Happiness Journal 11/10/25

I looked up from my sci notes and shot my son a random question, “Why do we choke when we talk while eating?”

To my immense surprise, he said something to the effect of food going down the tube meant for talking. Isn’t that the correct answer, even if he didn’t use the terms “gullet” and “windpipe”?

“How did you know this?!” I asked, my jaw dropped as if pulled by a formidable force below. It turned out that his kindergarten teacher had taught him that during a lesson on the human body.

I’m tickled pink by the comprehensiveness of early childhood education these days.

Happiness Journal 13/10/25

Getting my son to read aloud in Mandarin is the last thing I want to do after a long and exhausting workday, but I try my best to keep at it, even if it’s an agonising process watching him read. I think sloths move faster than his reading.

I was getting him to read some story about a bear when he quipped, “This character has the 提手旁 (hand radical). I learnt it from 老师 (teacher).”

I then scanned through the words. Lo and behold, he was right! There are words like 掉 and 抓; I even saw 挣扎 which is a phrase above his cognitive level lol.

Instantaneously, my fatigue vanished like dark thoughts being sucked into a vortex. Not sure if he will become a proficient reader in Chinese in the future, but I am heartened that he has retained a little bit of what he has learnt in school.

Happiness Journal 17/10/25

While on the way to pick up her brother, my daughter broke free from my grasp, yelled, “Run!” and dashed ahead in the irresistibly cute, heartstring-tugging way only toddlers can put off. She was eager to be reunited with him.

Life can be worse. I am thankful that the children adore each other.

Happiness Journal 18/10/25

My daughter is proving to be a consummate auntie killer. Today marked the second time this week in which an auntie just dished out tidbits to her when she walked past us. If only my youthful looks and cute demeanor could help me put food on the table likewise.

Happiness Journal 19/10/25

Slept in until 8.45am today, which means that both children woke up later than me. What a rarity in the duty-bound era of fatherhood! I just might see a unicorn next.

Spent quality time with each of my children. The daughter in the morning, and the son in the afternoon. Both outings culminated in visits to the supermarket and Daiso respectively. I realised that I have been more lax in my spending habits. If it is something unusual that catches our fancy and promises to tantalise our tastebuds, I will buy it without hesitating too much. Which explains why I was drinking a can of boba milk tea with the son outside Dyson service center this afternoon. Child-rearing sanity needs to be bought with gimmicks like this.

During dinner, the son enlightened me that platypuses have poison in their claws. Incredulous, I Googled for the truth and realised that he was half right - male platypuses have venomous spurs on their hind ankles. Stunned, I asked him how he had learnt this information. He nonchalantly replied, “Pokemon” and showed me this platypus toy for good measure.

Who knew that a game can enlighten children about animal adaptations?! Colour me impressed.