Kevin Smiles

I have always excelled in academics since childhood,  
and I have won awards in various talent competitions.  
My journey in life began with illustrations from textbooks.  
At the age of sixteen, I started exploring music,  
transforming from a talentless guitarist to a professional photographer after my military service.

The 921 earthquake in Taiwan ended my business operations.  
At thirty-five, I faced the biggest turning point in my life,  
spending my first bucket of gold in North America,  
living with a Korean roommate in Toronto,  
and a Japanese girlfriend in Brooklyn, New York.

Then came the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York,  
which interrupted my studies at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in Manhattan.  
The atmosphere was tense, and due to my mother's longing and worry,  
I temporarily put aside my girlfriend to return to Taiwan to see her,  
and I never went back to Brooklyn.

At thirty-five, I started my teaching dream.  
I opened the SOHO Digital School in Taipei, and then SARS hit.  
I exhausted all my savings and life’s credit.  
The next twenty years were filled with hardship,  
where I learned video production, worked various sales jobs in Taipei,  
designed exhibitions, opened a studio, and created a T-shirt brand.  
I learned and worked in interior design,  
going back and forth between further studies, freelance work, and jobs,  
doing interior renovations and supervising building electrical and mechanical work.

In the end, I wanted to quietly open a badminton training center to spend my remaining years.  
However, the month I opened, the coronavirus pandemic broke out.  
Though I successfully endured hardships,  
I couldn’t escape the malice of human nature and was forced to close my business,  
leaving home with only six dollars.

In 2024, I gained some insights.  
All the chaos in this world seemed to calm down.  
The thing I am most grateful for in my life  
is that I have always engaged in work I love until now.

I have accumulated countless failures,  
and halfway through my life, I realized that time is the most precious.  
I want to spend the rest of my life on my interests and talents.  
I love creation, design, architecture, and painting.

Later, I discovered that I have a knack for explaining knowledge or skills in simple terms,  
making me suitable to be a teacher.  
Perhaps what everyone called me as a child, "Dr. Wang," will come true.  
Currently, I am working, studying, and managing my interests and hobbies.  
Thus, my operating hours are on weekends,  
the times when workers are unavailable,  
and those who want to further their education can attend.

I hope you will enjoy your life  
and be grateful for everything that happens, just like me.

大海 ( D.H.)

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