049 Berkeley Fire Trails Fall, and the Pumpkin Game

In this episode, we'll be talking about three main topics: my story about falling down a mountain in college, a reminder that a lot of things we see today on SNS are fake, and also, my current favorite game, Farmer Was Replaced. As always, all of these stories will be told by me at a "Kuli English Level", which is meant for intermediate English learners!

Bookmark Chapters:

00:00 Start
04:48 Falling down the Fire Trails Hike
22:17 The problem with fake things on SNS
33:11 Pumpkin game!

Transcript

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Kuli English Podcast. It's me, your host, Chris. So, uh, in today's episode, well, first of all, if you're listening to this and this is like your second episode, because you listened, like, to the previous episode and the previous one had this, like, nice name, oh, how to learn English using this podcast.

Well then, thank you so much for, like, trying it out, and I hope that this is going to be something that you can continue for a long time. So my goal is not for you to just listen to, like, one podcast episode or, like, two episodes. I want you to, like, make listening to English, like, part of your daily habit.

Because if it fits into some kind of small crack somewhere, if it fits into your lifestyle, like, maybe just a couple minutes a day, five minutes a day, or I don't know, ten minutes a day while you're on the train or something, then that's probably going to be something that, uh, it's going to have a lot of good impact on you later on. Like, later on, after you've been listening for, like, a year or so, I think you'll probably really notice that, oh, actually, I'm better at listening to English. Now, I don't know if you'll get better at speaking English, because speaking is, like, a different muscle, and you have to exercise that muscle to get better at speaking.

But listening, just doing a lot of listening will definitely improve your listening, even though it might not feel like it sometimes. And trust me, I know the pain from, like, my studies in Japanese as well. 

So, I have a topic for today, but before I talk about that main topic, let me talk a little bit about, like, I guess, like, being fake.

So, fake is, like, the opposite of, like, real or honest. So, for example, if I were to, like... Actually, I have an example, like, from my real life, but... So, if you like shoes, and I, like, don't really care that much about shoes, but you probably know the brand, like, Vans. So, Vans are, like, these kind of, like, I don't know, street sneakers kind of type thing, and they're not really, like, exercise sneakers, like Nike.

Nike is, like, a good example of, like, exercise shoes or, like, Adidas or something. Like, they're meant for sports or they're meant for running. But then Vans, like, they look like they're, like, kind of okay for exercise stuff, but they're not actually that good.

They, like, match well with, like, skateboard outfits. But, like, I like Vans, but they're a little bit expensive, or at least I used to think they were expensive back when I was a student. And then once I went to Taiwan, and then in Taiwan... So, Taiwan has, like, a different, like, cost of stuff than in the U.S., right? So, in the U.S., if I were to buy, like, real Vans, it's kind of expensive, maybe, like, $50, $60 or something.

And then I went to Taiwan, and there's this, like, underground market area. It's underneath, like, the main area. So, the main area of Taipei in Taiwan, there's this underground mall called, like, the... Actually, we're going to try to keep everything in English.

So, in that mall area, like, I saw these things that looked just like Vans. And these are called knockoff Vans, okay? They're called knockoff because they're not real Vans, but they look like real Vans. And then their price, I think it was, like, $5 or $6.

It was, like, dirt cheap, dirt cheap meaning, like, very, very cheap. So, $5 or $6, like, in the U.S. and California, you probably can't even buy, like, a meal. If I wanted to go out and eat lunch, I'm going to need more than $7.

But if you go to the underground mall beneath the Taipei main station, there are, like, shops that sell stuff that look pretty nice, but actually they're really cheap and they're not the real brand. So, that is, like, a fake luxury brand. It looks like the real thing, but it's actually fake.

And you can call it a knockoff, you can call it fake. Maybe it's a little bit negative, but, I mean, it's kind of true. They're not really Vans.

And then, of course, they don't say Vans. It'll have some logo that looks like the original Vans, but actually it's not the real thing. And you sometimes see these knockoffs in, like, other places too.

For example, like, Louis Vuitton. Louis Vuitton is a famous, like, luxury bag brand. And I think it's more often the case that girls like luxury bags.

But, you know, they'll have these really expensive bags and they'll, like, line up in really long lines to buy these things. But you can also buy knockoff versions of those where it's not the real brand, it's not the real item, but it looks very, very much like it. So when other people see it from far away, they can't really tell.

So, you know, like, this is, like, fake stuff. This is knockoff stuff. And I'm going to be talking a little bit about fake stuff, a little bit about knockoff stuff, and a little bit about how I am fake.

And I'll tell you more about that, but after this short little music break. 

All right, so let's talk about fake stuff. So, actually, I want to continue that story about the shoes that I bought.

So, again, as a quick little review, there's this brand of shoes called, like, Vans. And I kind of like how they looked. I don't really have them anymore.

But I went to Taiwan and I got some really cheap ones. And they were, like, you know, $5 or $6. And then I was so happy that I found something that, like, looks like the way that I want it, and is also really cheap.

Because I'm, like, kind of cheap at heart. Cheap at heart meaning, like, I'm stingy. Like, I don't like to spend money.

But, like, deep down, when I buy something that's cheap and it's good, I'm like, oh, yeah, like, I feel really good about myself. So I felt really good about myself after I bought those nice shoes. And then I think I kept using those shoes, like, until they broke.

So it was, like, a year or two. But let me tell you about, like, the reason why I ended up throwing those Vans away. And so this is going to go into this one story.

I'm not sure if I've talked about it in this podcast. I probably haven't before. But this is going to be yet another story where I almost died.

And, again, remember, I'm still here, okay? So right now I am here, which means that I didn't die. So as I tell you the story, like, you already know the ending. And maybe that makes it less fun.

But when I talk about these stories, like, it's a real, like, experience for me. I don't know. It kind of shaped the way that I thought.

But, anyways, let's rewind. And I'm going to tell you the story, okay?

So once upon a time, there was Chris. And Chris was going to college, okay? So I was going to college.

And then we all decided, we meaning, like, me and some friends, we all decided to go hiking. So there was a group of one, two, three, four, five. Five people? Yeah, five people.

We're all going hiking. And there's this one hike near the college campus. Like, I went to college in Berkeley.

You don't have to know where that is. But there is this trail. The trail is, like, the path that you follow when you go hiking.

But this trail is called the fire trails hike. And the fire trails hike, it's actually not that hard of a hike. So I think, you know, most of the hiking paths, like, it depends on who you ask.

But people who go hiking a lot, like, they'll tell you, like, oh, this is easy. This is easy. Everything is easy.

The whole world is easy. But actually, like, for people like me, and I don't know about you, but I haven't really gone hiking that much. So, like, I don't actually know, like, when other people say easy, like, okay, so how easy is it? Because, like, you know, the easiest thing is, like, for me to, like, walk out of my apartment and, like, I walk to the nearby convenience store.

That's a really, really easy hike. But when someone says really easy, what does that mean? And I don't really have a good answer for that. So sorry for asking questions that I don't even know the answer to.

But the fire trails hike, it's not actually that hard of a hike. And that's based on my personal opinion. And I haven't really been hiking much.

But basically, I did something kind of really stupid on the hike. 

So we're all hiking. And I think we had to kind of, like, go forwards along this path.

And the path is, like, already decided. Like, there's this kind of, like, a dirt path that you're supposed to follow. And then, I mean, you can go kind of off the path.

But, you know, this is, like, life. So you can kind of go off the path that other people recommend for you. Or you can follow the path that people recommend for you.

And it doesn't really matter. Like, it's kind of your choice. So then we're going and we're generally following the path.

And then I had a stupid idea. I was like, wait a minute. Why are we following this path that other people told us? Like, we are smart. We can find our own path. And so what I started doing is I started, like, kind of I can see the path. And we're going all the way to the right.

And then we go all the way to the left. And then I could see the part where we're going to get to. Like, if we were to follow this path, we would reach that point in about, I don't know, five or ten minutes.

And I was just thinking, well, you know what? Why don't we just skip this part and then, like, climb up here? So I'm, like, willing to put a little bit more effort so that we can get there a little bit faster. And that was my thought process. And I was like, let's do this.

And, like, I think my friends were all like, no, that's a stupid idea. Let's not do that. And then I was like, okay, well, suit yourself.

I'm going to go up there early. And I'm going to wait for you guys is what I said. And then, so, like, I started, like, climbing up this path, like, myself.

And it was, like, kind of steep. And there was, like, a lot of grass. And you'll never guess what shoes I was wearing.

What shoes were I wearing? I was wearing the Vans, the five, six-dollar fake Vans from Taiwan. So they look like Vans, but they're not actually Vans because they're, like, fake. And they're really cheap.

And I was so proud of them. And then, like, as I was climbing up, like, these shoes aren't meant for hiking, okay? So Vans in the first place, if you buy, like, the real Vans, like, the best Vans, they're not really meant for hiking. They're meant for, like, looking good.

Like, they're meant for looking good while riding a skateboard. Like, that's the kind of look. It's not meant for hiking.

So you'll never guess what happened. And when I say that, it's, like, sarcastic. So I say you'll never guess what happened.

But what I mean is you can probably guess what happened. So you can probably guess what happened. I slipped, all right? So the shoes went, whew.

I slipped. And then, like, I was kind of, like, on this little hill. And so I slipped.

And then I don't know. I guess it's hard to explain. But when people, so when you or I or, like, anyone falls, like, it's really natural to, like, you know, catch yourself.

So if you're, like, going to fall forward, you usually don't fall on your face. You should, like, use your hands to, like, grab anything. Or, like, at the very least, you, like, use your hands on the ground.

And then you stop yourself from, like, boom, crashing into the ground. Or if you're going to, like, fall backwards, like, you know, you, like, swing your arms naturally. It's a natural instinct.

So then I kind of caught myself. But, like, because it was so steep, because the angle was, like, kind of a little bit hard, I couldn't really stop just by, you know, like, grabbing with my arms. So, like, my hands, you know, they're kind of, like, in the grass and, like, the dirt.

And it's not that bad, okay? It didn't really hurt at first. It didn't hurt at first. But then I, like, slipped a little bit.

And then I started, like, kind of running. And I was, like, running against my will. So against my will meaning, like, I didn't want to.

What I wanted to do was I wanted to stop. But because it was, like, at this hill and, like, my hands were kind of dragging, like, my feet, I didn't really know what to do. So the only thing I could do is kind of, like, basically run a little bit.

Like, kind of follow along and go with it. That way I can still have some sense of control of, like, where I'm going. And I don't really know what I was thinking in my mind.

I was just thinking, like, oh, I got to stop. So then, like, I started running. But because it's so steep, I couldn't, like, slow down my running.

So, like, at first it was, like, a little bit of running. Like, okay, let me try to stop. And then, like, the running turns into, like, fast running.

And it's like, uh-oh, this is not looking good. I got to stop. And then the running turns into sprinting.

And sprinting is, like, it means you're running at, like, your highest possible speed. Sprinting is, like, what you do when you're trying to win a race, a short race. So, like, I went from jogging to running to sprinting.

And then, you know, I can't go any faster than sprinting. No one can go any faster than they can sprint. So then at some point I, like, fell,

But because the hill was, like, actually a pretty long hill. Like, after I fell, you know, it's not like, oof, and then, like, I fall on some pillows and then I'm done. It's like, oh, okay, I'm safe.

No, it was none of that. It was actually, I kept rolling. So, like, instead of running with my feet, I was, like, running with my body.

So I was, like, rolling and rolling and, like, tumbling and, you know, spinning and stuff. And I was, like, oh, man. 

And then let me tell you, okay, so actually there's some really good life advice here that I could give you.

And if there's one thing you're ever going to remember from this episode, it's that when you are falling in any circumstance, you generally just go with it, okay? So you shouldn't tighten up your body. You don't want to tighten up your body or, like, try to stop it with your hands. You want to just roll with it.

So, you know, if the hill forces you to, like, flip onto your back, flip on your back and you just take it and you continue. And that way, like, it doesn't really hurt as much and you're less likely to break stuff. If you, like, really, really resist and you're, like, I'm not going to fall.

I'm going to stop myself from falling and you, like, push and stuff. Like, that's how you break bones and that's how you actually get hurt more. So then I was, like, okay, I know what I'm doing because, you know, I fell off my scooter when I was a kid in, like, the second grade.

And this hurt a lot. And then after that, I remembered, okay, any time I fall, I'm just going to take it. So then, like, I fell down the hill.

But then I don't think I've never fell, like, so much in my life. Like, that was the one time in my life where, like, I kept falling. And because, like, I fell, I rolled a little bit and I was, like, is this hill ever going to stop? And then it, like, didn't really stop for, I don't know, I think I was rolling for, like, I don't know, 10 seconds or something.

10 seconds doesn't really sound like a long time. But to me, it felt really, really long. And then eventually, finally, finally, the hill, like, stopped having such a steep angle and it started, like, leveling out.

So it was a little bit more flat. And so we were kind of further along in this trail. It's called the fire trails hike.

Like, we were kind of further along. So it's not like you can just, like, fall down a hill for 10 seconds and you go back to the start. Like, we were actually pretty far.

So then after I got to that area where it finally slowed down, like, I realized, like, three different things. Like, number one, number one, like, there were some trees kind of in the way and I'm, like, really lucky that I didn't, like, bump into a tree. Because if you bump into a tree, you know, that's, you know how I just said before, when you're falling, you don't want to, like, try to stop yourself.

You just kind of, like, roll with it and then eventually you'll slowly stop and then that's, like, the better way to do it. But if you hit a tree, that's, there's nothing you can do. You, like, you tumble, tumble, tumble, oof, you hit the tree, it's going to be really, really bad.

Like, probably something's going to be broken. So number one, I was, like, oh, man, I'm lucky I didn't hit a tree. And then another thing is I looked, I looked, like, over the side and then I realized, like, the hill, I stopped because the hill stopped being so steep, right? So the hill was, like, kind of going down and it kind of flattens out.

And then after I rolled my way down to the flat part, then I stopped kind of rolling faster. Eventually I rolled slower and then eventually I was able to stop and I was really lucky for not hitting a tree. But I realized that if I had kept rolling a little bit more, just a little bit more, there was actually a cliff.

So, like, this hill was actually, like, not done yet. And I just happened to hit this, like, checkpoint, this, like, part of the hill where it wasn't really steep. So then I went there and I rolled and then I was, like, oh, wow, I'm so lucky I didn't hit a tree.

And then I look off to the side and then I don't know if you know this feeling. It's kind of hard to explain, but sometimes when you're at a really high up location, like, a really high elevation, when you're really high off the ground, like, you know, at the top of a tower or, like, you're looking out the window of an apartment on a really high building or something, like, you get this feeling of, like, whoa. And then, like, you look at the ground and it's, like, oh, the ground is far away.

And then you temporarily, I don't know, for me it's probably, like, a second or two seconds or so, like, you lose your sense of balance. And I'm, like, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, am I okay here? And then I remember I looked off to the side and then it was pretty far down. Like, I looked really far and I was, like, wait a minute.

That looks pretty far away. And there's, like, a fence. There's, like, a spiked fence at the bottom.

And then I was just thinking, like, why would somebody put a spiked fence there? And I guess it's so that, you know, if anyone rolls down the hill and then tries to go into this area, like, the fence will stop them. But I was really lucky that I didn't fall off that hill, that cliff, and then, like, you know, into the fence. Because that, I don't think I would have something broken.

I'd probably just, you know, not be here today. But I didn't fall. And that was, like, the second good thing, right? So I noticed three things.

And the first thing was, oh, I didn't hit a tree. This is so nice. I'm, like, glad that I didn't, boom, crash into a tree.

That'd be terrible. And number two, I'm, like, oh, I'm so lucky that I didn't, like, you know, fall off this, like, hill thing and then, like, fall off the cliff and, like, get speared on the fence. Like, that would be pretty terrible.

And then the third thing was, like, why does, like, my butt hurt so much? And so, like, you know, all parts of my body hurt from, like, you know, tumbling and I was, like, bleeding and stuff. But then my butt hurt the most. Like, my left butt as if something had, like, stabbed it.

And then I looked at my left butt and, you know, I'm still wearing clothes, okay? So I'm, like, wearing clothes but I, like, lift up my shirt and I look at my butt. And I realized, like, a stick had, like, somehow stuck into my butt. And it's kind of funny now that I think about it.

Like, even though when I talk about this, like, if you're imagining it, you might be feeling like, oh, no, I feel sorry for this guy. But for me, you know, like, it's okay to laugh, okay? You have my permission to laugh. I want you to listen to the story and think freely about whatever you want.

So if you think, oh, this is stupid, you can think it's stupid. That's fine. I don't really care.

So anyways, like, there was a stick there. And then so I was, like, trying to go back up the hill. Well, first of all, like, I think my friend, she was, like, one person was, like, Chris, are you okay? And I was thinking, like, how is anyone going to be okay after falling down this? And then I was just thinking, well, you know, when I was in second grade and I, like, fell off my scooter.

And then, like, I did that thing where, like, I tried to stop myself. And then I ended up, like, scratching, like, a lot of my shoulder and skin on the pavement on, like, the road. And that was really painful.

I was, like, in a lot of pain. And then I cried a little bit. And then I called my mom.

I think I called my mom. I called my mom on my cell phone. I have, like, a little flip phone, a really old phone.

I was, like, Mom, I, like, fell. Can you come pick me up? And then my mom, like, drove the car, like, I don't know, two minutes to come pick me up because I wasn't far from home. She picked me up and then, like, went home.

And then, you know, like, every time I slept, I hurt. But I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking, like, I'm in a lot of pain.

Like, I want someone to come help me. But, you know, my mom was really far away from college because I went to college at a place that was far from home. And then so I was thinking, like, after that friend said, are you okay? And I was, like, I don't know.

And I, like, you know, checked myself. Am I okay? Do I have any broken limbs? Ah, my butt hurts. Oh, it's because there's a stick there.

And so I took that out. And then I was kind of, like, do you think you can come help me? It's, like, I don't know if I said that or maybe I just thought it. But then the response was, I don't think we can go down there.

Do you think you can come up? And then it's funny because, you know, it's a very reasonable thing to say. Like, I, like, fell, right? And then there's really no one to blame. It's, like, kind of my fault.

And then if I were, like, you know, like, really narcissistic. So if I, like, really can't blame myself and I love myself too much, I would say, like, oh, it's not my fault. It's the fault of the fake Vans.

Like, they shouldn't have made fake Vans. But, you know, like, before I already said I was so happy when I bought those fake Vans. So I love those fake Vans, and it's not the fault of them that I fell.

I fell because I tried to take that stupid shortcut. So then I was thinking, like, all right, well, you know, it's pretty reasonable that you guys don't want to fall down this path. It seems kind of dangerous.

So I guess I'll just go up. And I had no choice. So then I just climbed up, like, the hill.

And it took some time, but, like, you know, I'm climbing up really slowly because this time I don't want to slip again. I don't want to slip again because I'm, like, scared. If I slip, I might, you know, die or something.

And I didn't want to die. So then I, like, climbed back up. And then after that, I think my friends were like, oh, my God.

Oh, my God. Are you okay? And then I was kind of like, oh, I guess so. And they were like, okay, let's continue the hike.

And I was thinking, like, I don't want to continue. I want to go home. But, you know, I didn't say that because I didn't want to, like, hold back the group.

This is something that looking back, if it were me now, I would definitely say, oh, no, no, no, I'm going home because I'm, like, hurt and I don't want to hike anymore. You guys can, like, do whatever you want. I got to clean up these, like, you know, blood stuff and dirt.

But then, you know, at the time I was just like, okay, well, I'll keep going with my friends. So then we just continued the hike. We finished the hike.

We took some pictures. Not of me because I didn't really look good after the fall. But, like, there's this famous swing.

A swing is, like, in Japanese, like, the buranko. You sit on it and then you swing. It's, like, the thing that kids play at the park.

And there's, like, one swing at the end of the fire trails hike. And the people, like, took a picture there. Oh, yeah.

And there's, like, a sunset. And then, oh, yeah, you have a sunset in the background. And then, like, we all went back.

And then I had, like, the most painful shower of my life. Oh, that was the most painful shower ever. It wasn't even, like, the pain of, like, walking home.

The pain comes from the shower because when you shower, like, you know, water touches all the areas. And those areas were, like, you know, there's, like, dirt and, like, mud and, like, small little pieces of wood or leaves on it.

Uh-oh, sorry, I got a little timer that went off and then I think it cut off the video. But to continue the story, this whole thing, I'm not saying that, like, it's the shoes fault. I'm saying that I was really happy when I bought the shoes, but then now I don't buy cheap shoes anymore just because sometimes it's actually really nice if you can rely on your shoes for good grip. 

And I didn't want to risk it. So now I just buy, like, you know, brand name shoes. I never buy off-brand shoes, even though deep down I have, like, a cheap heart and I love buying cheap shoes. 

But anyways, so let's go ahead and take a short little break here and then I'm going to come back and I'm going to tell you about some more stuff.

All right, so in the beginning of this episode, I told you I'm going to tell you about some stuff relating to the word fake. So fake meaning, like, not real. 

And we talked about fake shoes and then we talked about some other things, like my big fall. I had a big fall. But I actually do want to talk to you about something a little bit more serious, which is kind of like being fake on social media. 

So, you know, we live now in a world where everyone has social media. So, like, everyone has Facebook, everyone has Instagram, or if they don't have one of them, they probably have the other. And then there's stuff like TikTok, there's YouTube shorts. 

And then a lot of these things, these SNS things, like, when you look at it, like, you see a lot of, I guess, idealized versions of people. Idealized meaning, like, they're so good that it might not be real. For example, like, people will upload some photos and they'll say, like, oh, these are some photos from this, like, hiking trip that I went on. 

And then they have, like, a hiking trip, but they, like, look really good. And it's like, wow, their skin looks perfect. You know, they don't have any pimples. 

They don't have any injuries. And their, like, outfit, it doesn't even match for hiking. Like, they basically went hiking to, like, take pictures. 

And they took pictures and then they upload those things. But then, and this is fine. I'm not saying that this is, like, evil or anything. 

But what happens is, like, people might accidentally get some thought in their mind that's kind of like, oh, well, you know, when they go hiking, they look really good. And then when I go hiking, like, I don't really look that good. And then this is, like, a really natural thing, I think, because, like, that's how we live life. 

Like, we do things and we, there's this phrase called, like uhh, monkey see, monkey do. Which means, like, you know, monkeys, which I guess are considered, like, not as smart as people, they're very simple, okay? If they see something, then they do it and they copy it. So, like, if you, like, eat a banana and you eat it by, like, opening it this way, then the monkey will see you open that banana. 

And then they do, they do the same thing. So, then they open the banana the same way. Or, like, I don't know, if you push a button and then the door opens and the sees that, it goes, like, oh, if I push the button, it'll open. 

And then they do that, too. So, monkeys see, monkey do. And, like, we as humans, we're just, like, kind of, like, smart monkeys.

So, when we see other people, then, like, we kind of compare and we think about it. Maybe if I go hiking, I can look good. Oh, maybe if I, like, you know, wear good clothes and then go hiking, I'll look even better or something like that. 

But I think some parts of these things are actually a little bit unhealthy. And so, you know, I'm not a doctor or anything. And I'm not saying that you have to listen to my advice. 

But this is just my personal opinion. But so, in particular, for music stuff. So, you know, I, like, I play guitar, right? And then sometimes I have, like, you know, singing performances, too. 

So, like, guitar and singing stuff. And then what I often do is I, like, hear, like, stuff on Instagram. So, Instagram has a really good algorithm where I'm, like, being sarcastic. 

I don't think it's actually that good. But Instagram always recommends to you the same stuff. And so, for me, I get a ton of guitar recommendations. 

And it's, like, people playing guitar. And then people playing guitar while singing. And some people just sing. 

Or some people, like, make music in certain ways. And I always think, like, oh, wow, that's really cool. That's really cool. 

But then there's, like, a part of me inside the back of my mind. And now let me also mention, okay, I'm not a professional musician. And it's not like I make, like, my living from music. 

So, it's not like, you know, if I'm not good at music, then my life is over. No, no, no. Music is just, like, a hobby for me. 

And I kind of like it. But some part of me is definitely comparing myself with those people that I see online. And so, those people, you know, they play some music and it sounds really good. 

And then I think, like, oh, wow, that looks really cool. And then, like, the unhealthy part is sometimes the people that upload these things, it's actually fake. And I think that when I realized that it's fake, like, I realized, wait, I think I was comparing myself with them. 

And this is something that might be a little bit embarrassing for me to admit. Because I guess, you know, like, the most wholesome thing, wholesome meaning, like, a very good, you're in a good state of mind. And you're, like, Buddha, you know, you have a lot of self-confidence and you don't compare with anything, you don't have any worldly desires or something. 

But a really wholesome version of that would be to just, you know, look at it and say, okay, that's fine, but that has nothing to do with me. And that's probably the best way to do it. But it's really hard to do it because we're all humans. 

And we're all pretty, you know, like, simple, instinctive creatures. Instinctive meaning, like, we have these feelings and we want to act on those feelings. I want to compare, I want to sound like that guy that I saw on Instagram. 

But, you know, sometimes there are these videos. And there is this video that I think was kind of getting popular on YouTube, this whole topic of videos, where people were talking about fake musicians on TikTok. So, you know, there's Instagram, there's Facebook, and then a different SNS, a different social media system is TikTok. 

And then on TikTok, it's just, like, short videos. So then, like, people will have these, like, recordings of covers of, like, you know, duets or, or, like, four-person peoples, like, quartets is what you call them, where you have, like, four people and they, like, do some stuff. And then somebody's singing, somebody's singing, like, the harmony. 

And then everything sounds, like, perfect. But, like, it's filmed in, like, a kitchen. So it's, like, a normal, like, kitchen at home. 

And then these people, like, sing. And then it's, like, absolutely perfect. And then someone else comes in and it's also perfect. 

And then, like, three or four people sing and it's all perfect. And then it's, like, so good that it, like, can't be real. And then, like, you have these videos of people that actually analyze it. 

And they're, like, yeah, this is, like, physically impossible. Like, to get that kind of high-quality audio, you need, like, a special microphone. So, like, I use a special microphone for podcasting. 

You would use a different microphone for, like, music stuff because, you know, voice stuff sounds different when you're, like, singing versus just talking. And then, so then what happens is, like, I remember when I watched these videos, I was thinking, oh, wow, these people are so good at singing. They're, like, much better than me. 

And it makes me think, oh, man, I don't think I'll ever sound like that. But then afterwards, some people were looking at the video and they're, like, yeah, this is, like, fake. This is definitely fake. 

And then I was thinking, like, oh, well, I feel a little bit betrayed. Like, betrayed, I don't know. I feel like I trusted them. 

I trusted that they were singing in their kitchen. But actually, they weren't singing in their kitchen. They, like, cheated. 

And they made the video look like they were singing in the kitchen. And, you know, they just did it in one take. One take, meaning they tried recording it once and then they didn't have to do a second or a third recording. 

It was just, like, all in one take. And it's, like, oh, wow, so they must be so good because if they can do it in one take, that means they do it, like, at that level normally. So, you know, normal people, they mess up and then have to do it again. 

So, you know, there's, like, all this stuff about fake stuff. But I also need to admit that in this podcast, when I talk about things, I have a promise, which is up until now. So, you know, from episode one up until whatever this episode is, which is, I think, 48 or 49, like, I have always done all these things, like, live.

So, it's not like I go and, like, edit in different audio. And then, like, you know, my face is moving. But then actually, I'm like, oh, let me put in some high quality audio. 

Let me change it. Like, number one, I don't do that. And number two, if I could do that, it seems like a lot of work. 

So, all these things that I do, they are, like, a single long take. So, like, up until the break section, at least, it's actually just me talking. And there's, like, no, like, fake AI stuff. 

Everything's real. The only thing that I apply for this microphone audio is, like, volume boosting stuff. So, I only mess with the volume boosting. 

And so, that way, like, it's a little bit easier to hear. And it's because the way that you record professionally on, like, a microphone is you don't want the audio to be too loud in the very beginning, because you might actually lose, like, details of the sound. So, then what I do is I record it at, it's, like, 40, 49 percent volume. 

I have, like, a special microphone. So, I have to do 49 percent. And then afterwards, I, like, boost up the volume. 

But what I don't want you to compare with is, like, oh, so it must be that Chris talks like this always. So, Chris's English is always this articulate. And that's not the case. 

Okay? So, that's definitely not the case. It's because I have, like, notes. I don't have notes this time. 

But sometimes I have notes on the side. And then I look at the notes. And then I'm talking. 

So, having notes is, like, kind of, like, a little bit cheating. Okay? So, it's kind of like that music video that I was talking about where people say, oh, like, you know, I'm just in the kitchen. And I'm going to sing. 

And then I'm, like, so good at singing. And then for me, I'm, like, oh, I record this podcast at home. So, it's, like, my closet at home where, like, my passport is. 

And I have, like, a trash can where I keep all, like, my cables and stuff. And that's true. But at the same time, I've had a lot of preparation.

So, like, this recording itself, this is recording number three. I think it's recording number three. I don't even count them anymore. 

But I do it because I want to make sure I have a good version. But at the same time, let me also say not every version is a good version. So, if you catch me on the street, if you see me walking around on the street, and then you talk to me, you're, like, hey, Chris, can you tell me a story from your childhood or something? Like, I can probably tell you the story. 

But it won't be as clear. And it won't be as, like, easier, it won't be as, like, high quality as, like, in this podcast. 

So, I just wanted to be very clear that if you are trying to reach this level of articulation, you need to know that I am cheating. Okay? So, I'm using a high-quality mic. I'm, like, boosting the audio so that it sounds, like, really clear. 

And then I'm also, like, looking at notes. And sometimes I have, like, multiple tries. So, like, two or three tries. 

So, I just wanted to be honest with you because I don't want to lie to you and make it seem like, oh, I'm really, really good at speaking English. And, like, I think I'm pretty good at English. But I'm not, like, perfect. 

Okay? So, when I put these things online, when I put these, like, YouTube videos and these podcast stuff online, I don't want you to compare yourself to it. You can compare yourself if you want. It's good to have goals. 

And it's good to, like, you know, challenge yourself in, like, a positive, exciting way. But I don't want you to think, if I can never reach this level that Chris speaks at, then I'm a failure. Okay? So, don't think that. 

Number one, you should pick your own goals. And you should have your own standards. And everyone has their own style of speaking and their own, like, way of, I guess, existing. 

And, I guess, even their own thought processes. So, some people don't want to talk that much. And that's totally fine. 

So, as I say all these things, just keep in mind that I am cheating. And I've been doing this for, like, over two years. So, it's a little bit unfair if you're trying to put yourself at this level. 

But having said all that, definitely, I think it's super, super fun to try and try to go as high as you can. So, let's take a short little break here. And I'm going to come back and tell you some even more stuff.

All right. So, maybe this is going to be the last section. I'm not really sure. 

I decide when I go take the break. So, I take my break off to the side. And then I do some claps to, like, make sure that the audio catches the point at which I take a break. 

And then later on in the I handle it. You don't have to know these details. But we're probably in this last section here. 

And I figured, you know, since we just talked about, like, fakeness and all that, what I want to do is I want to kind of upload a section of this stuff where it's definitely the first try. Okay? So, there's this one topic that I really wanted to talk about. But I've had no one to talk about it with. 

Because nobody wants to do this thing. And, you know, what better medium, what better way to talk about it than through this podcast. So, I'm going to talk about this thing because nobody wanted to listen to me talk about it. 

And when I talk about this, it's actually my first time talking about it. So, I've thought about it a lot. And I've talked to myself about it. 

Like, you know, while I shower, I'm like, oh, what if I try? And then, you know, I talk to myself. But that's just, like, by myself. And I also am promising you that this time, this run through, and I feel nervous saying this, promising this. 

But I promise I'm going to keep my promise that I'm not going to, like, cut it. And I'm not going to, like, edit it. And I'm not going to do another take. 

And I don't normally cut it or edit it. But I usually do often say, like, I always if you actually look at my raw footage for a lot of the podcast stuff, a lot of the stuff that I end up cutting out, it always ends in, like, oh, yeah. So, then I was talking about ABC blub blub let's redo that. And I don't think you've ever heard that or seen it because I always cut it out. But I'm not actually going to do that. 

And if I accidentally do that, I'm going to leave it in this section. But I got to tell you about this thing that I'm so excited to talk to you about, which is there's this recently there's this game that I've been playing. And it's just really fun for me. 

And so, this game, to give you a little bit of background, like, I've played a bunch of games in my life. And there are, like, all sorts of games. There's, like, the classic games where you go and, like, you know, fight people, and then you level up, and then you beat the boss, and then you win the game and stuff like that. 

And those are, like, very straightforward games. But recently, recently, and I made a podcast episode about this before. But recently after I moved to Japan, maybe because I stopped, like, working as a software engineer at Google, like, now I just don't do any programming. 

So, because I don't do any programming, I think there's, like, a part of me that's, like, oh, actually, I kind of want to program. Maybe. I'm not really sure. 

I don't know myself that well yet. But I did mention before that now most of the games that I play, they're usually, like, really weird, like, games that aren't popular. And what I mean by that is, like, they are games that I think people just don't really like because they're so repetitive. 

Like, repetitive meaning you have to do the same thing. For example, if I gave you this game and it's, like, okay, every day, like, every two hours, you can come here and you can collect some gold and then you use the gold and buy stuff. And then, you know, you might be thinking, oh, yeah, sure. 

Okay. I'll collect some gold and buy some stuff. What's so fun about that? And then I say, oh, well, you know, tomorrow if you come back, there will be more gold and you can buy more stuff. 

And I think a lot of people are kind of turned off by it. Turned off meaning, like, they're not interested in it. So, they'll be, like, okay, well, you know, maybe it was fun, like, the first day or, like, the first hour. 

But now it's not fun anymore. But then for me, something about me, I really like those kinds of games. Like, I love calculations and I also love cheating. 

So, like, I'm like, oh, wait. I know exactly what to do. I always collect gold at this time and I always buy this stuff. 

Well, let me go ahead and make some, like, you know, programming things and then my cheating software that I make will do it for me. And then what I do is, like, I spend a long time making it. Like, a really long time making it. 

And then overnight or, like, when I go out to eat or something, I leave it to run on the computer. And then, like, I have this facial expression on my face that's like, oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. 

I'm getting free stuff. Oh, yeah. Yeah. 

You keep working. You keep getting that gold. And then, like, I leave for, like, an hour and I come back. 

And my favorite feeling is, like, when I come back and I'm like, yeah, I got a bunch of stuff. And I'm like, I want to say I worked for it. But it's not that I worked for it. 

It's that I cheated for it. So, like, yeah, I got a bunch of stuff is probably the correct thing to say. I got a bunch of stuff. 

I want to say I worked for a bunch of stuff. But I didn't. It was, like, kind of cheating. 

So, anyways, like, that's, like, the context. Okay? That's, like, the background of, like, the kind of games that I play now. So, I love cheating in games. 

And then let me tell you, okay? So, there's a very, very fateful event that happened. Fateful meaning, like, it feels like destiny. It feels like this is what was supposed to happen. 

And that was I found this game and it's a game where you are supposed to cheat. Okay? So, it's not, it's not, like, you're not supposed to cheat. You're supposed to tap it. 

And if you cheat, it's against the rules. That's all the games that I have played up until now. And for the first time I found this game where you are supposed to cheat. 

The game is called Farmer Was Replaced. So, farmer is someone who farms things, right? So, maybe they work a farm. They're farming potatoes or farming carrots. 

And then they farm trees. And then they farm pumpkins. Or, like, you know, they farm fruits, whatever. 

And then the farmer was replaced. Replaced meaning, like, you know, we have now fired the farmer. So, the farmer is fired and now you are hired. 

But the only thing you can do is write code. So, it's like a game about coding. And then it's also very similar to Python. 

So, if you know, Python is a programming language. So, if you're going to write code, you have to, like, do it in the language. And then Python is one of the easiest first languages. 

Like, it's what I would highly recommend. If you have never programmed before, Python is a fantastic first language. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to do Java or you have to do C++. 

I think Python is great. It's the closest to natural, like, English because you use a lot of that kind of stuff. And it takes away a lot of the hard parts that you really shouldn't have to care about until later on in programming. 

So, anyways, that's the recommendation. If you're interested in programming, do Python. That's what I recommend. 

But this game, guess what? It's in Python. You know what? It was really cheap. It was like $10. 

And $10 isn't even enough to buy a meal in California. I think you can buy something with $10 in Japan, but not in California. It's expensive. 

But, anyways, in this game, you are supposed to cheat. So, you are supposed to write code. And then you're supposed to run the code. 

And then, like, the game doesn't even tell you, I feel like the game kind of, like, nudges you. It's like, hey, write the code and leave it and let it run while you go eat or something. I definitely get that vibe, meaning the feeling.

So, I get this feeling that it's telling me to do that. It's telling me to cheat. And I was like, oh, I was gonna do that anyways. 

I love cheating. I wrote some code. And then it was pretty fun overall. 

I think I basically kind of beat it. But I didn't, like, mega beat it. And, by the way, these phrases are phrases that I think normal people don't use it much. 

But I use it. So, these are, like, my... This is, like, Kuli English phrase. This is a Kuli English phrase here. 

Like, mega beat it. Mega beat it, meaning, like, super beat it. Like, I beat all the bosses. 

I did everything. All the achievements I got. So, I didn't finish that yet. 

Because I got really, really obsessed with this one part. Obsessed, meaning, like, I'm thinking about it all the time. If it was in Japanese. 

And so, like, this one part is farming pumpkins. So, there's a bunch of vegetables that you can farm. Okay? So, first, it's, like, farming grass.

And you farm grass. And then if you farm a bunch of grass, and you have to, like, you know, plant it. And then you have to harvest it. 

And then if you take the grass, you can buy better stuff. So, you can buy the technology to farm carrots. And then the same thing happens with carrots.

And then eventually, like, different vegetables, like, they have different properties. So, you know, for example, the grass is really simple. The carrots are really simple. 

But the pumpkins, they're a little bit different. Pumpkins do this thing where, like, if you grow a bunch at once, they combine together. And then you get more pumpkins overall. 

So, it's, like, really good if you can do that. But it's harder. Because the easiest way to farm stuff is you do it one at a time. 

You, like, you farm this one. And then you finish it. And then you harvest it. 

Harvest it, meaning, like, I take it out. And then, like, I serve it. I sell it or whatever. 

But then if you, like, you know, plant it and let it get ready. And then around it, you also plant around it. Then you get, like, a big pumpkin. 

And the big pumpkin is, like, much better than just individual pumpkins. It's, like, it's worth more than double. I'm not gonna talk about the math behind it. 

But it's, like, really good. So, if you can do it, it's, like, even better. You get more stuff.

And then, like, just this pumpkins part, like, I've been thinking about this code for, like, so long. Because, you know, the first version that I wrote, like, I did it. And then I got to the next part of the game. 

And then I was thinking, like, actually, the code that I wrote, it, like, I guess it wasn't really pretty enough for me. And I started, I don't really know if I've had this feeling before. But it's, like, I want my code to be beautiful. 

It's, like, my art. And, like, I don't really draw anything. I've talked about it before. 

But I'm not really a good drawer. I don't really do much art. But then for some reason, this code kind of feels, like, oh, like, I have a painting and I got to make it beautiful. 

So, then at first, I had, like, this hacked-together, hacked meaning, like, it's kind of tekitou ni dekita, like, kind of sloppily put together, it's not very well made. And it got me where I needed to be. 

So, like, you know, it, like, works and stuff. But then I wanted to make, like, a really, really good version. So, then, like, I spent, oh, my God, I think I spent, like, basically at night. 

I'm supposed to sleep at, like, you know, 12 or 12:30. Like, I know that's the right time for my body and, like, my mind to sleep and stuff. But then when I'm, like, writing the code, I just kept writing it. 

I couldn't stop. And then, like, when I go to bed, I'm still thinking about it. I'm, like, oh, what if I farmed the pumpkins by going left instead of right? And then, like, I'm thinking about all these things. 

So, then so, I've been thinking about pumpkins for, like, over a week now, I think. I think it's been over a week. And then I always have these moments where, like, I come back after doing something. 

And I'm thinking, oh, okay. So, what I can do is I can just double check on a couple different things, check on my pumpkins, and then I'm gonna let it run. And then, like, you know, around, like, 11:30, I'm gonna go and start and get ready to sleep and stuff like that. 

And then what happens is, like, I look at the time and it's already, like, 2:30. And I'm, like, oh, but I'm almost done with this part. And I'm, like, making, like, a super pumpkin. 

And so, anyways, I think this is really fun. And I'm not saying that you have to play it. But if you like programming, this might be a fantastic way to start. 

And programming is something that it probably might come in handy later. So, if it doesn't come in handy for, like, job stuff, which it actually it probably might come in handy for job stuff. If it doesn't, at least it can help you, like, cheat in games or it just seems like a generally interesting thing to try. 

And I would highly recommend it. But, of course, it's the most fun if you can try it with friends. So, if you can try this pumpkin game and enjoy it with friends, that would be fantastic. 

But the downside is because I've only done coding in English. I mean, all code is, like, it's in that programming language. So, there's no, like, Japanese version of, like, programming language or anything. 

It's all in, like, English. But because I have worked in English with programming, but I've never, like, actually worked on programming stuff in a Japanese setting, when I talk to my Japanese friends about, like, these pumpkins, like, I can't express myself. I'm, like, I, me, me pumpkin, me pumpkin good, me want make more pumpkin. 

Like, that's what it sounds like. I guess, you know, like, farming pumpkins and then making, like, automation, like, robots, like, that doesn't really come up in everyday conversation. So, I guess I haven't really developed that part of my vocabulary yet.

So, anyways, that was this little segment here where I talked about this thing that I've been thinking about. I'm, like, really passionate about it. I love it. 

But at the same time, it's not really organized. So, definitely, if I were to just, like, cut this off here and think about it, I would probably redo it, like, two or three times. And then the third version is probably going to be a little bit cleaner. 

And then I'll fit it into, like, the previous parts of this podcast. But notice how, like, this part here, talking about the pumpkins, it has nothing to do with, like, being fake, really. So, it didn't really connect with, like, the story where, like, I went up a mountain, I fell, and then, like, I had a stick in my butt or anything like that. 

There was no connection there. So, then, you know, when I look at this, I think, oh, maybe it's not, like, that well-connected. I got to fix it. 

But, you know, if I spend too much time fixing it, number one, it takes me time. And number two, sometimes, I might accidentally give people this image. And, you know, other people who are trying to study English, they listen to this, and they're, like, oh, wow. 

So, I have to reach this level. And I don't want that to be, like, something that they feel. I want them to know that this is someone who's talking. 

And this person has been doing it for a long time. And also, this person is cheating because they do many different takes. Okay. 

So, normally, what I do is, like, after I finish, like, a little section, I go back, and I check the time and stuff to see the time estimates. But, you know, because this time I promised I'm not going to go and do anything weird. What I'm going to do is I'm going to end the podcast here. 

I'll do the normal ending, talking stuff. And then, like, I'm going to turn off the lights. And then, I actually won't turn off the audio mic. 

The mic audio here. So, you can, like, actually hear the real sounds of somebody moving. And I want to do this because I want to appeal that I am, like, a real person. 

And I don't want people to say, like, oh, he's definitely using AI. Like, that's not his real voice. Like, this is my voice. 

Although the thing is AI can listen to this and then copy it. But the thing that AI cannot copy is all of my memories. So, me talking about these pumpkins, me talking about having a stick in my butt, me talking about the most painful shower of my life. 

All these things are things that AI cannot duplicate. Because these are real stories and I have real feelings behind them. And that's, like, the appeal. 

That's why that's why Kuli English Podcast can't be replaced by AI. At least not yet. So, anyways, thank you so much for listening to this episode of Kuli English Podcast. 

I have been your host. My name is Chris. You can also call me Kuli.

Kuli-chan, whatever you want. And this is the episode about being fake. But just this one time, I'm going to leave the audio and I'm going to leave everything in while I go ahead and, like, close down or, like, when I do the opposite of setup. 

So, anyways, thanks so much for listening. Best of luck with your English studies. And if you have any suggestions or you have any questions about stuff, definitely feel free to message me or email me. 

My Instagram is the Kuli English Podcast. And I do check that every now and then. So, thank you so much and have a nice day.