Looking back, a year ago I was living in quite a dreary home, which had little to no heating in winter (enough to keep the pipes warm), random weeks of no hot water or gas. No working stove to use or anything. I slept on a mattress on the floor for a while and eventually got a box spring for it and cleared space for a room to sleep on. My diet consisted of pre-cooked chicken which was like $2, some no name brand chips, bologna sandwiches and orange juice for the majority of it. Occasionally I'd switch it up and get some cans of pasta if they were on sale!

About 12 hours from now, a year ago, that place I lived in also sprung a leak, destroying half my belongings and ruining a lot of my college paperwork. During this period I couldn't afford much either. I was going to school full time, was fully independent and doing what I could to be responsible for my own finances. It was a struggle, but I made it through, graduated with very high marks, and moved to Ontario to start a new life and move forward.

Now, this isn't a journal about my struggles; just outlining what was then, and what I've gone on and how I've worked to change that.

Since then I've met some amazing people along the way, Weasyl launched and has been quite a project to work with and gain experience from as it develops and continues to grow. I've managed to accomplish things I never imagined I'd be doing.

I took on some work in my industry; when that didn't go so well (no funding so project flopped), I moved on, and I'm still working towards securing a job in the industry, whilst continuing to further my knowledge and work at my personal goals.

My living situation has improved significantly, to the point where I'm healthy again and not sick almost five days out of the week from undernourishment or exhaustion from pushing myself too hard.

Although my life isn't ideal right now, it's at the point where I have nothing to complain about; I work hard at what I do, I enjoy everything and I'm surrounded by wonderful people. I don't think there's more I could ever ask for.

My goal for next year is to get that industry job (though I do have some 3D work hopefully coming up soon + possible internships at a few places I'm looking at) and get a few things to make life a bit nicer. I also may work on getting a gym pass and trying to up my cardio - when I was born I had heart problems, and so I've struggled with that somewhat throughout the years and I'd like to try and strengthen my body while I'm still young.

I also plan to work on some new art sometime soon, for those who don't really care for my personal life and just want to sit back and enjoy the art. So expect some new space art sometime this month or mid-August! Perhaps some 3D models as well!