A bilingual Mandarin and English episode filled with Christmas nonsense, food talk, and some heavier life planning.We talk about UK food labels, sugar overload, and why buying cheese feels like a health exam. Then we drift into real life. Stress. Pressure. Planning the next five to ten years. And why that feels very different when you have kids, bills, and responsibilities.Tom talks through moving to Taiwan with almost no plan. Ula talks about goals and why planning triggers old student stress. We look at how to balance enjoying the moment with taking care of future you.If you want to practise listening to natural Mandarin and English in a real conversation, this episode is perfect. You can book a free trial lesson at mandarinmonkey.com.Send your emails for the Friday mailbag to [email protected] 0:00 Intro 0:33 Christmas, turkeys, and the turducken problem 2:20 Giblets, guts, and Taiwanese menus 3:40 UK Christmas decorations and candy canes 5:15 Sugar, food labels, and supermarket misery 7:30 Comparing food labels in Taiwan and the UK 8:20 Sleeping positions and being the big spoon 10:50 Christmas hats, hoodies, and decorating the house 11:24 The smoke machine debate 12:40 Christmas lights and buying more nonsense 13:48 Teaching our daughter Mandarin 14:50 Talking about old homes and old decisions 16:10 How planning shapes the next 10 years 18:00 What peace, fun, and goals mean 20:00 Moving to Taiwan with no plan 22:30 Making mistakes when you’re young 24:40 Why planning feels heavier as an adult 27:00 Arriving in Taiwan with total freedom 30:00 Mixing living in the moment with long-term goals 33:00 Having things to look forward to 35:00 December Hangouts and lesson schedule 36:00 How to book lessons and send mailbag emails Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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