I was born on January 19, 1960, in a home that sat on the south side of the Rotterdam docks. Some of my earliest memories are of watching the loading and unloading of ocean-going vessels. These ships also led to some of my earliest daydreams, imaginings, and fantasies. When I was 9, my family took me from the shipyards and moved to Canada, eventually settling down in Vancouver (the most beautiful city in the world). As a new immigrant, and a little kid in a whole new world, the most difficult thing for me was learning the English language ... something that my critics still bring to my attention from time to time (with my absolute support, of course)."