Joke of the Day

"What toys did you have when you were a kid, Daddy?" Daryl asked the other day.

"Well, cars, erh, cars, and ..." I answered him rather casually 'cos I was reading the paper.

"Traffic jam!" added Daryl.

...

Swimming Issue

We all know that Daryl is a boy. But sometimes what he does makes me wonder if he's actually a girl.

We have signed him up for some swimming lessons on Saturday mornings. I went to the pool with him for the very first lesson and asked him if he's ready, and he said he was. His coach is a tall young man with wide shoulders, who sometimes talks loudly but is very patient with kids. Daryl was the only kid under that coach in the first lesson. And so for the entire 60 minutes, he almost had to swim non-stop, making him dreadfully exhausted.

Then on the following Wednesday, Daryl asked, "Why do I have to swim on Saturday?" He looked worried and I asked him why. "I don't like the coach because he yelled at me," he said. "I don't like swimming," he added, with tears running down his cheeks. "I don't like the coach. Can I have another one?" he finally admitted.

Frankly, I was a little pissed when I heard that, as I expect my boy not to be scared by someone who speaks loudly, which the coach actually doesn't. But I also know that I can't expect too much from a four-year-old. So Mommy and I had to assure him that everything would be fine, and he seemed to understand.

Yet when he started crying the following Saturday morning, without prompting, when he knew that he had to go to the swimming pool, I knew I had no choice but to carry him all the way to the pool, which was thankfully not far away. And being experienced with kids, the coach jumped out of the water, came over and brought Daryl into the pool, from which point Daryl stopped crying.

And amazingly, I could see Daryl asking lots of questions to his coach while swimming. All in all, I could see that he was having a good time at the pool. I asked him if he loves swimming after the lesson had ended, and he gave me an emphatic YES.

But even more amazingly, Daryl started crying again the following Wednesday. We had to assure him that everything would be fine, and on Saturday carry him to the pool and hand him over to the coach, again.

And this vicious cycle continues.

Perhaps I should start yelling at him more, just to make sure that he is used to dealing with loud and noisy people ...

Sticky Stuff

Last time I did it, Daryl was so small that he had no idea what it was.

Now at the age of almost four, I think it's time for him to try some adult stuff.

Some expensive, addictive and sticky stuff.

A sticker album, that is.

I know I am going to get a World Cup sticker album this year, since Daryl was born during the PREVIOUS World Cup. And most importantly, I am still a kid at heart.

So I got the album and a box of 100 packs of stickers after work the other day, which made Daryl extremely excited.

No, I didn't let him put the stickers onto the pages 'cos I'm sure he's going to make it messy. So I just opened the packs and asked him to read out the numbers.

And he's having a heck of a time.

Looks like I'll have to get an extra album for him next time around.

Exhibition Notice

Venue: Daryl's Wall of Fame
Opening Hours: 24/7/365
Admission: Free

Mommy's Genes

Last night, Daryl went to his first art class.

And I was lucky enough to have the time to pick him up.

And he didn't disappoint.

Due to some misunderstanding between the art school and us, Daryl's first art class was delayed by a day. When I got to the school some 5 minutes before the scheduled ending time, I could see him sitting on a stool, swinging his stocky legs back and forth, and casually putting some strokes with a big paintbrush in his right hand.

I had no idea what he was painting or drawing. But it was a very lovely scene for me.

Like other parents, I asked the teacher how he did when the class finally ended some 20 minutes later. She told me that Daryl did really well, had pretty good control of the paintbrush (i.e., he managed to get rid of the excess water by gently patting it at the side of the paint dish), responded to instructions really well and enjoyed having kids around him.

And most importantly, his first "Official" drawing simply rocked.

I simply couldn't believe what I saw. I kept asking the teacher and Daryl whether he did it all by himself. They both said yes, and the teacher told me the only thing she did was to make a drawing of a tiger, and asked all the kids to draw a similar one.

Stunning.

Perhaps he's really talented in painting and drawing. Perhaps his painting or drawing will someday sell for millions of dollars. But I don't really care. All I care is Daryl being happy and enjoying what he does.

In fact, he loves it so much that he told me after the class that he only wants to go to the art class, but not his kindergarten anymore.

Stand-up Comedian

When Daryl is not crying or asking us to buy him toys, he can be a pretty funny kid.

Example 1:

We stayed at a number of hotels during our trip in Japan. One of them is a traditional one with hot springs and tatami. When we got into the room for the very first time, Daryl immediately asked, "Where is the bed? And where is the chair?" When we told him it was a traditional Japanese hotel room, he thought for a moment and then quipped,

"Why do THOSE Japanese sleep on the floor?"

Example 2:

We visited the Tokyo Disneyland during our trip. One night after returning home, we were watching a travel programme about the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany on the Travel Channel. Suddenly, Daryl said that it looked like something and, when we asked him what it looked like, he said it looked like the Disneyland.

While we were wondering about what he had just said, the TV host, Samantha Brown, asked just seconds later, "Don't you find it familiar?" And right on cue, it faded to footage of the Disneyland and, yes, she also confirmed that the Disneyland castle is, indeed, a replica of the Neuschwanstein Castle.

We had no idea that the script was written by him.

Example 3:

While in Japan, we told him that the Japanese eat their noodles pretty noisily if they really like them. While dining out in Hong Kong one day, when I gave him a bowl of noodles and told him that it was a bowl of Japanese cold noodles, he asked,

"Can I make noise?"

...

Looks like I can quit my day job and send him to the local comedy clubs. I can finally start planning about my long overdue retirement now.

More to Follow

Good day folks,

As many of you may know, we had a trip (or a crazy shopping spree) to Tokyo in late December. For those who have added me as a friend on Facebook, you can check out the pictures on my profile.

I've been pretty lazy lately, and haven't uploaded any new pics here. But once I have got rid of my lazy bugs, there will be plenty of new pics coming. So don't think that this blog has been abandoned like many others, as we are still going very strong!

Cheers,

Max

Transformer (Home Edition)

Day 1

Day 10

Day 19

Day 22

Day 28

Day 31

Day 34

Day 35

Day 39

Day 40

Day 48

Gabriela!

Mommy says it's a very good restaurant.

Look at the ham and cantaloupe!

And the lobster here is as fresh as it gets!

But I like the ice-cream the most.

I'd love to eat the lovely dessert too, but the meal has just taken way too long!

A cup of coffee may refresh me though ...

And most important of all, I have to look as cool as possible, just like the regulars at the next tables.

Anatomy 101

After checking how long his ears can be lengthened,

Daryl decided to check how his newly shaved head actually weighed.

Maestro at Work

Hurry, I'm feeling the Qi running riot in my body.

Just give me the camera ...

And I'll take some brilliant pictures of you.

Goggles!

Daryl likes a workshop a lot ...

'Cos it gives him all the excuse in the world to put on his beloved goggles!

The Birth of a Masterpiece

Let me push, push, push.

And let me step, step, step.

Voila! That's how a masterpiece is created!

Gone Are The Hairy Days

Do give me a call if you know where my hair's gone. Thank you.

The Art of Sharing

Daryl lent his toy turtle trolley to this lovely baby girl and her parents ...

Only because he wanted them to put all the tiny pieces back into the trolley for him. And his friend knew it too.

Holy Water

After being told that the water he drinks comes from reservoirs and ponds like this one ...

Daryl carefully examined the two glasses of water in front of him, trying to find the goldfish and other creatures inside.

Cooking Daryl

I'm showing a big smile because Daddy and Mommy ordered a cold drink for me.

So I'll be the chef tonight and I'm preparing some of their favourite dishes, like this big piece of plastic steak.

Tongue Twister

After crossing the bridge ...

And climbing across the metal nets,

What Daryl really longed for was a nap in Mommy's arms ...

And a chance to showcase his amazing tongue-twisting ability.

Where is the Champagne?

Hurray! I've won a big trophy ...

For being the first one to empty the soda pop bottle!

I am Hardworking

Where is this bus going? I know, it'll take me to the workshop.

Oops, I'd better stare blank to pretend that I'm paying attention to the supervisor.

I know my parents are not rich. That's why they ask me to manually put all 36,728 bolts and nuts together. In one morning.

And to take home all the plastics containers that others have left behind. In one go.

My reward? A trip down the MTR station.

And a seat next to the glass, which is so slippery that I have a hard time hanging on.