Dan Dan

My cousin in America recounting some of her son's (Dan) anecdotes:-

We were all in the car the other day, counting all the things we miss eating from Ghim Moh market.
We listed, "chai tao kueh, chwee kueh, chee cheong fun, char kuey teow, yong tao foo, ipoh hor fun..."
Then came Dan's voice, "Can you guys please speak English?"

***

I had gone with Dan to IKEA on Tuesday as a treat. I got to wander around for an hour while Dan played in the ball room. During the drive home, Dan complained that the boy he played with in the ball room kept calling him "Hey, Chinese boy."

Dan said he was angry and had asked him to stop calling him 'Chinese boy'.
I told him that it was ok, coz perhaps the boy didn't know his name, "And anyways, you are a Chinese boy."
"No, I'm not!" Dan said, "I'm not a chinese boy! I'm English!"
After hesitating for just a moment, he asked, "Mom, am I an English boy?"
I had to explain to him that even though we speak in English, we are chinese.
Dan was quiet for a while and then said, "I don't get it!"

***

There is this praise song we listen to in the car... I must confess I'm having a hard time deciphering the words to the second line. It sounds as though it should be "I'm lifting up my voice, I'm dancing in my joy!"

But I can never hear the right words to the song is because Dan insists on belting out at the top of his lungs, "I'm lifting up my voice, I'm dancing on my toys!"

***

I had just washed and cut up some strawberries for dessert.
I said to Dan, "Dan, come eat some strawberries!"
"I don't like strawberries.. they are sour," he replied.
"These are really sweet, Dano. Try some," I coaxed. His quick retort?
"They're really sweet? Then I can't eat them... they are bad for my teeth!"

***

Just this evening, Dan walked into our room after being tucked into bed for the night.
He complained, "Dadah! I have a mosquito bite right here," lifting up his top and scratching his side. Jon was sympathetic, "Oh, you poor thing. Why did the mosquito bite my poor Dano?"
Dan replied, "It's because I'm too juicy, that's why! I'm just too juicy!"