Day 25–29 · Last Week Review

Day 25–29 · Last Week Review

Day 25 · I Poured Another Glass So this weekend, I had a picnic with a friend. Out in the park. We laid out a blanket. Wine, bread, fruit. All takeout, honestly. Nothing fancy. The weather was perfect. I just sat there, doing nothing for once. And there were two kids next to us, sharing one ice cream. Both racing to finish it before it melts. It was the sweetest little rush. Honestly, I was kinda jealous. Then it hits me. My life is heavy. Bills, deadlines, Monday's almost here. I poured another glass. The kids kept laughing. Day 26 · Meet a Stranger? Monday morning. A stranger DMed me out of the blue. Turns out, she wanted to ask about my career switch. Switching into tech. Said she's been stuck for a while. Truth is, I don't usually meet people from the internet. Makes me nervous. But I get it. I've been there before. Working up the courage to reach out to other people for help isn't easy. I mean, if I just turned her down, would she ever DM anyone again? You know what? I even flipped a coin. Heads yes, tails no. It came up tails. But I typed back anyway. "Tomorrow after work?" Yeah, I'm a little rebellious, I know. Got her reply right away. Three exclamation marks. "Thanks!!!" I put my phone down. I suddenly felt tomorrow getting closer. Day 27 · Don't Be Too Polite After work, I walked over to the coffee shop on the corner. She was already there. I spotted her right away. The only one with her laptop closed, just staring at the door. She apologized like five times before I even sat down. "Sorry to take up your time," she kept saying. Look, I had to cut her off. If we kept being this polite, we'd waste the whole night. So I asked her straight up. Which companies. How many interviews. Where she was stuck. Then I pulled up my own resume on my laptop. I mean, walked her through the whole thing, showed her what to highlight. We mapped out a four-step plan. Fix the resume. Keep applying to big companies. At least three LeetCode problems a day. And hey, listen to my podcast too. That's how you prepare behavioral questions in English. Honestly, once I got direct, she relaxed too. We focused on the real pain points together. Walking out. Turns out, meeting someone from online isn't as scary as I imagined. Day 28 · Unspoken Thing Wednesday. Honestly, it's my favorite day of the week. I know that sounds weird. But let me explain. Here's my theory. Once Wednesday hits, the week's halfway gone. Weekend's right around the corner. Plus, I've got a special Wednesday routine. And it's a good one. There's a bubble tea shop right downstairs from my office. And on Wednesdays, their signature drink is half off. Total hump day lifesaver. I've been showing up the same time every week. Turns out, I'm a regular now. The boss doesn't even ask anymore. Just starts making my usual. But here's the thing. Every time, he doubles up on the pearls. I never asked. But I always tip him a little extra in return. It's our unspoken thing. And honestly, it makes my whole week. Walking back upstairs, sipping. Only two days before the wonderful weekend hits. Hang in there, I can do this. Day 29 · Open Secret Wednesday afternoon. Casy came over to my desk with that look in her eye. You know the look. The "I've got something interesting" face. She leaned in to spill the tea. "Did you know Joe and Lin are dating?" My jaw actually dropped. But honestly? In hindsight, it kind of makes sense. Turns out, all those "random" coffee runs? Not so random. I felt a little guilty. Like, should we even be talking about this? Casy waved it off. "Everyone knows. We're literally the last to know." Plus, honestly? We're all rooting for them. They actually click. We agreed to keep it off the record. You know, until they tell people themselves. And walking back to my desk, I caught myself grinning like an idiot. Office gossip is the worst. But honestly, kind of the best.

Day 30–34 · Current Week Review

Beta App invite → WeChat: TingMateEn Day 30 · Cheers to Right Now This weekend, I went to my friend's housewarming party. Here's the thing. She didn't buy the place. She rented it. But it's still a big deal. Ten years in the US. This is her first time living in a house. Honestly, international student life isn't all that fancy. You're moving abroad, learning English, finding a job, then the H1B lottery. She kept going year after year. Reapplying, waiting, refusing to quit. This year, she finally got picked. The H1B came through. She said she's safe for three years now. She really deserves this moment. Honestly, anyone who keeps going knows this feeling. So I made this episode for her. We raised our glasses. Cheers to right now. Day 31 · Beta is Here Hey, are you guys ready? And I've got some good news for you today. First of all, you guys are crazy. I mean, I never expected this many people to love TingMate. So I started working on the app launch. But honestly, the process is slower than I thought. So in the meantime, I built something for you. Yeah! I built a beta version of TingMate. There's a web version, an iOS test app, and an Android install file. I only have limited spots for beta testing. I'd love to hear what you think. Your feedback will literally shape the real launch. So if you want to give it a try, check today's cover. Add me on WeChat. The ID's already on the cover and show notes. Thank you for being here for each other. Day 32 · That "Morning" Monday morning, and I slept in. I drank way too much at the housewarming last night. I can't really drink much, but I just love a good drink. I threw on some clothes and rushed out the door. Just my luck, the elevator was slow. I snuck into the office, hoping no one would notice. Then I saw him. My boss was right by the door. He looked up and said, "Morning!" Real chill. I forced a smile and said, "Morning!" back. Just as chill. I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop. My heart was still racing. He glanced at the clock. Then he looked back at me, still smiling. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to. I got the message. Loud and clear. I started typing twice as fast. Day 33 · What a Morning Listen, I'm not kidding. This just happened this morning. I woke up pretty early. So I planned to walk my dog for a bit longer. We were on the lakeside path around the apartment. All of a sudden, I saw a snake right on the path. My neighbors actually keep talking about snakes in the group chat. But I didn't really take it seriously. That snake was about five feet long. My dog and the snake just froze. I stood there watching them. Dead silent. I even thought about calling 911. Then the snake stuck its tongue out at me. Oh my gosh, what do I do? Is it venomous? But then she just slithered away. What a way to start the day. Day 34 · What a Way to End the Night Listen, I'm so done with this. So I just got pulled over on my way home. I was driving back from dinner at my friend's place. I came up to this stop sign at the corner. And I stopped. I swear, I stopped. But the cop said I didn't come to a full stop. I've been in the States for three years now. And this is the third time. Like, the third! Every single time, it's the middle of the night. There's literally no other car on the road. I mean, you'd see the headlights from a mile away. Are these cops just trying to hit their quota or what? And now I owe, like, three hundred bucks. And to make matters worse, my insurance is gonna go up. And the cop even said, "Drive safe, have a good night." Honestly, what a way to end the night.

Day 34 · What a Way to End the Night

Beta app invite → WeChat: TingMateEn A slow English story about Pulled over for a stop sign — third time in three years, always at night. 16 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Listen, I'm so done with this. So I just got pulled over on my way home. I was driving back from dinner at my friend's place. I came up to this stop sign at the corner. And I stopped. I swear, I stopped. But the cop said I didn't come to a full stop. I've been in the States for three years now. And this is the third time. Like, the third! Every single time, it's the middle of the night. There's literally no other car on the road. I mean, you'd see the headlights from a mile away. Are these cops just trying to hit their quota or what? And now I owe, like, three hundred bucks. And to make matters worse, my insurance is gonna go up. And the cop even said, "Drive safe, have a good night." Honestly, what a way to end the night. 🔑 Vocabulary • pulled over /pʊld ˈoʊvər/ • full stop /fʊl stɑːp/ • come up to /kʌm ʌp tuː/ • owe /oʊ/ • to make matters worse /tə meɪk ˈmætərz wɜːrs/ • on my way home /ɒn maɪ weɪ hoʊm/ • stop sign /stɑːp saɪn/ • I swear /aɪ swɛr/ • the States /ðə steɪts/ • every single time /ˈɛvri ˈsɪŋɡəl taɪm/ • middle of the night /ˈmɪdl əv ðə naɪt/ • headlights /ˈhɛdlaɪts/ • from a mile away /frəm ə maɪl əˈweɪ/ • hit their quota /hɪt ðɛr ˈkwoʊtə/ • three hundred bucks /θriː ˈhʌndrəd bʌks/ • gonna /ˈɡʌnə/ • drive safe /draɪv seɪf/ • have a good night /hæv ə ɡʊd naɪt/ • what a way to end the night /wɒt ə weɪ tə ɛnd ðə naɪt/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

Day 33 · What a Morning

A slow English story about An early morning dog walk that turned wild — a five-foot snake right on the path. 15 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Listen, I'm not kidding. This just happened this morning. I woke up pretty early. So I planned to walk my dog for a bit longer. We were on the lakeside path around the apartment. All of a sudden, I saw a snake right on the path. My neighbors actually keep talking about snakes in the group chat. But I didn't really take it seriously. That snake was about five feet long. My dog and the snake just froze. I stood there watching them. Dead silent. I even thought about calling 911. Then the snake stuck its tongue out at me. Oh my gosh, what do I do? Is it venomous? But then she just slithered away. What a way to start the day. 🔑 Vocabulary • 911 /naɪn wʌn wʌn/ • woke up early /woʊk ʌp ˈɜːrli/ • take it seriously /teɪk ɪt ˈsɪriəsli/ • stuck out /stʌk aʊt/ • venomous /ˈvenəməs/ • what a way to start the day /wɒt ə weɪ tə stɑːrt ðə deɪ/ • froze /froʊz/ • slither away /ˈslɪðər əˈweɪ/ • lakeside path /ˈleɪksaɪd pæθ/ • all of a sudden /ɔːl əv ə ˈsʌdn/ • actually /ˈæktʃuəli/ • group chat /ɡruːp tʃæt/ • five feet long /faɪv fiːt lɔːŋ/ • dead silent /ded ˈsaɪlənt/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.

Day 32 · That "Morning"

A slow English story about Monday morning, an overslept hangover, and a boss who said it without saying it. 14 simple sentences. Word by word. 📝 Today's sentences Monday morning, and I slept in. I drank way too much at the housewarming last night. I can't really drink much, but I just love a good drink. I threw on some clothes and rushed out the door. Just my luck, the elevator was slow. I snuck into the office, hoping no one would notice. Then I saw him. My boss was right by the door. He looked up and said, "Morning!" Real chill. I forced a smile and said, "Morning!" back. Just as chill. I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop. My heart was still racing. He glanced at the clock. Then he looked back at me, still smiling. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to. I got the message. Loud and clear. I started typing twice as fast. 🔑 Vocabulary • slept in /slept ɪn/ • threw on /θruː ɒn/ • rushed out /rʌʃt aʊt/ • just my luck /dʒʌst maɪ lʌk/ • forced a smile /fɔːrst ə smaɪl/ • glanced at /ɡlænst æt/ • heart racing /hɑːrt ˈreɪsɪŋ/ • housewarming /ˈhaʊsˌwɔːrmɪŋ/ • lightweight /ˈlaɪtweɪt/ • snuck into /snʌk ˈɪntə/ • chill /tʃɪl/ • didn't say a word /ˈdɪdnt seɪ ə wɜːrd/ • loud and clear /laʊd ənd klɪər/ • twice as fast /twaɪs əz fæst/ 🎧 New episode every weekday Subscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.