I RETURNED IN THE SUMMER OF 2014.
BACK TO WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN. THINGS HAD CHANGED. PEOPLE WERE DRINKING JUICE.
THERE WAS DEFINITELY SOME CULTURE SHOCK IN THE BEGINNING. HAVING ONLY SPOKEN CAMBODIAN FOR THE PREVIOUS 16 MONTHS. I THINK MY FIRST, BIG WOW, WAS THAT I COULD TALK TO OLD PEOPLE. I HAD MISSED THE OLD GENERATION SO MUCH AS I'VE ALWAYS HAD OLDER FRIENDS. AND SEEING AS I ONLY EVER LEARNED, PLEASE PASS ME THE HAMMER, OR DON'T DO THAT, OR THAT'S NOT A STRAIGHT LINE... IT DID ME LITTLE GOOD TO TALK TO ANYONE BUT MY WORKER EMPLOYEES.
SO YA, IT WAS A TRANSITION. AND SOON IT WAS LIKE I WAS EXPERIENCING NYC FOR THE FIRST TIME AGAIN.
MUCH FUN WAS HAD.
LYUBA ON THE HORSE. ME WITH THE BALLOON.
PLENTY OF LAUGHS.
LOTS OF KARAOKE!
AND LOTS OF ADVERTISING
FAST FORWARD 2.5 YEARS. AND I HAVE MADE WORK FOR AT&T, HEADED UP THE CREATIVE FOR A VENTURE CAPITAL STARTUP FOR A MINUTE, THEN WORKED FOR A YEAR AND A HALF AT D'ADDARIO AS ACD / PARTNER WITH THE CD.
I'D DONE SOME COOL STUFF. PAYED BACK THOSE THAT TRUSTED ME IN MY ADVENTUROUS AND SURPRISINGLY EXPENSIVE TIMES. AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO ASSESS MY SITUATION BACK IN ASIA.
THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS IT WASN'T WINTER THERE. AND THAT WAS NICE.
LONG STORY SHORT. WE SAW THE PLACE. OVERGROWN. TENDED TO BY SEVEN CARETAKERS OF VARYING APTITUDE, AND LITTLE TO NO TASKS BUT TO WATCH AFTER THE ABANDONED CASTLE IN OUR ABSENCE.
SO I THOUGHT. WE STAYED AT A CUSHY SPACE NEAR-BY AND WE THOUGHT ABOUT OUR OPTIONS.
EVENTUALLY, THE ARTIST IN ME, THAT DID ALL OF IT FOR HEART OVER MONEY ANYWAY, WON OVER. I HAD TO FINISH THE PIECE. NO ONE COULD SEE WHAT I COULD SEE IN IT, AND TO THEM I'M SURE IT WOULD HAVE HAD LITTLE VALUE BEYOND THE PLOT OF LAND. CAREFULLY PLACED, INTRICATELY DESIGNED WIRING NETWORKS, AND SOLAR SYSTEMS, AND WATER FEATURES THAT NO-ONE ELSE BUT THE PERSON THAT STARTED IT COULD UNDERSTAND. WITHOUT ME THERE TO EXPLAIN EVERY DETAIL, I KNEW I HAD TO BRING IT TO COMPLETION.
AND AS MANY BELIEVE WHERE THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY.
I BEGAN DESIGNING AGAIN. IN CAD. BUT THIS TIME HAVING GONE THROUGH THE SOBERING REALITY OF FAILURE ON MIS-CALCULATING EXPENSES. THIS TIME I WAS AWARE. AND KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS IN FOR IF I BEGAN TO SPEND ON CONSTRUCTION AGAIN. BUT A DREAMER DREAMS, AND A PAINTER PAINTS. AND IT HURT MY SOUL NOT TO TRY FINISH IT.
SIX MONTHS AGO WE BEGAN MAINTENANCE, CLEANING, AND CONSTRUCTION. AND NOW WE ARE FINISHED AND BACK AT OUR COMPUTERS WRITING THINGS ON THE INTERNET:)
SEE WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED IN THE NEXT SECTION...