMAZING! Gf thought it was a bit spicy.

Getting ready to get going again… Am I getting tired of this?

Oh, and about that used clothes idea… it’s actually cheaper to just go to Decathlon. But there are very few Decathlon stores in Canada.

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Hope you have a great start of week!

00:00 Packing Mood Check

00:35 Travel Day Logistics

02:20 Airline Change Drama

03:23 Workout Motivation Dip

05:23 Gym Clothes Strategy

08:01 Toronto Budget Planning

11:25 Sleep Shift and World Cup

13:36 Final Match Breakdown

16:26 Future Cups and US Soccer

19:39 Googling Womens Cup Confusion

21:31 FIFA Dates Confusion

22:19 Canada Trip Stress

24:20 Visa Passport Anxiety

28:57 Testosterone And Supplements

34:00 Six Week Countdown

38:09 Carolina Reaper Chili

45:56 Wrap Up And Links

BREAKING NEWS! Numbers are down! Who’s upset and why? Maybe Air Canada employees listen to this podcast after all? Numbers are down!

Also BREAKING, summer simmering hard, how to train and gain in the summer months? Absolutely gassed. All I want to do is… read.

-Did go for a run today, 5km in 40 minutes. Slow as ever, no weights today. Might do them tomorrow. Feels more mental than anything else. What about next week in Canada? (Wasn’t going to bring workout clothes with me but… Canada and the US have more of a second hand clothing culture than Asia. Soooo, what if I just got a bunch of old shirts and shorts, used them once or twice, and then out they go?)

This just in: email lists are still a thing. How do you connect, and project, through the digital clutter? Email list a creating — this time for IELTS. 31 Days to Better IELTS is a newsletter-style course I’m developing under the SLV branding. I am still looking to host in-person workshops this summer, but I honestly have no idea what to do.

Coming soon: a one stop shop for all your podcast needs! Working on a Google Drive for the show! Pics, transcripts and audio files a go go!

And Steve, what’s with all the breaking?

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Hope you have a great weekend!

00:00 Breaking News Cold Open

00:37 Why Ratings Need Breaking

03:21 Air Canada Episode Fallout

06:10 Daily Podcast Routine

10:42 Audio Gear And Workflow

15:59 Summer Training Slump

19:57 Time Stress And CNS Recovery

24:28 Packing Versus Workouts

25:48 Disposable Gym Clothes Idea

26:59 Laundry Logistics Stress

28:54 Overthinking And Lethargy

29:29 Hair And Workout Scheduling

30:34 Cutting Hair Story Options

31:58 Scaling Back Everything

32:44 Email Lists And IELTS Course

34:15 Band 6 To Band 7 Breakdown

35:58 Systematic Errors Explained

38:19 Speed And Memorization Tactics

43:49 Monetizing Courses On YouTube

45:52 Sharing Files And Translations

47:27 Wrap Up And Sign Off

Flight moved! The price increases seem to be a system feature, not a flaw! Blocking people from trying to shimmy the tickets, or something like that.

Tuesday is departure day, am I ready? What will I do?

Stuff a goin bye bye! Stamps, keyboards, and postcards. What’s next? Books?

Speaking of going bye bye, the shout at 5am must’ve been… Argentina scoring. Bye bye England! Did NOT get up for the game but watched the highlights. England was up 1 until the 85th minute and then… Argentina scores. Then they scored in extra time. Wow. I guess the guy upstairs is an Argentina fan.

Trump coin a go go! Only dead presidents may preside? But Trump has recently talked about being number one on the hit list. Is this foreshadowing?

Steve, it ain’t you, it’s the SanFu! The hottest time of the year, no wonder you’re feeling a little low down.

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Stay cool out there!

00:00 Flight Change Drama

00:30 Air Canada Pricing Tricks

04:22 Red Eye Route Plans

06:22 Not Ready Yet

09:08 Stamps And Postcards

14:45 Stamp Collector Notes

17:43 Decluttering Before Leaving

18:38 Bye Bye England

23:49 World Cup Schedule Talk

25:22 Trump Coin Rumors

28:30 Intel Agency Theories

36:56 Sanfu Summer Slump

39:13 Wrap Up And Links

WTF AIR CANADA! Jacking prices up just as I’m about to place my order. Maybe by the end of this podcast tickets will be cheaper. ***UPDATE: It seems like it is a feature of the system to prevent abuse! Prices returned to their regular levels after the episode was recorded!***

IBM is It’s Been Mauled! WTF happened? AI! Really? Or just profit taking? IBM has been here before and will be here again.

Building up processes and figuring out which email marketing systems work best. How to do a campaign properly? Email Octopus, Loops, Kit, SendFox (I forgot I had paid for this one), Zapier, and more.

Did get a run done but no weights: 7km in 48 min 14 sec. Kinda hot out there. Thinking it might be time to take some time off.

And how is life without the collagen?

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Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

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Hope you have a great one!!

00:00 Cold Open Gripes

00:32 Recording Earlier Workflow

02:01 Transcripts And Timestamps

04:44 Listener Perks And Photos

07:50 Ebook Ideas And Payoff

10:22 Air Canada Fare Spike

12:29 Meetups And Podcast Vibe

17:42 IBM Flash Crash Breakdown

21:29 China Stocks Rebound Tracker

23:04 IBM Oversold Signals

24:29 Options Risk Reality

27:25 Seasonal Stock Timing

27:51 Email Funnel Frustrations

32:15 Choosing Newsletter Tools

37:55 Hot Run And Training Break

40:37 Supplements Without Collagen

46:06 Wrap Up And Links

Cleaning continues, gf says “It’s not that much.” But… I DID post some stuff for sale!

Met up with a few old colleagues. How are they doing?

-Off to the Friendship Store (?)

-Ate at Carbo, a pasta-ria

-Then to DuLi for dessert but they didn’t have anything worth sticking around for

-So off to Jenny Wang’s supermarket (a knock off of Jenny Lou’s?) for ice cream

And is fois gras now a thing in China? Is this why Blue Frog introduced it a while back? Kinda makes me wonder, why can’t you start a business in China? Well, what great idea do you have? WSJ article here:

https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/forget-france-china-is-the-new-foie-gras-champion

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Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

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Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

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Hope you have a great one!!

00:00 Don’t Botch the Ending

00:26 Reuniting With Colleagues

01:04 Xinjiang Trip Memories

03:46 Why She Returned

05:34 Airport Searches Talk

07:15 The Exit Plan Question

09:45 Back to Teaching English

12:44 English Classes and AI Shift

18:30 Friendship Store Night Out

20:43 Late Recording Reflections

21:44 Decluttering and Selling Stuff

29:48 Rent, Moving, and Timing

31:01 China’s Foie Gras Boom

36:06 Business Ideas and Passion

43:20 Wrap-Up and Farewell

Workout in! But gotta get ready to go. What’re the plans for the summer so far?

Spent the weekend reading, was quite nice. The Stand, Singapore is STILL not an Island, and some other books and newspapers.

Argentina, England, France and Spain advance! Justin Beiber to perform at the FIRST FIFA World Cup half time show? Is the US showing the world how to do this competition?

Got some rain over the weekend while the rest of the country gets flood warnings. (Typhoon Bavi hitting the southern regions.)

Did I tell you my breakfast place closed down? At least until September.

ChatGPT updates and where did all my projects go? And do I even need them any more?

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***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

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Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

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Hope you have a great start of week!

00:00 Morning Catch Up

00:31 Canada Trip And Visa Timing

03:13 Apartment Stress And Neighbors

05:31 Decluttering And Packing Books

06:28 Summer Plans And Travel Costs

08:33 Weekend Reading List

10:55 Newspapers And Media Contrast

14:49 World Cup Semifinals Talk

16:36 Trump Rumors And Halftime Show

23:00 Beijing Rain And Climate Thoughts

26:57 Baozi Shop Closed

32:20 Filming Food Spots As An Expat

34:53 ChatGPT App Changes And Costs

42:52 Wrap Up And Links

Spent the morning reading books. Bilahari Kausakan’s Singapore is Still Not an Island. Also reading The Unspeakable Loss by Nisha Zenoff… about losing a child. Why am I reading this?

Rained all day, but that didn’t stop the workout! Bought a 4-day pass for 88 RMB, but gotta keep the APP topped up over 50 RMB. Deadlifts today, some weighted hangs, then out for 7km run in 48min 19 sec followed by 50 pull ups outside in the rain… then another 50 inside. All unweighted, but got them in!

Slept well, still felt lethargic this morning. How’s life without collagen?

Got some Chinese in.

And have I moved my flight yet? No! News from Canada: flooding! CNUF cancelled this year!

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Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

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Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

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Hope you have a great weekend!

00:00 Apple Camera Headache

01:20 Captive Portal Tricks

02:43 Should I Post Video

05:52 YouTube Monetization Math

09:44 Too Many Projects

11:37 Tax Deductions Logic

13:58 Scaling Back Plans

15:40 Stuff and Drum Kits

18:28 Reading and Chinese Practice

20:58 Singapore Geopolitics Book

23:54 Grief and Loss Reading

32:31 Rainy Workout Recap

38:12 Ethiopia Move Chat

40:57 Canada Floods and Travel

44:23 Wrap Up and Links

Wow what a sleep! After yesterday’s episode I tried to do some Chinese then decided to lie down for a bit… 12 hours later I get up! Feel pretty good!

What’re these new accounts you’re setting up and how are you social media plans going?

What are your plans for the summer? Thinking, wondering about how to scale back yet get more from each post.

And going through more stuff with a view to getting rid of it all. Today: Chinese books. Just how many pages can you read in a day? How many books do you need to keep? And does it matter what types of books you read?

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Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

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Hope you have a great one!!

00:00 Waking Up and Reset

00:26 Why Keep a Beijing Apartment

02:34 Rent Reality and Negotiating

03:51 Minimalism vs Expat Comfort

06:44 Do I Really Need This Stuff

09:02 The Weird David Head Story

11:30 Chinese Books and Language Goals

17:12 Journaling and Writing Characters

24:48 Kids Books and Giving Them Away

26:16 English Books and Reading Doubts

32:39 How to Read to Learn

33:39 The 12 Hour Nap Explained

37:49 New Accounts and Content Strategy

41:34 Summer Plans and Weekly Videos

46:38 Wrap Up and Thanks

Colombia and Switzerland! To penalty kicks! Didn’t realize they still did these. Woken up at 1.50 am by an excited neighbour… Argentina won. The funny thing about Chinese sports commentary is that none of them look like they know what they’re talking about. Where are the former Olympians or professionals?

What about being almost 40? And how is the Beijing economy?

And funny thing about listening to the early episodes of No Agenda: first, Adam Curry swears a lot more, second, episode three… they talk about a couple of European backpackers who… overstayed their visa in the USA! How long did it take them to get out?? And WHY? Management Training Corporation.

Workout in! Last day of the pass, should I get a new one?

Setting up a new accounts, let’s try it this way.

And remember I asked if there was any other happy news last week before I went to Singapore, I forgot to mention, a former colleague just had a baby… and she’s going through the apostille process too!

(And yes, I forgot to put the rain at the end of yesterday’s episode.)

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Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

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Hope you have a great one!!

00:00 Cold Open Banter

00:35 Beijing Update and Job Paperwork

03:27 Visa Deadline and Busy Days

04:09 World Cup Wake Up Call

06:02 Penalty Kicks Explained

09:10 Flight Change and Selling Stuff

10:55 Chinese Sports Commentators

14:54 Turning 40 and Beijing Economy Chats

15:36 Gym Friend Age and Family Life

18:53 Beijing Property Wealth Reality

20:27 Kids Versus Freedom Reflection

22:12 Homebody Travel Routine

23:40 Aging Talk and Beard Thoughts

25:19 Beijing Jobs and Salaries

29:47 Leaving Beijing Dilemma

33:22 No Agenda and Detention Story

35:45 Privatized Prisons and Due Process

39:47 Workouts and Admin Updates

40:43 New Baby and Apostille Hassle

44:36 Wrap Up and Links