I'm back in Singapore!

And what a relief. I am not as free a spirit as most people assume: I am quite comfortable defined by work and community.

My last stop in North America this time was New York, which I've been revisiting every year since 2007 to follow up on loose ends - unresolved plotlines and relationships from my student life.

This time, I think the novel's over. Yes, I still have dearly loved friends and compatriots in New York, but the real passion's gone, moved on.



I was staying with George, an amazing and dangerously young Hunter College student I bumped into last year at the Pride Parade. He speaks fluent Korean, Spanish (complete with a madrileño accent), French and Greek (Ancient and modern), and now he's learning Chinese. Here he is, avoiding his summer classwork by watching his favourite multilingual Youtubes.



This one's by a Tunisian-French rapper. Means "I have a complaint". Formidable, visually as well as in text and spirit.



Both George and I are agreed that Wang is one of the finest specimens of the male form on the planet Earth, and that Rain's cuteness is overrated.



I can't remember if George said that the lead singer of this Spanish group is transsexual, or if that was someone else. The title means "More is more".

I guess one reason I'm putting these Youtubes up is to show off the fact that I supposedly speak the languages therein (not Korean, but Mandarin), but the truth is that George groks these so much more deeply and wholly and casually than I do. I mean, I can barely figure out what someone's saying in an American English song.

Language is supposed to be the basis of my career, but really, compared with someone like him, I fail.

Back to the small pond. Back to work. Build on my strengths, not on my weaknesses. Never stop making stuff. Never despair.