Sometimes people think that the best version of themselves is the one they believe they should be ashamed of. Some might even spend too much time holding back, hiding, pretending to be someone that they are not, and ultimately not being true to themselves. In my twenties, I was definitely one of those people. Now, over a decade later, I'm finally starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin.

I lost the woman who raised me, my paternal grandmother, when I was 20 years old. Not a day goes by without random thoughts of her. My biggest regret, if I had to tell myself that I have one, is that I never got the chance to come out to her. With culture and tradition being my main reasons for being in the closet for so long, I cannot even say for sure what my PoPo would have said to me if I told her the truth back then. But, nonetheless, being true to myself is something I really like to believe is what she would have wanted for me.

Obviously, if you weren't able to pick it up from the paragraph above, I'm gay. It's not a very interesting fact about me, and it certainly doesn't define me. On an even less interesting note, some random things about me include but are not limited to: I love to read, but I have never considered myself a writer. In fact, I had an English professor tell me once that my writing voice is awkward. So, there's that. My favorite color is orange because it reminds me of sunsets and autumn. I probably love food too much. I do some artsy things--you can find me on IG: @ nerdypaperartist. I'm 100% an 80's child. I am sort of a jack-of-all-trades (master at none) because I've worked in so many different trades and have always tried to learn as much as I could in each one. I am also constantly trying to teach myself new things because I never want to stop growing. My current projects are basic piano skills and some bookbinding.

Tumblr/Twitter: @ viktoryusprime