Podcast
The Audio Blog of Steven Sirski
Hosted by Steven Sirski · EN
The daily musings of an expat in Beijing.
52episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
SSAB - May 15, 2026
3d ago00:46:26Tap to summarizeUp early-ish and out the door for a 7 km run. Ran a lot quicker today than previous days. Made my way through Utsubo Park, very nice peonies I think they were.Osaka Castle for the afternoon. What’s next?Starbucks vanilla donut?? How was it? Not worth it!Bought some summer clothes from Uniqlo! UV protection gear. Nice and breathable!And I think I figured out a simple way to do Chinese subtitles in FCP: just export the default captions! Should speed up production a little bit.Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great one!! 00:00 Morning Run Recap00:35 Podcast Bench Setup02:42 Utsubo Park Roses04:12 Running Castle Loop Plans06:38 Subway and Castle Ticket07:18 Inside Osaka Castle09:23 Osaka in One Day12:52 Where Next in Japan17:13 Starbucks Donut Rant19:03 Uniqlo Summer Gear20:12 UV Gear Shopping21:36 Arm Sleeves And Hat22:15 Luggage And Uniqlo23:06 Air Quality And Trump23:57 Stocks And Disclaimers26:10 New Channel Plans29:30 Bilingual Captions Problem33:10 Green Screen Subtitle Hack37:09 Descript Costs And Goals39:36 Hostel Teacher Talk41:30 Foreigners And Opportunity45:00 Wrap Up And Links
Transcribe →
SSAB - May 14, 2026
4d ago00:40:52Tap to summarizeOut for a run but it was hard to get going! Didn’t get last night’s episode up until around midnight. Hope you enjoyed the talk with Art after yesterday’s episode. His website is artimax.comLogistics of running! Japan obeys the rules and that means stop lights! And there are quite a few of those in the neighbourhood! Found it a bit difficult to navigate, not least of all because everybody was on their way to work.More live streams! YouTube and TikTok, both through Shinsaibashi.Starbucks has donuts here! And how is the food? What have you been eating? And how much is all of it?And the shocking realization… that I’ve been here before. WHY??Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great one!! 00:00 Botched Cold Open00:16 Osaka Street Setup00:45 Lost a Day01:39 Late Upload Fallout03:26 Osaka Déjà Vu05:33 Street Recording Gear07:56 Running Rules Japan09:20 GoPro TimeWarp Runs13:08 Gym Costs and Options14:17 Laundry Fail and Costs15:57 Livestreaming Both Platforms17:47 Why Live Over Curated19:24 Podcasting for Mom21:19 Socials and livestream plan22:19 Osaka walk and districts23:43 Starbucks taste test24:31 Meals and money talk26:44 Hostel limits and groceries29:23 Soft boiled egg discovery30:41 Grungy hostel reflections32:34 Live podcast or edited33:35 Next stops and fingerprints37:11 Job change and travel doubts38:38 Wrap up and links40:26 Final goodbye and street noise
Transcribe →
SSAB - May 13, 2026
5d ago01:11:04Tap to summarizeAnd hello from Osaka!Finally booked the flight last night… completely forgetting about the idea of taking the boat! Darn!Lemon Cass, not bad. Had a few of those and some soju with the other hostelites. And I’m reminded why I don’t drink with people nor hang around 20 yr olds!Flight was uneventful, but getting to Osaka Station was a bit of work. I didn’t realize you could just take the airport limousine bus from T2. Also, customs searched EVERYTHING!And how’s the hostel? Not really as advertised, but it’ll do for now.And a special interview with Art from ArtiMax Freight Solutions! A fascinating look into the world of logistics!Oh, and Trump visits China with Jensen Huang, Tim Cook and Elon Musk, market pop??Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great one!! 00:00 Hello From Osaka00:53 Hostel Reality Check02:11 Airport To Hostel Walk03:45 Osaka First Impressions06:38 Korea Night Out Lessons09:39 Lemon Cass Breakdown13:22 Japan Entry Surprises16:50 Customs Search And Gold Signs22:19 Content Plan And Livestreaming24:10 Trump China Visit Market Talk27:29 Meet Art Logistics Nomad31:45 Art Runs Three Trucks32:44 How Art Got Into Logistics35:05 Working US Hours In Japan35:25 Finding Clients Abroad37:52 What He Ships And Learns39:44 Cradle To Grave Logistics41:16 Commodity Rules And Risks42:18 Consumer Complaints Ripple43:16 Warehouse Mistakes Happen43:40 Driver Liability Rules45:07 Drop Trailers Cabinet Runs45:47 Seeing Your Freight Everywhere46:52 Everything Ships Supply Chains48:14 Learning the Industry Fast49:06 Starting Import Export Tips51:01 Coffee Beans Logistics Breakdown55:35 How Brokers Make Margin58:44 Spot Market vs Contracts59:56 Winning RFPs and Bids01:03:10 Information Is Currency01:08:07 Finding Clients Without Social01:09:39 Website Plug and Wrap Up
Transcribe →
SSAB - May 12, 2026
6d ago00:44:17Tap to summarizeStaying one more night? Why?? Cause it's so quiet!Walking around Hongdae again, did one live stream on YouTube... I think I have a new content creation idea.Met up withthe Korean lady we met back in Australia! She lives in Gimpo so came over to Hapjeong for tea.Tried some BBQ, but not samgyupsol, some sort if pork barbecue.And I'm missing Trump again!Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great one!! 00:00 Seoul Visa Run Update01:01 Why Stay In Hapjeong02:13 Livestreaming Vs Editing03:59 Street Recording Setup07:37 New Content Workflow13:53 Last Day Hongdae Walk18:26 Meeting Korean Friend21:51 Korea English Tests25:28 Duolingo Reality Check27:50 Cafe Dreams And Business33:52 Korean BBQ Solo39:03 Missing Trump In China42:14 Wrap Up And Links
Transcribe →
SSAB - May 11, 2026
1w ago00:41:27Tap to summarizeHappy Mother’s Day! Did you remember to call? If not, do it today and you can blame the time difference!Still in Seoul, South Korea, most likely flying out tomorrow to Osaka. Need to find a finger printing place and then need to apply for a police background check somehow. Seriously doubting this job application.How has Seoul been? Very quiet! Only 9 million people here contrast that with Beijing. And it’s definitely not as hot! Walking around Hongdae and saw a local band playing on Sunday afternoon. Quiet nights in the hostel because… they aren’t getting back until sunrise! Oh, how I remember those days!And how was the gym? Getting the workouts in? YES!Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great start of week!00:00 Hostel Check In00:48 Audio Gear Troubles01:44 Visa Run Delays02:00 Subtitle Editing Rage02:37 China Paperwork Reality04:43 Fingerprints And Apostille05:49 Mothers Day Call Home07:14 Osaka Plans And Party Hostel08:14 Sleepless Nights Hostel Life09:57 Gym Under The Bridge15:33 Seoul Feels Open20:27 Lost Finding Groceries22:28 Hongdae Walk And Livestreams25:55 Live Band Ticket Debate30:41 Korean Chinese Language Links36:06 Runs Workouts And Getting Older38:18 Next Stops Fingerprints40:22 Wrap Up And Links
Transcribe →
SSAB - May 8, 2026
1w ago01:39:12Tap to summarizeDae ha min guk! Clapclap clapclap clap! Arrived!BARELY got onto the flight! I completely misjudged the time it would take to get to T2 and when we got to the airport the check in was closed. Since I only had carry on, I asked if I could just get the boarding pass. He said no, it closes an hour ahead of departure. The papers have already been sent to immigration. Interesting. Gf chimes in and tells him that my visa expires today he has to leave. I was then ushered through.Now, that could’ve been avoided if we had left earlier AND not purchased cheap airport express tickets on Xianyu.And offered a night out, so we go!A German guy who’s been backpacking for the last month, French girl who’s studying Bahasa Indonesian in Bandung (full scholarship), and. New Zealander doing a search for his roots in China.Windy and cold!How’s the hostel?? Cheap, but… now I’m reminded of how small the rooms are and… gritty.And now… an interview with Morgan and Amos from Australia!Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingSafe travels!!00:00 Back in Korea00:59 Cheap Ticket Chaos02:31 Check In Cutoff05:35 Flight and Arrival07:05 Six Month Surprise08:49 Hostel Life Mapo12:28 Logistics and Gym Talk16:37 Meeting Hostel Travelers17:46 Fried Chicken Night29:28 Seoul Versus Beijing34:12 Interview Setup Aussies37:23 Morgan and Amos Intro38:56 Travel Plans and Teaching43:24 Canada Visa Fee Rant44:58 Brexit Visa Headaches45:41 Working Holiday Age Limits46:45 Why He Chose Teaching48:20 Rural Placement Bonuses50:41 How Rural Is Rural51:55 Family Roots Wales to Oz55:29 First Impressions of Seoul56:35 Next Stops Gyeongju Busan58:40 Seoul Highlights and Neighborhoods01:03:22 Why Korea Over Japan01:05:28 Food Expectations and Budget Eats01:09:29 Night Tents Soju Bombs01:10:55 Soju Gets You Fast01:11:41 Next Stops Beyond Seoul01:12:32 Museum Fatigue Ancient Pots01:13:48 Learning Korean Basics01:16:02 Eating Like Locals01:18:48 Planning Routes By Train01:22:08 Monolingual Aussies Abroad01:23:28 Hostel Life Digital Nomads01:26:08 Minimalism After Van Life01:28:19 Korean Beer Cass vs Terra01:33:06 Techno Nights Live Music01:36:19 Next Trip Sri Lanka Debate01:38:40 Wrapping Up The Chat
Transcribe →
SSAB - May 7, 2026
2w ago00:49:46Tap to summarizeOMG! DON’T WORKOUT AND THEN EAT CAROLINA REAPER BEEF JERKY! OWWWWIEEEE! Each idea unto itself was good, the beer, the jerky, the curry. All together? OUCH! “Like menstrual cramps”.Streaming and broadcasting, thinking… a comprehensible English podcast? A relaunch of the Language Vlog Podcast but intended for language learners. Do I have to do this? Or do I vibe code some website?Ready to go? Seoul baby! Am I excited? Not really! Let’s hope this doesn’t fk up!And an article on using Claude in China… everyone is using it and the government won’t stop them. Besides, KYC out of Cambodia?? HS! Article: https://substack.com/home/post/p-196186465-“On September 5, 2025, Anthropic further prohibited access from any entity more than 50% owned, directly or indirectly, by companies headquartered in unsupported regions like China, regardless of where that entity operates.”-“The Worldcoin black market offered a documented precedent, with iris scans harvested from KYC merchants in Cambodia and Kenya, sold for under $30.”-Italian airports are stealing MacBooks and credit cards… I seem to recall this happening in Manila, too.-“A user selects Opus 4.7, but the proxy can silently route to Sonnet, Haiku, or, in the worst case, GLM or Qwen, and fraudulently relabel the output.”-“Every request that passes through a proxy — full prompt, full response, tool calls, iterations — is sitting on the proxy operator’s server. For AI coding agents, those logs contain long reasoning chains, real engineering decisions, repository context, and human-verified correct outputs.”Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great one!!00:00 Reaper Jerky Regret00:35 Visa Countdown Seoul Flight02:40 Packing Light Travel Risks04:44 Insurance And Gear Choices07:51 Content Workflow Burnout15:11 Comprehensible English Pivot18:53 Vibe Coding Reality Check22:56 Claude Code In China25:39 KYC Evasion Black Market27:55 Passport Forgery Markets29:28 Airport Theft Anxiety30:10 Travel Safety Mindset31:27 Proxy Basics Explained32:25 Token Spoofing Scam33:53 Proxy Logs Are Gold37:02 Cybersecurity Arms Race37:59 Vibe Coding Confession38:12 Carolina Reaper Regret42:44 Waves Of Stomach Pain46:55 Aftermath And Lessons48:36 Wrap Up And Links
Transcribe →
SSAB - May 6, 2026
2w ago00:40:41Tap to summarizeFriday is D-Day! Departure day that is. As far as I understand the rules on the Chinese Embassy to Canada’s website, it’s entry day+1 for the 30 days. That is, the count doesn’t start until the day after so technically (hopefully) my visa doesn’t expire until Saturday. Good, tickets are a little better on Friday than Thursday.Will be hosteling it up and wondering, how will this go? Will I even want to do this?Is teaching really the only thing I can do?Chinese markets open again.And niche vs newspaper? Maybe my niche is being a newspaper?Oh, and workouts in! 7km in the morning (45.34), then another 6.45km in the afternoon (42.44). Will do kbells after this recording!Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great one!!00:00 Cold Open Setup00:32 Visa Run Countdown03:13 Hostel vs Hotel Debate06:48 Flight Timing Plan09:16 Two Week Asia Route15:36 Teaching Visa Paperwork17:05 Is Teaching All I Do21:06 China Markets Recap24:21 Niche or Newspaper32:30 Workouts and Supplements38:03 Wrap Up and Links
Transcribe →
SSAB - May 5, 2026
2w ago00:44:09Tap to summarizeEnd of the long weekend and getting closer to departure day, where shall I go?More live streams done, spending much of my morning editing clips. Will need to get some help for this.Thinking about my stuff and it’s not about the stuff I’ll get rid of, it’s about the stuff I’ll keep: where will I put it?GOLD STOCKS bottoming?? Chinese markets open again tomorrow.And marriages abound! Did my video editor get married??Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great one!! 00:00 Weekend Wrap and Departure Looms00:34 Visa Run Plan to Seoul04:06 Turning Trip Into Vlog Series06:48 Language Content and AI Workflow10:52 Editors Clips and Platform Strategy17:27 Monetizing Travel Not Vacation21:08 Packing Minimalist Travel Setup24:13 Apartment Stuff and Storage Dilemma28:17 China Contract and Expat Sunk Cost34:09 Gold Stocks Bottoming Watchlist40:56 Editor Wedding Rumor and Wrap Up
Transcribe →
SSAB - May 4, 2026
2w ago00:41:59Tap to summarizeMay the Fourth be with you! And such and such.Prepping to get going, where should I go? Should I go around the world? How much stuff AM I taking with me?Posting to XHS and developing a better Chinese subtitle workflow — it’s getting easier.Substack and live streaming, what if I just focused on one platform, not ten??And how was Burger Fest?Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great one!! 00:00 Morning Setup and Plans00:58 May the Fourth Chat03:28 China Holiday Weekend06:34 BurgerFest Highlights14:59 Former Student Surprise20:37 Running and Gym Routine22:14 Visa Run Countdown25:10 Budget Travel Route Ideas28:51 Gear Packing and What Ifs34:38 Substack and Xiaohongshu Workflow39:30 Focus One Platform40:38 Wrap Up and Links
Transcribe →