Growing up in a third world country under the military dictatorship was not easy. My family and I constantly moved in and out of apartments every time the rent increased. We lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment with my grandmother, my aunt, and her daughter for a few years. I shared a plate of rice with salt and oil with my family many times. I will never forget the day my dad borrowed money from
my grandmother to buy a chocolate bar. In the summer of 1997, my family and I fled Burma to escape the military regime and poverty. We relocated to San Jose, California in search of a better quality of life and new opportunities. Growing up in the States was not easy either. I was bullied a lot for being gay, a person of color, and an immigrant so I spent a lot of my time drawing, painting, meditating, and reading alone. After graduating high school, I studied Fine Arts at San Jose State University and graduated in 2012. When I am not painting, I enjoy meditating, practicing Yoga, doing breathwork, journaling, reading, hanging out in nature, watching Netflix and cuddling with my partner.
