With the academic year now over in Cambodia, I headed back to Finland to see my daughter, friends and colleagues, as well as to catch up with my long-time jiu jitsu brothers. However, the highlight of the trip was a week long self-development retreat located somewhere in Finland’s countryside. There, with my daughter’s Godfather, we had an in-depth discussion about friendship, artificial intelligence, and the related project that he was currently working on, as well as how the magic of Cambodia can serve to save the west from its downward moral trajectory. I then conclude with some fresh news about Matilda’s, Snuffy’s and my maiden Tour de Cambodia bicycle tour, which will go ahead shortly after our return to Siem Reap, so be on the look out for that!
This is not a video that I had planned on making, but it manifested as a consequence of the passing of one of my neighbours at our apartment complex. After I got the news from Autumn in Asia‘s Kelly, who is also my neighbour, we then attended the funeral/passing ceremony, which had been organised at very short notice just a few hours later. Kelly and I attended, along with members of the landlord’s family, as well as some local people, and it was conducted by 6 monks from our local Wat.
It was a very powerful and moving experience, and I hope that this video, where I go over everything that I observed, as well as add some personal thoughts on the greater concept of what is likely to happen when an expats dies in Cambodia.
Just note, that this is in no way a sad video, but one that provides yet another reminder of how important it is to live your life with meaning and passion, which includes providing service to others.
In the Chinese Zodiac, 2026 is the Year of the Firehorse. I, myself, was born in 1966, which is the previous year that the Firehorse occurred. This reoccurrence now in 2026, after the completion of the full 60 year cycle, is considered to be the ‘return’ or ‘mirror’ year.
Inspired by my brother-from-another-mother back in Finland, and who is currently working on various AI related projects, I decided, for the very first time, to ‘have a chat’ with AI (in this case OpenAI), and the core topic was indeed in regards to the characteristics, as well as the many other aspects, of the Firehorse, including possible differences between the 1966 and 2026 years, and whether there were any other interesting perspectives that could be worth exploring.
In this video, I address the first of the 3 main questions that I asked, and it was mostly about the general nature and tendencies of the 2026 Firehorse year, and how it may related to all people, and also, more specifically, to me as an actual ‘returning’ FIrehorse myself. While the 2 remaining questions will be addressed in later videos, please just sit back and enjoy this opening narrative, with a nice backdrop from another local village moto tour here in Siem Reap, Cambodia with Kelly’s MC. The day out included a visit to a well known pagoda, Prasat Lpeuk Teuk Thla Bopharam, which is located about 10km out of town, and one that is, in fact, intimately connected with the Chinese Zodiac, as you may notice if you look carefully, as I wander around the grounds of the pagoda complex.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to watch this latest video, and I wish you all a happy and prosperous Chinese Firehorse New Year, which officially started on the 17th of February, the day on which I published this.
