Hey everyone! This episode was recorded on January 7th, 2026, and it's our very first one of the year!

A nice walk around Jinji Lake on a sunny day.

Hey listeners! It's Pineapple and Toby from Messy English Chats—the podcast where we talk mostly unscripted, rambling, and totally messy English while living our daily lives! 🎙️ We're all about real, unfiltered moments—no fancy scripts, just us being us. This episode? We're out on a walk (again!) chasing two things: a bottle of water (we forgot to bring any—oops!) and random thoughts that pop into our heads. We start in the park searching for a vending machine, then wander to a mall later. No plans, just us chatting like we always do. What did we dive into? Here are the messy highlights: * Pineapple's smart watch (we still argue over its name—television watch? Telephone watch? Who cares! 🤷♂️) and how we messed with the band (removed two sections, then added one back). * Our homework battle: Pineapple rants about tedious Chinese character writing and dictation that ate up hours. I admit I lost my cool and turned into a monster (sorry, Pineapple!). But guess what? We made up—Pineapple forgave me, and that's the best part ❤️. * A quick environmental chat: Pineapple spots a green life sign and shares his take on saving the Earth—so proud of his growing English skills! * Pineapple's big dream: a Transformer toy! We even head to Rainbow Mall to hunt for it. This episode is full of silly mistakes, warm apologies, and the kind of dad- son chaos that makes life fun. If you love unfiltered, heartwarming chats with a side of messy English, hit play and walk with us! 😊 P.S. Ignore our random Chinese phrases—we're still learning to keep it all English (sort of)! 😉 — Toby Messy English Chats Team ( P.S. This episode was recorded on Oct 26th. 😜)

This is an old episode we recorded during the National Day holiday.

Here comes part 2. Finally!!!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Messy English Chats! I'm joined by my incredible son, Pineapple. We've been waiting a long time to record this special episode, as Pineapple accomplished something truly remarkable this summer: he won a gold prize – the first prize – in a big English competition in Beijing! I couldn't be prouder. For this episode, we're diving into his competition journey, specifically showcasing his prepared speeches from the first two rounds. You'll hear him bravely recite several of his orations, many of which delve into Chinese culture and traditions, often featuring his popular robot friend, Sparky. As you'll notice, it's getting "messier and messier" as the night goes on. Pineapple is quite tired, and his voice isn't sounding quite right, but he's a true champion for sharing these wonderful speeches. We'll go through the rest of his 25 prepared speeches in the next episode. So, settle in, and enjoy Pineapple's triumphant (and sometimes sleepy) tales!

In this episode, recorded over a month ago, Daddy coach Toby tries to prepare Pineapple for a big English competition. Tune in to revisit their challenging and fun training session!

This is about the shortest episode ever. Recorded on Jun 28, 2025.

Welcome to another episode of Messy English Chats! In this episode, I prompted my son, Pineapple, to share the events of his day. We covered a lot, starting with his morning routine. Pineapple then recounted playing Chinese chess, a game he'd only recently learned, and winning. He also described an impromptu "sock bowling" game he invented, using a sock as a bowling ball, which sounds quite fun. The highlight of his day seemed to be at the Neighborhood Center, where he met friends from school and played a lively game of cat and mouse. The day concluded with friends vanishing as the center closed, marking a truly wonderful and adventurous day for Pineapple.

Another rambling "walk & talk" episode.

Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Messy English Chats (MECs) where we take our chat on the road! We recorded this one while walking after dinner, which turned out to be quite an adventure. As always, we tried playing our game: talk only in English and explain words if we can't remember them. You'll hear about the interesting sights we encountered, like people boating on the river with yellow headlights, and a kindergarten that Pineapple found a bit "scary" because of its booming purple lights. We also discuss Pineapple's amazing homework success today (finished in like 10 minutes!) compared to past struggles with writing compositions, moments where maybe I didn't handle things perfectly. Oh, and we made a pit stop for a new Transformer toy! Join us for this messy mix of walking, talking, and English practice.

Hello everyone. Welcome to another Messy English Chats episode. This Walk-and-Talk episode finds Toby and his seven-year-old son, Pineapple, reflecting on their recent experiences from the May Day holiday. Recorded on the last day of the holiday, May the 1st, while in Central Park, they look back on their adventures. Pineapple shares how sad he feels about the holiday ending and going back to school. The conversation covers a challenging hike on the first day of the holiday at Qionglong Mountain, where they faced thirst, tired legs, and even got separated from mom. They recount trying to find water and navigating the mountain using a map on a phone that showed their positions and mommy's position. They also touch upon other parts of the holiday, like playing with grandma, meeting cousins and receiving a gold Lego toy, and Pineapple's recent Go lesson where he won four out of five rounds. They also talk about observing people running circles in the park and Pineapple's enjoyment of buying and looking at the instructions for a new Transformers toy.

Join Toby and Pineapple, for a new episode of Messy English Chats. In this episode, We engage in a "story relay". This format involves taking turns to tell a story, with no idea where the narrative will go, making it entirely impromptu. The story we create together in this relay is titled "The Adventure of Caterpillar".

Hello everyone. Welcome back to the podcast! Today, it's a special episode as we're going to be doing something different: reading and discussing the article 'Writing for Myself' by Russell Baker, a piece I actually use with my college English students. The idea for this came about because we were chatting recently, and it reminded me of some of the themes in this essay. Get ready to hear Pineapple's unfiltered reactions and interpretations as we explore Baker's early experiences with English and his discovery of writing for his own joy. Let's dive in!

Today we are having a "flowery" tour at Soochow University. Warning: super long and boring. Proceed at your own risk!