The Audio Blog of Steven Sirski

Still snowing! Is this a Beijing blizzard?? Getting a bit cold to be reviewing characters outside.

And the Powell pop! Oil, gold n everything bounces on the word that US interest rates will be cut in March!

What is the Fed?

What are interest rates?

What is inflation?

Some books to read:

William J. O’Neil’s How to Make Money in Stocks

Gerald Loeb Battle for Investment Survival 

Story time: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.

Sink unplugged, but who knows for how long.

Did NOT feel like making dinner, sooo… salad it is with pre-made chicken from the grocery store. Kale, celery, radishes, tomatoes, olives, cashews, goat cheese (cuz it was on sale), cranberries, bell peppers, broccoli! And for dressings: mustard, Japanese roast sesame sauce, apple cider vinegar. BIG!

Midday workout: all about the mace swings!

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

Have a good one!

More snow! And cold!

Workouts in! 5.95km within 36 min 55 sec. Not much time for anything else at lunch so another after work workout with kbells n clubs.

Trying out Trello for organizing podcast workflow, probably something I should have done before. I used to do this on paper so I’m not sure how much this will affect things.

Watching Billions, a show about a billionaire hedge fund manager. These are fun to watch sometimes though I’ll admit, no, I don’t desire to be in that industry at all.

Aaaaand the sink is plugged. Haven’t dealt with that yet and not sure I will tonight.

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

Music at skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com

Have a good one!

Feeling far better!

Newsletter out! All about expats leaving.

Thinking, going forward, how else could I change up some things and make them better? Make my life easier? I did not know you could import CSVs into Canva! What else am I doing wrong?!

Oil down! Getting trounced! Tax loss selling and oftentimes one of best times to get in. Do your own research!

December Drumming continues… keeping it simple today.

Looks like Hong Kong is opening up for Mainlanders, should be easier to transit through now. And what about those airline points??

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

Skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com

Have a good one!

感冒了Sick, like flu but not too serious, down throughout Sunday, Is it the new coov? JN.1 taking over from BA.62.whatever.

Newsletter written, will send out tomorrow. Not much of a newsletter, more of an extension of things that are innit?

December Drumming tracks are up! http://skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com

We got snow! Doesn’t happen often!

Keeping motivated: why do you do the things you do?

New week, pitter patter let’s get at er!

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com and skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com

More about NAC

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nac-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_10

Life speeds up over 40? Is it true?

Reading recommendations…Chinese books

The Wedding Party - Liu Xinwu

Strange Beasts of China - Yan Ge

China in Ten Words - Yue Hua

And of course books by Peter Hessler

SMOG causing breathing issues! Come to Beijing! Come to China! Visa free for Singapore and many other countries!

North Korea is a cyber threat? Amazing how such a small country can cause such a ruckus!

December Drumming continues, returning to beatboxing today.

Experimenting with longer form videos for language vlog, would be easier to create more content.

Gotta work on that pcast

And mastering assistant in Logic Pro for iPad? Let’s see what happens…

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

Have a good weekend!

NAC - what is it and what does it do? Basically a strong antioxidant used to flush toxins from the body. Can help with pushing alcohol out of the system, doesn’t mean that the alcohol still won’t harm your brain or gut.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34208683/#:~:text=It%20has%20a%20well%2Destablished,to%20oxidative%20stress%20and%20inflammation.

December Drumming continues, trying some things out.

Hearing some more about the “reality” of working in Canada… cost of living is higher while there isn’t as much work as there is here in China.

Several people have talked about the Chinese green card, so I asked a fellow expat here in China to give me the lowdown on it. The basics is that there is no annual visa renewal fun and also 

And why is Korean on the same level as Mandarin Chinese on the FSI chart of language difficulties? Should we use this chart as a guide?

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

Have a good one!

December Drumming updated! Still creating, but it’s taken time to figure out how to post everything.

Work outs… both in! Couldn’t resist getting two in. Was feeling a bit anxious so decided to lift instead. Lunch time run 5km in 32.37, followed by ball slams. After work kbell work.

Clear morning, then smog rolled in. Smelled like BBQ… I wondering what they’re cooking these days??

Expats are shuffling! And a similar job to the one I have here has opened up in Canada, is it time to go? Honestly? I don’t think so.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

ОЙ ХТО, ХТО, МИКОЛАЯ ЛЮБИТЬ.

українська народна пісня

Ой, хто, хто Миколая любить,

Ой, хто, хто Миколаю служить,

Тому святий Миколай, На всякий час помагай, 

Миколає!

Ой, хто, хто к ньому прибігає, На поміч його призиває,

Той все з горя вийде ціло, Охоронить душу й тіло, 

Миколай!

Ой, хто, хто спішить в Твої двори,

Сего Ти на землі і в морі

Все хорониш від напасти,

Не даєш му в гріхи впасти, 

Миколає!

Миколай, молися за нами,

Благаєм Тебе зі сльозами.

Ми Тя будем вихваляти,

Імʼя Твоє величати,

На віки.

OH WHO, WHO, NIKOLAI LOVES.

Ukrainian folk song

Oh, who, who loves Nicholas

Oh, who, who serves Nicholas

Therefore, Saint Nicholas, help me at all times,

Nicholas!

Oh, who, who runs to him, Calls for his help,

He will always come out of grief whole, Protect soul and body,

Nicholas!

Oh, who, who will hurry to Your courts,

You are here on earth and in the sea

You bury everything from harm,

You don't let him fall into sins,

Nicholas!

Nicholas, pray for us

I beg You with tears.

We will praise You,

glorify Your name,

For ages.

Show notes up on stevensirski.com

Bandcamp: skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com

New stove top! 燃气灶 ránqìzào

Found the archived files for previous December Drummings and Jamuary’s. Turns out I did NOT start in 2020 but in 2021. Oops.

Workout done! Mace bell and steel club swings… forgot to use the kettlebells! After dinner walk with the clubs on the treadmill.

In praise of books - Carl Sagan

What an astonishing thing a book is.

It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles.

But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe someone dead for thousands of years.

Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you.

Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs.

Books break the shackles of time.

A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.

-Carl Sagan

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

Bandcamp skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com

Have s good one!

December Drumming continues! Four tracks done and up on Bandcamp

skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com

This is the third year I’m doing this.

Smog rolling in but still a run outside. Less grey matter I guess, but it was warmer as a result of the coal dust blanket. 6.54 in 35 min 11 sec.

Newsletter being written.

Gold popping! So too with the Bitcoin.

Nothing like a peaceful Sunday afternoon interrupted by… the threat of an exploding stove top.

Show notes at stevensirski.com

Bandcamp: skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com

New month! End of the year! Going anywhere??

Departures! First in a long time! Expat life, where will you lie?

December Drumming kicks off, check www.skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com

Workout in at lunch, 6km with lunges, pull ups, push ups and squats. Lots going on. Will lift heavy tomorrow at lunch.

Show notes up on stevensirski.com

Have a good one!