Kids Are A Barrel Of Laughs - Sometimes

I recalled during the CNY period , when I had wandered into town, the day I met Luke and his cousin at the Orchard Hotel. I also discovered an international watering hole there and SUBWAY sandwiches are certainly American portions and a world apart from run-of-the-mill junk food in terms of taste and quality. In fact all the eateries there serve Asian and American cuisnes. I got to eat satay too.

Luke and his cousin and their sisters were racing one another, tearing up and down the hotel lobby, getting into elevators, riding the escalators and so on, typical of kids left on their own while their parents were inside the pub. If you must know, the pub has patrons as faraway as South Africa.

When Luke's cousin tripped and hurt himself, it was a different thing altogether. He was sobbing in the washroom while Luke tried to comfort him and wash his "wound". It was quite a scene with Luke's cousin alleging Luke to have caused him to fall and not wanting his "wound" to get any worse.

Upon my suggestion to have the "wound" plastered, Luke's cousin flatly refused, citing : "But I don't want a plaster!". Luke then supported his little cousin, saying that it was better to air the "wound" to have it healed. These English kids were something else.

Just not too long ago, two Australian Chinese kids boarded the LRT with their grandparents. They caught my eye with their good looks (the usual Asian-American mixed kind) and the distinct Oz twang they spoke. I was taken aback by their razor sharp observations too.

Oz Kiddo 1: "Hey isn't that the driver of the train?" (pointing to commuter standing at the front, peering out the window, quite obviously pulling his brother's legs)

Oz Kiddo 2: "That isn't the driver. He is a passenger. And "po-po" did ask you to hold on to the railings and not spin around."

With smart, vocal kids like that, who wouldn't wanna be a father? Shouldn't I be somewhere in a local municipal office signing adoption papers as a single parent? You tell me folks.