SSAB - January 17, 2025

“Decades have passed since the last high-ranking Bangladeshi general visited Pakistan, and no Pakistani spymaster had ever met with a president of Tajikistan. Given the depth of their historical disagreements, the visits underscore the magnitude of the changes underway.” -Do you think what you do is important? But it’s important to you right now. https://geopoliticalfutures.com/china-and-strategic-realignments-in-south-asia/? Changed up the routine as was feeling just a little out of sorts. Can a routine be a bad thing when it’s stopping you from dealing with other pressing issues? Did get a run in after lunch: 7.02km weighted vest run in 1 hr 10 min 30 sec, with all the typical push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, etc. Is XHS already declining? Or is it just me? Looking at stuff to get rid of: how fast can you read a book? TikTok ban to go into effect this weekend? Or will it be stymied? Chinese stocks doing well until the close. Western stocks a falling. In preparation for Trump? Donate to the show! PayPal link below! https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA *** Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4 December Drumming 2024 over here: https://skrskimuzik.bandcamp.com/album/december-drumming-2024 Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com (soon to be AI generated!) Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog Hope you have a great weekend! 00:00 Introduction and Initial Thoughts 00:17 Geopolitical Insights: Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Beyond 06:12 Privacy Concerns and Surveillance 09:08 Language Learning Routines and Challenges 18:52 Morning Routine Changes and Reflections 19:58 Exploring Beijing and Social Observations 21:56 Fitness Routine and Winter Challenges 25:13 Social Media Trends: Xiaohongshu and TikTok 32:13 Stock Market Updates and Predictions 33:35 Conclusion and Sign-Off