Shadowing Practice: a productive vlog ★ moving, grocery shopping, etc. - Learn English Speaking with Video

good morning guys it's syd and welcome back

so this is gonna be my first official vlog in my new apartment

if you couldn't tell i'm no longer in my old one

if you missed my last week's video i did a whole

moving vlog i ended up finally moving apartments this was something i've been trying to do for a long time

so i'm happy the moving process is finally over

but this vlog's going to be really fun though i think

because this is going to be the fun part of moving where i like organize

and just like get settled in i want to go grocery shopping

because i have nothing in my fridge also update on my

finger did i explain this yes i did my finger is

not broken it looks probably way more dramatic than it is

i did just rip my nail off i did talk about this already

so i'm kind of embarrassed

that i like did all this for just my nail falling off

but one of my best friends bailey started editing my vlogs i think it's funny

when i watch youtube videos where the editor makes comments and

because bailey's one of my best friends like i think it'd be really funny so everybody meet bailey

okay guys so i'm ready for the day i'm wearing this little crew neck

that i got from white fox this is kind of more of a lazy day outfit

but i've realized as long as i pick two out of

the three getting ready categories i feel like that's enough clothes hair

and makeup for example today i would say i did my hair not really in my makeup my clothes not

so much this is not the best outfit

but as long as i get two out of the three

not every day whichever ones they are i feel like that's doable i'm

so overwhelmed right now when my space is not organized my mind is also not organized

and it's been hard especially moving because like things are just not in the places

that they need to be yet what i'm gonna do right now is mail some ophelia orders

if you guys didn't know i started a jewelry brand talk about it on my instagram

and stuff all the time i'm so excited i'm

so happy you guys love it by the way i've gotten the best feedback

and so many orders and so many nice messages from you guys

and i love it like this has been

so fun for me my assistant came over yesterday

and she helped me pack some orders

that we need to send out we have more orders to fulfill

that we didn't get done last night i'm gonna go mail these at the post office quickly

so these are some of the orders

that we did yesterday i'm gonna go mail these before i do the rest

because i just want to get these sent out for the people

that ordered them ivana is the girl who helps me

and she's so helpful and she's usually the one

that would go drop these off but

because yesterday was sunday the post office was closed we couldn't do it

so i'm gonna go today the last time i was at this post office the lady working there was

so mean to me and it was i'm not gonna say it was traumatizing

but i just basically don't want to go back

because i'm scared of her she was

so rude like to be honest i don't get mad about

that many things but this still triggers me because she was

so rude i think i'm just gonna try to put the

boxes in here you know i should get like a cart

or something because they're not all gonna fit but we'll try anyways

when i was at the post office i asked one of the employees a question

or i tried to ask her a question

and i asked her where the drop -off box was

because i couldn't find it

and she just ignored me didn't respond i first i was like oh maybe she just didn't hear me

so i asked her again i was like excuse me no

response i think i said excuse me like five times

and then the sixth time i was like yeah she's just ignored me so

that is why i'm scared to go back here i guess

we'll see hopefully i do not see her let's go to the post office

and pray for me that i don't see her

okay guys so i just dropped the packages off i ended up having to go twice

and thankfully that lady was not there

but now i'm gonna go to trader joe's i really want to make this chili recipe

and i'm vlogging in public

and i'm trying not to be scared it never gets easier it's been 10 years

and i still hate it but yeah i'm gonna get stuff for chili i think

and then just other groceries because I haven't done a big grocery shopping trip since I moved in.

I definitely need some stuff, so.

So I just got back from Trader Joe's.

I want to show you guys a haul of everything that I got, but I'm running late, like usual, to my workout class, so I think I'm going to have to show you guys that when I get back.

Yes, I'm working out you guys know you guys know i

go in waves with working out recently i've been doing pretty

good i actually do have to hurry though like i cannot

be chatting a lot of my clothes are at the laundromat right now

and i've actually never done that before i got a whole laundry service done

because i don't have a washer and dryer here in the building

or in my unit so i don't have a lot of my workout clothes

but i like this set this is from splits 59 i think i'm gonna wear this

so i'm gonna put this on i love this set it's

so cute i like this like little v right here it looks

so flattering the class i'm going to is I think it's a hybrid between a bar class

and a cardio class i've only been once before to this place And I loved it.

I don't know.

I haven't been back honestly since I think I was just

like getting in my routine With going to my normal pilates studio.

I like a mix of cardio and strength training I don't like to do just one or the other.

So that's why i'm excited to go back to this place This is the fit with my ugly tripod.

Wow, this looks so ugly Things you guys don't see is this behind the scenes.

Why is this so ugly like there?

That's probably how you're supposed to hold it

I just got back from my workout class and I meditated for a little bit That was a really good workout

Just kidding I'm actually sore already, which usually doesn't happen.

I usually get sore the next day So I don't know what

that means for me tomorrow might be a rough day for me, but it was so fun I love kind of a ballet bar hybrid with cardio.

100

It was really fun And I feel

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so good after working out i'm in my new outfit I got this whole outfit actually from brandy

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when I was back in minnesota for thanksgiving.

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I have on these pants These are the comfiest pants you guys I got my other ones dirty.

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So I bought a new pair

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because they were like destroyed can you guys see they're so comfy

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and they have this kind of knit look to them i

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want to get these in all of their other colors too

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and another white tank that i probably did not need

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but i got anyways

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so oh i'm also wearing my necklace from ophelia my jewelry brand this is my favorite necklace back to business

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so what happened today i went to trader joe's earlier as you guys saw

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and i didn't have enough time to kind of like show you guys a little haul of what i got

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and i also didn't have time to make my dinner

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so i'm gonna make it now i'm gonna show you guys a quick speedy haul of everything

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that i got because i love watching grocery hauls for some reason it's

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because it gives me ideas for cooking and now

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that i have such a nice kitchen

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that i can actually cook in i have all the motivation

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in the world now to cook i never thought i'd see the day

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but i do think you guys are gonna be seeing some cooking content oh wait

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so let's do the quick haul starting with the stuff for the chili i'm not gonna go over everything

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because i'm gonna to show you guys me making in a second

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but i got like the crushed tomatoes some kidney beans all

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of the spices i had to buy a can opener at cbs

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because i don't have one i got some ground chicken for

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my chili some eggs this is not for the chili by the way i got some whipped cream

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because i'm wanting to make hot chocolate i got pre -chopped onions

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because i do not want to chop them for this chili

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and i also got pre -minced garlic

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because again smart not lazy i got some cookie dough

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because i'm taking advantage of the fact that i have an oven

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and then i got

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so many honey crisp apples i have like five in my

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fridge right now i love eating these especially during this time

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i feel like they're just starting to go out of season

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but they're really good with peanut butter i love this i

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guess i didn't really get as much as i thought

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that i did

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but i'm gonna start cooking now one yellow onion is this

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equivalent to one yellow onion i don't know facetime my mom i'm 24

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and i still do this you guys i don't think it will ever end hi is this a yellow onion

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or is that too much

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that looks like too much they said did you want wait wait wait no

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that looks like too much i would take a handful out i'm gonna start with a little so don't worry

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i have the onion garlic and red pepper

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and then i'm gonna start the ground chicken separately and and then combine everything together at the end.

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Right, mom?

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I didn't know I really wasn't listening.

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Oh, all right.

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I got all cozy in my new room.

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I've been drinking peppermint tea before I go to bed.

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And it's my new favorite way to unwind.

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Another way I like to unwind for bed is using Headspace, which is actually the sponsor of today's video.

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I'm really excited to be working with them because you guys know how much I care about mental health.

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If you don't know what Headspace is, it's a mental health app that focuses on mindfulness and meditation.

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It has a lot of resources for sleeping better, de -stressing, mindfulness tools.

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Sometimes before bed, I just can't shut my brain off.

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I was telling my friend about this basically, She recommended that I meditate more I am definitely a beginner

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when it comes to that and i've just been trying to learn about it

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And that's what I love about headspace because for someone like me who is a beginner They actually have guided meditations.

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This one for example is finding your best sleep It's an 18 part series

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that you're supposed to do once every day

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and it's only 10 minutes long So this is the one

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that I wanted to start tonight because like I said i've been having sleeping issues Especially with sleep paralysis.

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You guys know i've struggled with that I know a lot of it is related to my stress though.

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So trying to integrate something like this I think is very good for me

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But if you guys want to check out headspace, you can actually get your first two months for free by

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scanning this qr Code i'll put it right here on the screen

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or you can use the link in my description box to check it out

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But i'm gonna relax have my tea do my nightly meditation

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or sleep and welcome to part one of your sleep journey

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i am gonna go to bed now guys i just wanted to say good night ciao

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hey guys it's the next day today's gonna be a really

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busy productive day i hope at least i really need for

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it to be productive i'm also wearing my knot earrings from ophelia i love them

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so much these are actually one of our best sellers too

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today's agenda the main things what do i have to do

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i wrote it down let me check my list sometimes i'm old school

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and i like to just use pen and paper i'm a very visual person

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so the main things i need to do today are finish

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unpacking which is crazy i've been here for two weeks

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and i still have one box remaining

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so i want to finish kind of unpacking and cleaning up

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which is going to take a

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while i also need to ship some ophelia orders ivana my assistant's coming over in like 10 minutes

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so she's gonna help me do that and it's

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so fun packing orders is like

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so much fun with her like we just play christmas music

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and pack them what else oh i have some campaigns

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that need to work on mostly on my laptop like i need to edit some things for them

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so later tonight i'll probably work on a couple of those campaigns

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and then i think me and ivana

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and our friend helga are all gonna hang out later too

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and like do like a little girls night

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so that's gonna be fun i'll vlog

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that also do you guys like my sweater i love this

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sweater pink sent it to me i'll try to find the link for it

198

and put it below i also took the cast off my finger

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if you guys couldn't tell and i glued my nail back on

200

so it's looking better it's feeling better i definitely should put the cast back on oh also

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when i was at trader joe's i got some eucalyptus for my shower some of my friends told me

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that i should wrap this around my shower head

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and it looks pretty and it smells nice

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so i'm gonna put this in there i've never done this before supposedly you can just take a hair binder

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and then wrap it around your shower head

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and it's supposed to be pretty easy i think i just hang it right is

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that right right guys is this correct it looks pretty

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but i feel like i did it wrong it's good enough

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for me hey guys i'm with ivana you guys have met

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ivana once in a vlog in the in the um ophelia shoot vlog yes yes

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so we go way back

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so ivana's here we're gonna do some ophelia orders we have some of the boxes

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that we're working on i'm gonna go get coffee for us

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so excited the christmas music sabrina in the background yes this

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is what we do we listen to sabrina carpenter package orders get coffee

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so do you have anything to say i'm so excited i love ophelia

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and maybe we'll pack your order and write a little note that was good i told her to say that

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So this is what the box looks like before we fold it.

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The first time

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that we ever got these boxes in i accidentally invertedly folded

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it the burgundy is supposed to be on the inside

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but i folded it like this with it on the outside

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and i emailed the company i was like guys you i think you made this wrong

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and it was just because i did it the wrong way

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so i love these boxes they're so like perfect

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because you open it up and then you see ophelia okay the box is ready to go One box done.

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we're posting us packing orders make sure to follow us on

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instagram for all of the updates i actually love our instagram

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so cute it's perfect it is

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and we post all the giveaways on here these are our heart locket earrings the silver ones

231

okay guys we finished packing orders we are gonna go now to our friend helga's

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and just hang out eat in giggle gossip

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and play hot potato oh stop that's not happening

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so our favorite game wait no it's sydney's favorite it's yours too you like

235

that game is obsessed with potatoes like unpack that yeah unfortunately

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so i'm with my friends helga and ivana ivana

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and i finished working we came over here for dinner yay

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i made it myself wait let's describe each other in one

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word okay helga one word i'm gonna say introspective yes thank

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you i would that's right wow that's such a good word i would say passionate.

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Thanks guys.

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Yeah.

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Ivana.

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I'm scared.

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Wait, what is it?

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Silly.

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Introspective. In a good way.

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What?

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Like bubbly and like.

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Bubbly.

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Bubbly.

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Bubbly.

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Bubbly would've been better.

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I think.

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I'm sorry.

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Sydney.

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Okay, this is like the first word that came to me and it's very basic but kind.

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Literally saying.

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This is fun.

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This was our girls night.

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Did you guys enjoy?

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Yeah, I loved it.

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I loved it.

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We had some good conversation.

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You're welcome.

266

Yeah

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 266 sentences and 3006 words to shadow. The speech runs for 17:42. The speaker talks at a natural 170 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

chili /ˈt͡ʃɪli/ (noun) — The pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking.
onion /ˈʌn.jən/ (noun) — A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
haul /hɔl/ (verb) — To transport by drawing or pulling, as with horses or oxen, or a motor vehicle.
outfit /ˈaʊtfɪt/ (noun) — A set of clothing (with accessories).
scare /skɛɚ/ (verb) — To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
workout /ˈwɝk.aʊ̯t/ (noun) — An exercise session; a period of physical exercise.
trader /ˈtɹeɪdɚ/ (noun) — One who earns a living by trading goods or securities.
finger /ˈfɪŋɡɚ/ (noun) — A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other…
ugly /ˈʌɡli/ (adjective) — Displeasing to the eye; aesthetically unpleasing.
nail /neɪl/ (noun) — The horny plate or appendage at the ends of the digits of various animals, including most reptiles, birds, and mammals (both nonhuman and human).
fold /ˈfəʊld/ (verb) — To bend (any thin material, such as paper) over so that it comes in contact with itself.
grocery /ˈɡɹəʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/ (noun) — Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies.
organize /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ (verb) — To arrange in working order.
meditation /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/ (noun) — A devotional exercise of, or leading to, contemplation.
ignore /ɪɡˈnɔː/ (verb) — To deliberately not listen or pay attention to.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

work on (verb) — To apply mental or physical effort to (something) in order to shape, form, improve, investigate, solve it, etc.
work out /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ (verb) — To calculate.
come over (verb) — To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
end up (verb) — To bring to a conclusion.
go back (verb) — To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
back in (verb) — To reverse a vehicle into a space.
check out (verb) — To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 148 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, gonna, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: sixth /sɪksθ/, thanksgiving /ˌθæŋksˈɡɪv.ɪŋ/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: meditation /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, crush /kɹʌʃ/, passionate /ˈpæʃənɪt/, washer /ˈwɒʃə(ɹ)/
Long words — get the stress right: accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, supposedly /səˈpoʊ̯.zɪd.li/, introspective /ˌɪntɹəˈspɛktɪv/, eucalyptus /ˌjuː.kəˈlɪp.təs/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like chili, onion, haul.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	i've been trying · i've been doing · I've been drinking
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	i've realized · i've gotten · has been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is not organized · was closed · is related
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	Headspace, which is · unpacking which is

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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