In my life, my relationship with my father has been a rocky one to put it lightly. That's where my grandfather stepped in and became the father figure I needed in my life. He is the sweetest man in the world teaching me how to properly treat people, basic male hygiene, and how to take care of my car. He quit smoking as he took on this role not wanting me to pick up his bad habits. Although he is married in he's taken me in as his own blood and cared for me all these years, and been the stability I needed in my life. It started when I was a boy my parents would send me off to my grandparent's house every weekend and I would spend almost half my childhood with him. Where I could escape the toxic household into a place where I could have fun without the need to be in fear. They took care of me teaching me all the things I needed to know that weren't being provided at my house. Being a blue-collar electrition. I even picked up basic wiring and car repairments. At their house is also where I developed my love for computers with the cheap laptops they had over the years and learned and developed many things. As I got older he even urged me to do what I can to repair my relationship with my father, to prevent me from having that hole for the rest of my life. Although it's still a work in progress there have definitely been some major strides between us thanks to the guidance of my grandfather. I've had to call him on countless nights asking what is wrong with me that no matter what I do is never enough for my father. No matter how bad it got he knew how to calm me down and get me in the right headspace to address my father and the things he has been saying to me to not make the situation worse. Never having any biological kids of his own I believe he saw me like that and used that opportunity to fulfill something he's always wanted to do. With me, also needing that role it was a perfect fit for each of us to be able to better each other and develop and grow with each other turning me into the adult I am today.

An up-and-coming new piece of tech in the technology field that I am very excited about is the implementation of VR into our daily lives. The possibilities of what this could mean for our future are endless. From giving the sick, who are unable to fulfill their dreams the chance to experience a perfectly fabricated reality, to giving others the opportunity to meet in an alternate environment rather than just on a screen. With the rate of new technology coming out and Facebook's introduction of Meta and the Metaverse, the virtual world is being trusted into the mainstream media. Not to mention the latest trend of buying and selling NFTs digital images. These hold no weight in the real world and previously would have been laughed at by people. With all these just coming to the surface in the last few years who knows what the possibilities will be in the next 5 years or even in the next decade. Immersion is the draw of VR, and with the recent releases of haptic suits that let you feel in the real world things in the game, once the industry gets more funding with more research and experiments the immersion could be indistinguishable to the real world. To some, this could be scary, but I think people need to think of the less fortunate in this circumstance. imagine being paralyzed as a child and never having the chance to experience sports, running, or any of the joys most children do. With a VR rig with full immersion, the child can experience these joys even though they weren't dealt an unfair hand at no fault of their own. This also gives more creative space for artists that want to collaborate on pieces with each other but live across the world. Instead of flying over they can record in the virtual world and produce as if they are side by side.

I have had many friends come and go in the short time I've been on this Earth. I know what it's like to go from tons of ¨loyal¨ best friends and then them all leaving you and being alone the next week. So true, real friendship is one of the most important things to have in your life. Humans are social creatures we aren't meant to go through life alone. Humans always strive to belong and be a part of something with someone, with good reason. Friends are there for you when you get down, but also there to celebrate when things go well. Friendship is important because it offers you a safe space for you to escape. they can distract you from the troubles of life, but also can help you solve them. Friends just add that reassurance that you're not alone you are loved and that you matter.

Coming from someone who suffers from bipolar disorder, practicing self-care is extremely important to me. Before learning how to take care of myself and how to put my needs first life was very hard. Once I learned how to destress my all-around outlook on life improved and I became a much more pleasant person to be around. Sometimes I´ll lay in my bed and listen to uplifting music, or watch my favorite show. On the other hand, if I need to escape from my home to be alone ill go to the gym so I can have a healthy way to deal with my stress and improve my body. Once I began getting into a routine on getting myself the time I need other problems in my life began to also sort themselves out. Sometimes you don't realize the toll that your stress is having on you until you learn to decompress. It's like trying to fill up a balloon but having a weight on it not until you relax, take the weight off, then will you make any progress.