Shadowing Practice: i tracked every dollar i spent as a resident... its alot - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Moving out today.

Goodbye, LA.

My new place, let me give you a tour.

Right when you walk in, suitcase, suitcase, suitcase, restroom.

I like how it's pretty spacious.

It's pretty big.

And then if you turn over here, guess what?

In-unit washer dryer.

If you live in SF, you know that's like unheard of.

So I was very happy.

If you walk over here, it's the kitchen, couch, my desk.

The reason why I wanted this place so bad is you get such a nice view.

Let me show you.

Right outside the window, I get a beautiful view of the beach.

Is that not insane?

I have yet to go there because it's so cold here.

Follow me.

Oh, somebody forgot to fold their laundry.

And I bought my first plant ever.

This is called a Chinese money plant.

Hopefully, I make a lot of Chinese money.

So this is my whole place.

Still moving in.

It's a little messy.

But I'm happy.

I've been in SF for maybe like two weeks now and I honestly don't know how much I've spent, which is kind of concerning.

So I thought it would be interesting if this week I just tracked every single dollar I spent.

I'm going to be doing it with this app, Acorns.

Acorn, they have something called roundups where they round up every purchase you make.

So the spare change from that purchase gets invested.

If I gave you an example, you spend $2.50, it gets rounded up to $3 and that extra 50 cents gets invested in the background for you.

So we're going to spend money, get that spare change invested, and by the end of the week, I'm going to tell you how much I spend in a

week as a dental resident follow along good morning we're gonna start the morning off with some coffee

taste test that's worth the investment let's go to work

i have four or five patients today but we start class at 8 am

so we're gonna attend class that goes straight to patient ward

and do you think my day's done no we have class

at ucsf we have class from 5 30 to 7 30 it's perioprost

so heading in i'm so tired lucky me class ends at 7 not 7 30

so i get 30 minutes more in my day so we're gonna go home and probably gotta study

good morning it's the next day and another day of not knowing what to do.

Yay!

Another day, another coffee.

So 9am and we have class at UCSF in 40-50 minutes so we're gonna head over.

So I drove here to UCSF, we have class at 10 but I arrived like 10 minutes early

so I'm gonna get a cup of coffee to keep the mind going.

Over here, Village.

It's delicious!

There's a Panda Express across the street.

Just got home, it's 9.15.

But anyways, we have more papers to read for tomorrow.

We have another class called Classic Lit.

And basically something you'll realize is the readings I'm doing are basically concepts

and textbooks and papers that are the foundation of prosthodontics.

So it's very important to understand what exactly you're doing and why.

So there's a lot of reading, especially during my first year and every year of residency actually.

So it's a lot of reading.

I counted and it's almost like on average, 200 pages per week we have to read.

And it ain't no romance book.

I'll tell you that.

There's no kissing.

There's no nothing.

It's just very boring literature but I do learn a lot.

Let's study.

Next day, guess where we are?

The coffee shop.

One thing I am is consistent.

Good morning.

For the first time in my life, I ended early today.

So I ordered food delivery.

Thank you.

I think process really interesting because of the types of cases you get.

So if you see here, this is one patient, very large ridge.

But if you see this patient, also a man, is very narrow and a deep palate.

Like my finger like sinks in compared to here.

And very small and thin ridge on the bottom.

So there's a lot of variability and literally every single patient is different.

So you get to learn a lot.

It's 8 p.m.

We're heading home.

I don't know if you could tell, but residency started two weeks ago.

and I've lost four or five pounds already.

I think it's just because I'm stressed, honestly.

Got back home.

I'm just reviewing material to see how I could be better next week.

But this was my first week of treating patients and it's been really hard.

I wonder if other people that did this are as stressed as I am.

I wonder if I'm like overstressing myself too

because I go into the room and a lot of times I think

that I'll be okay and then there's something that hinders me

and makes it hard for me to provide the best care

that i can i work at a hospital

so a lot of my patients are sick all my patients are sick

and so now a new factor is introduced into the treatment where i have to make sure to manage them

and their systemic issues along with trying to provide good quality dental care

and it gets hard it's tricky when And patients can't open their mouth

or they can't sit without being leaned back or they can't even sit in the dental chair.

100

And I feel like I just feel frazzled all the time and I feel really incompetent.

101

Mind you, it's only been five days and I'm acting like four days and I'm acting like this.

102

But I just realized how little I know.

103

I don't know if I'm explaining myself well, but I just feel really incompetent and I feel bad.

104

I feel like I'm hindering everyone else.

105

But I think it's like that Asian mindset, you know.

106

I just need to get better.

107

So I'm going to work hard.

108

And hopefully when I watch this video in a year, I look back and I laugh.

109

It's the weekend.

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I was looking forward to this day so bad.

111

A lot of things to do today.

112

Number one, I'm going to my friend's place and picking up a purchase I made.

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I'm going to show you what it is and how expensive it was because it was pretty freaking expensive.

114

And after that, we're going to go to Ikea.

115

I bought these at Ikea.

116

I had them in my place but i actually don't like how it looks

117

so we're gonna return it that's basically gonna take like two hours

118

because all these places are really far but you're coming with me

119

so i won't be too lonely here this is her feet right over here what is in here was 423.50

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which objectively is an insane amount of money for what it is

121

but wanted to show you Chanel just kidding it's a dental waxer how exciting

122

so in dentistry a lot of times before you go through

123

with treatments you have to do wax ups to see how their occlusion is how the crown's gonna look etc

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and so this is a waxer where you literally dip this in wax

125

and you can wax up a tooth however the reason why this is so cool

126

and maybe why it's 400 something dollars for conventional traditional waxers

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there's usually one side aka you could just use one pen at a time

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but for this one there's two sides

129

so you can use two different tips at one time so

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if you're doing a big bulky wax up you can use one side

131

and then when you're doing adjustments or like small details you can use another waxer

132

so it's very convenient

133

because you don't have to switch waxers to go from one

134

to the other you can just have both on at the

135

same time anything that's dental related I just think of as an investment

136

because it's going to my work better anyway highly recommend i

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don't recommend i don't think you really need this i think i'm just being extra

138

but i did get this 75 bucks

139

and 69 cents we just made money today now we have no choice

140

but to spend it one thing i do is again keep it consistent

141

so we're at the coffee shop to get coffee

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i didn't spend any more money after that so i invested three dollars

143

and 54 cents total this week

144

and i also spent a lot of money 657 dollars

145

and 46 cents but we also invested three dollars

146

and 54 cents without changing anything about my day

147

and that's what's cool about roundups it just does it in the background without you having to think about anything

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so when i showed my screen the first time I had $29.

149

Now I have $36 invested.

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And the reason is I had some purchases from last week that rolled over.

151

So when I look at the amounts I spent on, it's literally just food.

152

It's all food, food, food, coffee, food, coffee, food, coffee, food.

153

I do need to learn how to cook.

154

I will get better.

155

I feel like this video was a video where I could visibly see how drained I was.

156

And I think it's something that's going to get better.

157

I think everything in the beginning is difficult.

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Dental school in the beginning wasn't easy either.

159

But regardless, I'm going to say what said in my graduation video I'm gonna have grit

160

and work hard and not give up thank you for watching this video and start investing today with acorns

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four years later…. #dentalschool #kaychung #dentalstudent #graduation

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “i tracked every dollar i spent as a resident... its alot”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: patient, coffee, dental, invested. This video has 160 sentences and 1614 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:14. The speaker talks at a steady 144 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
dental adjective	/ˈdɛn.təl/	Of or concerning the teeth.
waxer noun		A device used to apply wax.
acorn noun	/ˈeɪ.kɔɹn/	The fruit of the oak, being an oval nut growing in a woody cup or cupule.
suitcase noun	/ˈsutkeɪs/	A large (usually rectangular) piece of luggage used for carrying clothes, and sometimes suits, when travelling.
hinder verb	/ˈhɪndɚ/	To make difficult to accomplish; to act as an obstacle; to frustrate.
roundup noun		An activity in which cattle are herded together in order to be inspected, counted, branded or shipped.
incompetent adjective	/ɪnˈkɒmpətənt/	Lacking the degree of ability and responsibility necessary to do a task successfully.
residency noun	/ˈɹɛzɪdənsi/	The condition of being a resident of a particular place.
ridge noun	/ɹɪd͡ʒ/	The back of any animal; especially the upper or projecting part of the back of a quadruped.
dentistry noun	/ˈdɛntɪstɹi/	The field of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions of the teeth and oral cavity.
excite verb	/ɪkˈsaɪt/	To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement.
frazzled adjective		Frayed at the edges.
objectively adverb	/əbˈd͡ʒɛktɪvli/	In an impartial, objective manner.
occlusion noun	/əˈkluː.ʒən/	The process of occluding, or something that occludes.
overstress verb		To place excessive emphasis on something.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
follow along verb	To continue behind or beside an animal, person, vehicle or other object, especially as a companion.
get back verb	Return to where one came from.
give up verb	To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone).
go through verb	To travel from one end of something to the other.
look back verb	To think of (past events) in retrospect (in hindsight).
look forward to verb	To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
move out verb	To leave one's present location; to leave somewhere for another place.
pick up verb	To lift; to grasp and raise.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

I like how it's pretty spacious.
Next day, guess where we are?
I think it's just because I'm stressed, honestly.
I feel like I'm hindering everyone else.

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've been · I've lost · it's been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is called · is introduced · being leaned

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 62 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, gonna, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: prosthodontics /ˌpɹɑs.θəˈdɑn.tɪks/, tooth /tuθ/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: occlusion /əˈkluː.ʒən/, spacious /ˈspeɪʃ.əs/, washer /ˈwɒʃə(ɹ)/, graduation /ˌɡɹæd͡ʒuˈeɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: incompetent /ɪnˈkɒmpətənt/, residency /ˈɹɛzɪdənsi/, objectively /əbˈd͡ʒɛktɪvli/, prosthodontics /ˌpɹɑs.θəˈdɑn.tɪks/, variability /ˌvæɹ.i.əˈbɪl.ə.ti/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like dental, waxer, acorn.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: i tracked every dollar i spent as a resident... its alot - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?