In the event of fire.

About a week ago, Syahidah asked her two youngest sons:

"What three things would you take, from the house, in the event of a fire?"

Syahidah's voice was neutral, with no invocation to a particular answer or style of response.

Fintan, seven, took the question seriously and answered with certainty: "I would take my blanket, the PS3...and mummy." His sobre eyes spoke of love.

His mummy was touched.

I had been watching this exchange and piped up at that moment.

"What about Daddy?"

Fintan looked over at me, and dismissed the matter, with an implied shrug.

"Daddy," he said, explaining the obvious, "You can run."

Ah. I could look after myself, it seemed. He hadn't, however, considered that the athlete of the house, was actually his mother, not his father. I rather think that he was labouring under an unconscious bias: everything he had chosen to take, was a source of comfort to him - his blanket, which kept him snug and warm at night; his PS3 which he so enjoyed playing - and his mum, all full of hugs and kisses. Fintan, would seek to save all that brought him most comfort in life. I don't suppose a hug from big, cumbersome old Daddy was half as comforting, as one from warm, huggable mummy.

Tiarnan's answer to the same question was rather more inwardly directed.

"The Xbox, the PS3 and the laptop.", he said, quickly.

"But how could you carry all those?", said Syahidah, practically, to her littlest son, four.

"I would have to!", he said, his face all defiant, for an instant, at the thought that reality might challenge his aspirations.

Tiarnan's choices are all things he enjoys doing. They are, in fact, reflections of the same thing: computer games. Perhaps, at his age, he cannot imagine anything more valuable.

Considering this memory, makes me realize that I shall have to sit both Tiarnan and Fintan down and tell them that, in the event of a real fire, the most valuable "things" to save, are people, followed by uniquely irreplaceable items, like art, or writings with only one copy. Apart from Fintan's last choice, all other items are replaceable, and need not be bothered with, in the event of a fire. It will, I think, be a valuable lesson to our two youngest sons.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.htmlI also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

A memory for old age.

Today, I saw something which I rather feel, I shall always remember. To some, it might seem like a little thing, but to me, it is an iconic image.

I was coming home, after having been out, about my day, when I noticed something on the gate, to our house. It is a wide, black gate, made of old, much put upon wood. At the touch of a switch, it parts to let cars or people alike, through. However, the surface of the gate has a patina of dust, clinging to it, partially because of the nature of the paint on it.

Now, there is nothing remarkable about dust on a gate, but to me, there was something remarkable on that gate. All over the surface, little fingers had traced pictures, in the dust. They were pictures of happy, smiling people, joyously at play. I imagined, as I saw them, Tiarnan's and Fintan's fingers, drawing in the dust, expressing what was in their hearts and minds. It is clear, there is much happiness there - but also a desire to express it. They had drawn spontaneously on what their world offered them: a dusty gate.

I wished, in that moment, for a camera, but we have none that is working today (we have lost the charger). I hope, therefore, that the rain, which began moments after I saw the images, doesn't wash them away. I would like a photo of that indelible memory, so that I can show others, what I saw that day and explain to them, what it means to me. On that gate, I saw my children's childhood laid out before me. It was a sweet one, filled with innocent happiness. It made me smile, so, to see what they had done. I knew, in that moment, that I would remember that gate and its traced happiness. I knew that that gate would be forever with me, because it captured the essence of my children, as they are now, at the beginning of their lives.

I only hope I can photograph it, before it is gone.

Thank you Tiarnan (four) and Fintan (seven) for showing me what is in your hearts. I am happy to see it so.

I will remember that drawing of theirs upon the gate: the question is - will they remember it too? Will it become a memory of their childhoods...or will it be lost, for ever, as just one more day, in this eternal summer we live, near the Equator?

I hope to ask them one day, and to remind them of their tracings on the gate, in its obliging dust.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.htmlI also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Tiarnan's effort at typecasting Daddy.

Yesterday, Tiarnan, four, asked me to join him in a play fight with his brothers. He did it in his own wordless way, by taking my hand, and giving it a little tug, as I sat before my computer. I knew what he wanted so I rose to join him.

I went downstairs with him. As we walked outside, where Ainan and Fintan were waiting with their "guns" - actually rubber band projectors - he said to me: "I am Juggernaut, and you are Blob."

Ah. No doubt that was perfect casting his eyes. I know I am big, compared to him, but to be cast as Blob (a very large, corpulent but strong man, in the Marvel superhero Universe) was somewhat disconcerting, though charming, too, in a way, since he proposed it in all innocence.

"This is how Blob attacks.", he said, to me, in the manner of an exuberant teacher, impassioned by his own lessons. He then instructed me as to how Blob took on his enemies.

I watched his energetic motions, carefully and then followed him out into the garden.

If "Blob" he wanted me to be, Blob I would be. It would have been nice, however, if he had chosen a somewhat slimmer character for me to impersonate. Then again, I must outweigh him many fold, so to him, it probably seemed a fair casting decision.

So, I joined the smallest Juggernaut in the world, as a somewhat uncertain Blob, in the battle for the garden.

It was fun...but it did give me pause as to how my little son sees me. (I am a mere waif, besides the Blob depicted in Marvel. Long I hope to remain so).

Note: I use the term "typecasting" only because Tiarnan likes to put me in the roles of very large characters. I am not, in fact, all that large and so it is not true to type for me. However, I wished to reflect, Tiarnan's view of me. He is very small...so to him, I suppose, I am a great mound of a man, indeed.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A few days ago, Tiarnan, four, looked seriously at his mother. There was a question in his eyes.

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Mummy?"

She could have laughed, but she didn't. The surprise of the question, silenced her, for a moment. Tiarnan leapt into that moment.

"Will you be my mummy?"

"Yes, Tiarnan.", she smiled, the kind of smile that one is generally unaware of - one made whilst focussed on something else: in this case, Tiarnan himself.

"What do you want to be Tiarnan, when you grow up?" she said, not answering his question, but posing her own.

"Carnage!", he said, immediately imagining himself as this powerful superhero - supervillain, actually.

She laughed, because little Tiarnan is about as far as one could imagine from the fearsome Carnage, character. He is Spiderman's most powerful adversary, and has greater strength and reflexes than Spiderman, though without his enhanced senses.

Syahidah didn't know how to take Tiarnan's question, which is why she didn't really answer it, for him. Was it because Tiarnan thinks she looks very young? Is it because she is much smaller than his Daddy, so he might think that she has some "growing up" to do? She didn't know - and has yet to find out. Perhaps that will be the tale of another post.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Tiarnan's on Father's Day.

This morning, my youngest son, Tiarnan, four, and his mother were having a little chat about what to do for Father's Day.

Syahidah looked into Tiarnan's engaging eyes and asked: "Would you like to go and see a film with Daddy? What film would you like to see?"

"That's lame, mummy.", Tiarnan began, disappointed somewhat in her suggestion.

Syahidah was rather surprised at this.

"It's Daddy's day. Daddy should see a film for Daddy, not for me."

Her surprise changed into something even more surprising: she was impressed. Tiarnan had actually stepped out of his own world, into Daddy's and seen that, to Daddy, a film Tiarnan might choose, might not be ideal. He was trying to view the world from his father's perspective, and deciding that his mummy's proposal just wouldn't be what Daddy really wanted.

I was touched, too, when I heard this tale retold. You see, in a way, Tiarnan gave me a special gift, when he turned down his mother's idea. He showed me that he understood Daddy's world. He told me that he was able to put aside his own needs and desires and try to work out what mine might be. I thought his response curiously mature for such a little boy.

Thank you, Tiarnan, for your insight - and for caring about what Daddy might really want. That made my Father's Day, in an unexpected way. Thanks, too, to Ainan, Fintan and Syahidah, for a heartwarming day.

Happy Father's Day, all.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

How to make a Superhero.

Not infrequently, we make Superheroes, in our household. They are usually made out of Tiarnan and Fintan.

Yesterday, Tiarnan, four, came to me with a pumpkin costume partially on: it was open at the back. He turned his back towards me and waited. I duly took the costume off him, as I thought he required, since I had seen him wearing it earlier.

He turned around, then, and looked up at me, very patiently and said: "Dad: I want to wear it." He wasn't annoyed. He was, however, trying to explain what he wanted very carefully to me.

So, I put the costume on him. There: one fat pumpkin.

"I am VERY strong in this.", he declared to me, confidently, his little body already swelling with this phantom strength.

Then he rushed off.

I found myself smiling in his wake, looking at where he had been and thinking of the empowered expression he had had on his face, as he had spoken of his new found strength. He actually felt that strength it seemed.

In another room, in the house, I soon heard the sounds of play fighting. I call it play fighting, because they don't really hit each other properly...they hold back. Or at least Fintan does. (He is six and very strong - and knows it.)

I walked quietly to a vantage from which I could see them, at play.

Tiarnan was in his own world, possessed by the character of this "Pumpkin man". He was swinging his arms wildly and, each time they struck Fintan, they seemed to have great impact, for Fintan was knocked all over the place by them.

"I am SO strong!", called out little Tiarnan, who, if the truth be known, was too small to be strong, at all.

Tiarnan knocked Fintan to the floor. This is a bit like you, or I, knocking Mike Tyson to the floor: not likely.

Fintan looked up at me then, some five metres away, and gave me a conspiratorial wink.

No wonder Tiarnan thought he was so strong in that costume. Fintan was duly playing along, to make it seem so.

How sweet of Fintan, to care so much about his little brother, that he confirmed his imaginative world for him, entered it, and became what Tiarnan needed to complete his inner vision.

Fintan is like that. He typically understands others and knows just how to make them happy, therefore. In that moment, he was making Tiarnan happy - and, I thought, quite enjoying the charade that was required.

I left them to it.

So, you see, in our household, we regularly make Superheroes...very small ones, but no less potent for that.

Anyway, be careful when you see "Pumpkin man". He may be small, but he is VERY strong, indeed.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

The lifecycle of Transformers robots.

Tiarnan, four, is very much enamoured of the Transformers. He sees in them, an exciting world of super"human" heroes and is more than a little impressed, in his boyish way. Today, he said something which reminded me how important it is to just let children see the world, as a child naturally does: there is so much more charm in it, that way.

At the dinner table, Tiarnan explained to me about the Transformers robots.

"Bumblebee is this big.", he showed, spacing the fingers of his left hand, a few inches apart - the few inches he could manage with one hand.

"...and Devastator is THIS big." He reached up high with his left arm, though Tiarnan is fond of using both, when it pleases him.

Then he said to me as if he were revealing either a great secret, or something very important: "...and Devastator's baby, would be this big.", he said holding the fingers of his right hand, just an inch or so apart, next to his still left hand (representing Bumblebee).

The idea of a robot having a baby, was just so sweet, that a feeling of tenderness, for Tiarnan and his world view, swept over me.

"The Devastator baby can still suck things.", he confided.

For those who have not seen the adult Devastator at work, it sucks everything into itself like a black hole, destroying them. So, Tiarnan's baby Devastator is not quite the cute little suckling baby, one might imagine, but a rather dangerous little beastie.

A few minutes later, Tiarnan got down onto the floor to crawl around, in a rather mechanical way, his lips open to suck in the world.

Now, I know just what a "Devastator baby", should look like, and how it should behave!

I could, of course, have told Tiarnan how robots are made. I could have told him that, whilst modern robots are generally made in factories, I suppose it is possible that a robot could make a copy of itself - indeed, a Von Neumann machine is just that - a self-replicating robot. So, whilst not presently practical, it was possible that future robots could do as Tiarnan had imagined: reproduce themselves. I could have told him, as some parents might, that "That's impossible! Robots don't have babies!" - but, do you know what? That would have been cruel and counter-productive and would have punctured his wonderful imaginative world. It is much better to sit back, enjoy and admire whatever he imagines is the case. There is time enough for dull reality to seep into his brain - probably shortly after he goes to school. Right now, however, there is nothing better for him than a bit of imaginative play.

Besides, I probably enjoy it more than he does!

Thank you, Tiarnan, for making me smile, without even knowing how you are doing so.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

The centre of the Universe.

I have observed that the centre of the Universe is four years old and quite short. His name is Tiarnan.

A couple of days ago, we were at the beach. This is quite easy to arrange given that Malaysia has an abundance of good beaches. Anyway, Tiarnan was playing twixt sand and sea when he ran forward, eagerly to his mother, clutching an empty green tea bottle.

"The sea gave it to me." he said, delightedly.

I felt at once the sweetness of his expression, that he should think the sea would personally give him anything at all. I understood, then, once more, what it was to be so young. At that age, the Universe has but one true centre - the self - and all the world is arranged just for us. So, it was, for Tiarnan, that day, that the sea reached out to him and gave him an empty bottle of green tea. How sweet.

It is funny and sad to think that as people grow up, they come to think of themselves as further and further from the centre of the Universe, until, eventually, many people see themselves as little inconsequential nothings, at the periphery of the Universe. Yet, it is not so. In a way, we are always the centre of our own personal universes, just like we were, as young children - even if the world teaches us that the centre is not as important as it once was.

I think it better, in a way, to think like a child. For the child values their position in the world, much more than many adults learn to. So, be the centre of your own universe and think, indeed, that the very sea would care enough about you, to give you something. Thinking such, makes the whole world seem rather more friendly - and what, precisely, could ever be wrong with that?

Of course, Tiarnan, the sea thinks of you all the time. Just as I do.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Tiarnan coins a neologism

Yesterday, Tiarnan faced me, whilst in my arms. He was, therefore, quite close to me. I spoke, though, as I usually did.

He looked at me with an appraising focus.

"Daddy, today you are very soundy."

Soundy, he had said - a word I had never heard before, but the meaning of which was instantly clear: LOUD. I was speaking too loudly for one so close.

"I am too loud.", I said, giving the words another might use. However, I must say, I much prefer his own word: it is new, fresh and altogether meaningful.

Hearing him invent this word, reminded me of how creative some young children are. Here, Tiarnan solved the problem of communicating exactly what he meant, by inventing the word that perfectly expressed it. An older child, or an adult, most probably would not do that: they would use a combination of words known to all. Thus, in a way, growing up could be seen as becoming less creative, in communication, at least - and more likely to go with conventional ways of expressing oneself. I rather hope, though, that Tiarnan retains his creative ways, and makes a habit of inventing his own words, just when he needs them. It is both sweet and endearing, and altogether more interesting than just using the same tired old words everyone else uses.

So, Tiarnan, carry on neologizing. As for you, my boy, you are pretty soundy, yourself, much of the time. (cue screeching kid.)

Here's a thought, though: if the word "soundy" catches on, it would be strange to realize that it had been coined by a four year old, to describe the effect of his dad speaking whilst being too close for comfort. How funny!

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Tiarnan's ambition.

A few days ago, I asked Tiarnan, my just turned four year old son:

"What do you want to do when you are a big boy, like Daddy?"

There wasn't even the slightest pause for consideration. This was something he knew the answer to, immediately, though it was the first time I had asked it, of him.

"Books, Daddy, I want to write them." His eyes seemed to gaze on the future to come, as if, for him, it were within ready reach.

"A writer?"

"A writer.", he confirmed.

I was somewhat surprised to hear a four year old say he was going to be a writer. Not many four year olds, I imagine, would choose such a path.

I revisited the question again, later, asking him: "What kind of books will you write?"

"Reading books.", he declared, by which, I think he means fiction...the kind that people like to read.

"I am going to read and read and read...and then write.", he said, as if mapping out a path, to his writing future.

I must say it is good to hear him choose a creative path and, in many ways, I am not surprised that he should do so - only surprised that he did so at four. You see, Tiarnan is the most verbal of my three sons: he talks more, at this age, and in the three years that preceded it, than any of his brothers. Not that alone, but he is also the most divergent of my sons. By this, I mean, he is the most likely to say something unlikely. However Fintan goes in for that kind of thing, too: the off the wall comment that comes from nowhere and is utterly inexplicable, yet, which, once said, has a wisdom or a wit all of its own. That kind of thing is quintessentially Tiarnan and quite a bit of Fintan. So, I think that Tiarnan would make an interesting writer for his work would, I predict, be filled with unexpected thoughts and surprising insights. I would invisage the kind of writing for him, that makes the reader sit up and think: how on Earth did he think of that?

As for now, he enjoys books - that much I had known. Yet, I had not known until I asked that question just quite how much books must mean to him.

I look forward to the day I get to read one of his books. I only hope I am around to get the chance to do so. It might be another thirty years or more before he puts together his first book and I would, therefore, be in my seventies, at least, before it happens. So, I can only hope that I have the pleasure of reading his work. If not, at least I got to hear his first announcement of this early ambition.

I hope it comes to fruition. Good luck Tiarnan. Keep thinking those apt but wacky thoughts.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

On being determined.

Tiarnan is small, but mighty - not in strength, but in heart. (Though he is pretty strong, too.)

Yesterday, Tiarnan's mother, Syahidah, wanted to get him to do something, so she asked him to come to her.

He stiffened a little at her words and looked up at her, his little brow furrowed: "I am on a MISSION!", he said, emphatically, making it clear that he wasn't going to join her.

"Oh.", she replied, somewhat taken aback. "Carry on, then."

"Thank you.", he said, relaxing and turning back to his "mission" - making a painting.

It was an instructive moment in the life of Tiarnan. He is a little boy who sets his mind to something, then doggedly pursues it, until it is done. I think this is a very helpful quality and I hope to see it endure through his life. Should he retain this gift of personality, I can see him overcoming any number of challenges, to meet his goals. Today, he overcame the will of his mother, so as to create what was in his mind's eye. She was pleased to see his strength of will and not in the least put out, that he had refused her. It is a good sign that he should be so determined. Long may he continue to be.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Tiarnan on moral complexity.

Last month, Tiarnan, three, at the time, was talking to his mother about character. He stood still before his mother, with his customary serious expression on his face, when he is about to mention something of significance. It gave him a presence that demanded attention - so Syahidah duly gave it to him.

"Mummy, you shouldn't always choose the good guy, because sometimes the good guy can be bad, and the bad guy can be good."

It was an interesting comment, for it showed that Tiarnan's understanding of morality and character had gone beyond black and white, and now incorporated every shade of grey, too. For him, character was not clearcut, anymore: there were ambiguities and blurrings of categories. To me, this seems a sign of a maturing grasp of the nature of people - for no-one is perfectly one thing or another, but a blend, instead, of various dispositions. Tiarnan has come to understand that, already.

Seeing childhood, from the outside, as I do, as a parent, it amazes me how quickly, very young children come to understand the world, when you consider how little time they have had to do so. They seem to come an insight of what it is all about upon very little exposure indeed. It seems to me that they are better able to do this, than a typical adult: ie. come to an understanding based on little information. Young children, in my experience, do this very well.

In a way, this is very revealing, because it goes beyond the world view that Hollywood would have little children believe: that of the pure good guy and bad guy division. Tiarnan has seen much Hollywood fare...but he has also been observing the world itself. His conclusion is clear: all is not clearcut, the world is not black and white, but grey. It is, I feel, a step towards a maturer understanding of the social world.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Happy Fourth Birthday, Tiarnan.

Tiarnan, our youngest son, is four today. Somehow, he has sped from newborn to four in what seems like an instant, but is probably just a sign that I am not as young as I used to be and so life seems to have speeded up. No doubt, to Tiarnan, those first four years seem very long indeed.

We have already, actually, celebrated his birthday, at the beach, in Singapore, this last weekend, with a good few of his young friends and a good few of their parents (our friends). Thank you to all those who came and made Tiarnan's day at the beach a memorable one. We had asked him where he wanted his birthday to be - and he had said, "At the beach!", so we obliged. It was a happy day for him.

Happy Birthday Tiarnan!

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6, or Tiarnan, exactly 4, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, College, University, HELP University College, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Computer Programming, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, prodigy, genie, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals. If you would like to look at my IMDB listing, for which about another fifteen credits have yet to be uploaded. This will take many months before they are approved. Please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ for my listing. Ainan’s listing is at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley’s listing is at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Tiarnan, the microbiologist.

On the 5th January, 2010, Tiarnan approached me with a magnifiying glass in his left hand, as I lay down in rest.

He put the lens up to his eye and peered down at the skin on my arm.

I thought this a very curious thing to do.

"What are you doing, Tiarnan?"

"I am looking for bacteria.", he announced, seriously, in his little high pitched voice.

I found myself smiling as I watched him peering intently at my magnified skin. No doubt he would not be able to see any bacteria, but no doubt, too, the view would be very interesting to a three year old.

His action was strangely revealing. It meant that he understood that bacteria were very small and could not be seen with the naked eye - but it also meant that he didn't understand quite how small they were - the magnifying lens being insufficient. Nevertheless, he had the right idea, in essence, and at least he understood that the lens would "make things bigger".

I let him peer away, as he moved the lens across any revealed skin, to see what he could find. There was another thing that he clearly understood: that bacteria would be found living on human skin. He is not wrong.

Perhaps we have another little scientist in the house. I don't know...but we shall see.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6, or Tiarnan, exactly 4, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, College, University, HELP University College, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Computer Programming, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, prodigy, genie, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals. If you would like to look at my IMDB listing, for which about another fifteen credits have yet to be uploaded. This will take many months before they are approved. Please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ for my listing. Ainan’s listing is at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley’s listing is at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

Why mosquitoes bite.

About two weeks ago, I was walking with Tiarnan, in our fairly green area of Kuala Lumpur. The light was fading and the sun slumping in the sky.

Suddenly, I slapped the back of my neck.

Tiarnan, three, looked up at me, quizzically. "Why did you do that, Daddy?"

"A mosquito bit me.", I explained.

He nodded, with the wisdom of a pint sized Yoda, "Because Daddy is so nice!"

Unexpectedly, I felt quite a lot better about being bitten by the mosquito. I rather liked Tiarnan's reasoning: I was being targeted by mosquitoes because I was "so nice!" How sweet of him to think so. The most touching thing of all, though, was that he really seemed to believe it, such was his earnest nodding. He had no doubt at all in him that he had divined the reason for the mosquito's attack.

So, Tiarnan, the next time I get bitten by a mosquito, I will take it as a compliment to my character. Thank you, my boy!

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals. If you would like to look at my IMDb listing for which another fifteen credits are to be uploaded, (which will probably take several months before they are accepted) please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ As I write, the listing is new and brief - however, by the time you read this it might have a dozen or a score of credits...so please do take a look. My son, Ainan Celeste Cawley, also has an IMDb listing. His is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley, has a listing as well. Hers is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

Kissing the Blarney Stone

There is a legend, in Ireland, that whosoever kisses the Blarney Stone, at the top of Blarney Castle, near Cork, Ireland, shall be bestowed the gift of eloquence. Indeed, the Blarney Stone is otherwise known as the Stone of Eloquence.

Apparently, over the centuries, the legend of the Blarney Stone has led Presidents, leaders, noted eminences, such as Sir Walter Scott and entertainers of renown, to wend their way to Blarney to kiss the Stone.

A couple of days ago, Syahidah, my wife, was telling Fintan, six and Tiarnan, three, the legend of the Blarney Stone. Funnily enough, though I am the Irish one in the family (well, pure Irish...our sons are half-Irish), my wife took it upon herself to tell some old tales of Ireland to the kids. They listened, as usual, most intently, to the tales of this strange world called Ireland, where Daddy comes from - but they have never been. Strange indeed, it is - a land of legends, of leprechauns, mythic Kings and otherworldly beings. It must, to them, seem rather an odd enchanting place, besides the prosaic, predictable Singapore they know so well.

Syahidah explained the Blarney Stone, to Fintan and Tiarnan, with her round amazed eyes: "Anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone is given a special gift: they can talk and talk and talk and never stop talking. They always have something to say."

Fintan looked very serious then and turned to his mummy: "Did Tiarnan kiss the Blarney Stone?"

She would have laughed, but she is too kind to do so. So she just allowed herself a little smile.

"No, he hasn't". Yet, she understood why it might seem so for, of all the little Cawleys in the world, Tiarnan has more talk in him than all the rest put together. His tongue is supercharged with an ever flowing river of words that needs only one thing to set it flowing: that he be awake. Tiarnan talks about everything and anything, often making interesting observations or asking apt questions - or sometimes saying something quite bizarre. That he talks so much is one of the first things strangers remark about him. Yet, he does not talk in an annoying, intrusive way - he talks in a charming, enchanting way. There is something about him, that makes even the most jaded of listeners, want to pause to listen, and find out just what is going through his little head.

Perhaps, I wonder, Tiarnan might, one day, do something that requires ever flowing words. He might be a writer, or an actor, or a politician. I would be most unsurprised if he ends up doing something that requires verbal fluency of a high degree - for that is what he is already showing.

Of course, there is a deeper meaning to Tiarnan's talk. He talks because he thinks. He only speaks so much, because he has so much to say. So, in that sense, it could presage anything. He might not end up as a writer, an actor or a politician - but I am sure he will end up in something that requires fluency of thought for, after all, it is fluency of thought that leads to fluency of speech.

It is too early to tell, of course, what Tiarnan might be. Yet, it is good that my sons present such contrasts. I would say that Tiarnan speaks the most and Ainan the least. However, that is only conditionally true. Ainan can speak superabundantly, when someone engages him in conversation, though he often speaks so as to refute what is being said, to point out its logical flaws - yet, speak he does. Most of the time, though, he is quieter than the others, more involved in his own thought, than in the need to convey it to others. Fintan is somewhere in between. Together, they present quite a spectrum of talkativeness, yet all are brothers. As long-term readers will know, they are different in other ways, too. That variety, of course, provides an ever stimulating environment to their parents. In our household, there seems to be one of just about every kind of person.

One day, I shall bring my family to Ireland. Perhaps, then, we could visit the Blarney Stone - the one Tiarnan does not need to kiss. In fact, of all my sons, I would prevent him from doing so! Carry on talking, Tiarnan!

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals. If you would like to look at my IMDb listing for which another fifteen credits are to be uploaded, (which will probably take several months before they are accepted) please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ As I write, the listing is new and brief - however, by the time you read this it might have a dozen or a score of credits...so please do take a look. My son, Ainan Celeste Cawley, also has an IMDb listing. His is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley, has a listing as well. Hers is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

Tiarnan's morning toast.

Tiarnan, three, is one of those children whose youthful energy invariably makes anyone older than six feel geriatric. This superabundance of life-force is particularly evident first thing in the morning, when he is brighter and perkier than even a small star could be.

This morning, his face shone with his early morning intensity. He looked up at his mother on sighting her and said, cheerily: "Here's to another episode of Tiarnan!"

What a wonderful expression...and how interesting is the viewpoint that had to give rise to it. He has likened his world to a television series, with each day, an episode. I suppose he is not far wrong, since he has begun a new life, in a new country and each day has its new adventures, here. Then again, I wonder at what he means when he compares his life to TV...after all, his most recent TV experience has been the remake of The Prisoner, with Ian McKellen (as Number Two) and Jim Caviezel (as Number Six). One wonders if he is likening his own life, therefore, to the bizarre world of The Prisoner, where all are supposedly free, but none are, in actuality. He has watched no other TV series in the past couple of weeks, so if he has a particular series in mind, it is most likely to be that one.

Whatever he means, I can only agree to his toast: "Here's to another episode of Tiarnan!", indeed.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals. If you would like to look at my IMDb listing for which another fifteen credits are to be uploaded, (which will probably take several months before they are accepted) please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ As I write, the listing is new and brief - however, by the time you read this it might have a dozen or a score of credits...so please do take a look. My son, Ainan Celeste Cawley, also has an IMDb listing. His is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley, has a listing as well. Hers is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

It's a dangerous world

Last week, Tiarnan, three was walking alongside his mummy, out and about, in town. Suddenly, he looked up at his mummy, and spoke most seriously, in his high little voice:

"It is a dangerous world, mummy.", he observed.

She looked down at him, somewhat startled at his topic of conversation. Before her surprise, had barely begun, he continued: "Hold my hand mummy."

He said it in such a way that it was clear that he was not seeking her protection at all - rather, in his young mind, he was protecting his mother from danger!

How funny.

So, thereafter, Syahidah wandered around town, with her little bodyguard carefully looking after her. It is common knowledge that a bodyguard should be unobtrusive - and who could be more unlikely to attract attention to his "bodyguard" status than a three year old boy?

The dance goes on.

It is funny to see what is inherited by one's children. Sometimes it is like seeing the essence of a parent poured into the child - a reanimation of the soul. A case in point occurred last Friday, with Tiarnan, three.

Tiarnan was having a "Concert", for his graduating class from Kindergarten. Each class got the chance to dance at least once. Tiarnan had more than one dance.

Now, I didn't expect much from a children's dance - and indeed, most of the children were not really able to dance: they didn't know where to place their limbs, and when to communicate beauty in anyway. Tiarnan, however was a revelation. What was startling was to see him dance with the utmost confidence in his movement, his grace and just the right choice of placement of limb, to have the greatest effect. I realized, very quickly, that Tiarnan, though very small, was a natural dancer. I felt deeply touched to see him dance, for I realized, in that moment, that he was, in a very real sense, like a living reincarnation of his mother - who is the best dancer I have ever seen (though she would be shy to acknowledge it).

I felt so proud to see Tiarnan up there. He can be quite shy at home - but on stage, he came truly alive, in fact, more than alive, he was like a little demigod, up there, shining forth with a previously unseen stage presence. I understood, then, that Tiarnan really is a natural performer. The stage, for him, appears to be a natural territory - a place he instinctively knows how to be, on.

Tiarnan's stage presence and his skill at dance and movement are special abilities. I realize this. I understand this. I appreciate this. However, in Singapore's unilaterally academic environment, how many people see this? Does anyone, here, really understand the emotional and kinaesthetic intelligences involved when a child is able to do what Tiarnan did, on Friday? I think not. Singaporeans typically do not see the intelligence in such things - nor do they see its value. Perhaps that is why Singapore's dramatic and dance scene is so irremediably impoverished.

Tiarnan is a natural actor and a natural dancer. He is also many other things -but were he just those two things, I would be more than pleased. Such gifts, are wonderful gifts to have and mean that he can make an interesting contribution to life. However, I think his eventual contribution will be more complex still and diverse and whether it ever involves acting or dance, will depend very much on the opportunities he receives to learn and grow in those areas - and, of course, the chance to work in them, too. I don't know, at this time, whether any of those chances will be forthcoming - but I will try to make it so.

What really struck me about his presence on stage, is that he seemed so happy there - so comfortable. That, in itself, is the best sign that it is the right thing for him. He showed no nervousness, no worry, no fidgeting - he was utterly still when he should be still and in graceful motion, when he should be moving.

Tiarnan...the stage loves you...and it seems you love the stage. Tiarnan, you were by far the best dancer, on the stage that day, out of all the years who danced (up to six years old). I am glad you have discovered this particular pleasure so young. I hope, too, that you get more chances to explore it, in the years to come.

The discovery of Tiarnan's dance skill was uncanny. I felt, at once, its potent meaning: that the dance which began in Syahidah, continues in Tiarnan. Whatever genetic gift my wife has for complex graceful movement has been passed on, in sufficient measure, for it to be seen in her three year old son. I cannot, at this moment, know if he will ever be as good as his mother (that hardly seems possible!), but certainly, he has enough of her gift for dance to be noted for it. It would be good to think that he will one day be as good as her.

What was particularly funny was that Tiarnan was dancing to 70s music. It was sweet.

I hope, one day, Tiarnan, that you see little dancers in your own children, too.

Long may the dance go on!

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals. If you would like to look at my IMDb listing for which another fifteen credits are to be uploaded, (which will probably take several months before they are accepted) please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ As I write, the listing is new and brief - however, by the time you read this it might have a dozen or a score of credits...so please do take a look. My son, Ainan Celeste Cawley, also has an IMDb listing. His is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley, has a listing as well. Hers is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

It's a mad, mad, world.

Yesterday, I was on the MRT with Tiarnan. The MRT, for those who don't know, is the train: the Mass Rapid Transit, of Singapore. The nearest equivalent would be the London Underground, though the MRT is mostly overground, as far as I can see.

Anyway, there I was, carrying Tiarnan, three, for the whole journey, because no-one would give up a seat and Tiarnan was unwilling to stand on the floor, in such a crowded train. Now, there is nothing unusual, in Singapore, with no-one giving up a seat for someone more in need of one: this is the tradition here, so that didn't surprise me (though it was unpleasant to have to carry him for the whole, quite lengthy journey, on two different trains). Were it not for the entertainment of talking to Tiarnan, the journey would have seemed a long one, encumbered as I was.

After we had been travelling about half an hour, Tiarnan remarked, in some irritation:

"Many people are talking!"

Sure enough, they were. Everyone was trying to talk at once, each competing with all the others to be heard: it was a cacophony of voices in different tongues: English, Malay and Chinese. It was pretty loud, actually.

"Why are they talking, Tiarnan?"

I wanted his views, you see, because they are often interesting.

He looked around him then, in stupefaction at his fellow travellers and said, with an intensity worthy of Hamlet:

"It's madness, madness, madness, ALL MADNESS!"

He was so intent, so focussed, so impassioned, in his view of how his fellow travellers were, that I did not laugh, I thought it, instead, sweet and typically Tiarnan.

We finished our journey together in mutual agreement that everyone around us was utterly bonkers. Any three year old can see that.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals. If you would like to look at my IMDb listing for which another fifteen credits are to be uploaded, (which will probably take several months before they are accepted) please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ As I write, the listing is new and brief - however, by the time you read this it might have a dozen or a score of credits...so please do take a look. My son, Ainan Celeste Cawley, also has an IMDb listing. His is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley, has a listing as well. Hers is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)