what i’m up to

June is whirling by here in Phnom Penh, my goodness, but wonderfully full of friends, music, and art. One night I went to a newish restaurant here for what was a fabulous jazz concert by a musician I have avidly followed, the next night I attended—and participated in – a late night jam session at her invitation, and at the end of the week before last, I attended a fashion show at the French Institute.

Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee has come and gone, and I was thrilled to attend a concert by the Phnom Penh Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the platinum celebrations!

Another treat has been the much-anticipated 3-week long visit of a dear friend, who once-upon-a-time worked for me and somewhere along the way a beautiful friendship was begun, aided no doubt by our mutual love of seizing life, of writing, of cooking and eating food, and of magic and mixed cultures. Long after those days and across the continents, we’ve stayed friends – and what a delight to rendezvous here in this city, where her now-husband is originally from and where they are finally visiting again after three years and the pandemic. Sharing a place with friends is always a great way to experience it anew, too – and that was a delightful thing to remember.

I’ve also gone to a number of industry networking events and meetings as I continue to explore what is next for me. There are many exciting possibilities and I’ve felt very privileged to be able to meet, speak with, and learn from so many interesting and kind professionals.

what i’m thinking

It’s Pride week here in Phnom Penh and I’ve been thinking a lot about how much more wonderful the world is when all people are treated with dignity and are free to live fully as themselves. How much better the world would be if people didn’t have to exhaust themselves in simply trying to live their lives; if we all recognised, promoted, and made good on the intrinsic, equal worth and value of all human beings? If we diligently ensured the same rights, ease, and access in life for all (and not as a chore or necessary evil, but out of mutual love and respect for one another) rather than the frequently inhumane treatment dished out by those who claim to somehow be better (?!) humans. I also want to recall to myself that humanity and dignity are promoted not only in the big sweeping actions like policies, rules, or regulations, but in everyday interactions, in the moment-by-moment of life, and even in our intonations, expressions, and words. We should all be choosing love, all the time.

what i’m learning

I’m having the time of my life learning about what all I could possibly do with my life. Admittedly, however, I find myself envying children playing pretend on playgrounds, able to act out possible future scenarios and experience a mild version of them. I find myself wishing that I could spin up a server and test site of my life in which to play out possible choices and new features or elements in a safe environment, just like we do before making major changes to websites. It feels very daunting to step out into something that is so unfamiliar; but as a result, I’m learning more about how my brain is mapped, how I might want to rewire or upgrade it, and what failure and success mean to me.

This post is a snippet from a newsletter I originally published on Substack. You can read the rest of the publication there.