This strapping 41-year-old knows his Barbies, My Little Ponies and Monster High.

He knows that fashion doll franchise Monster High's Rochelle Goyle is the daughter of a gargoyle, and can even tell you that Summer Wing Pony toys have butterfly- like wings.

Mr Adrian Chua, a lecturer in interaction design at Nanyang Polytechnic, says simply: "I do what I have to do."

He says he would do anything for his eight-year-old girl.

While many fathers have the luxury of coming home every day to their child, Mr Chua, a divorcee of four years, gets to see little Sarah only every Wednesday night, and from Friday nights to Monday mornings.

He says: "If I want to connect with her, I have to enter her world, speak her language.

"Even if it means I have to wear a wig and dance around, I'm happy to do it.

"It's a bonding experience."

For example, Sarah went through a "fairy phase" two years ago, and he had even asked to play in one of her games.

"I said I wanted to be a fairy too. But she just looked at me and said: 'But you are a boy'."

He's also learnt to bake and cook.

"When she's around me, I have to be both father and mother to her.

"If that means doing more 'feminine' things, that's fine with me."

Mr Chua has learnt to bake muffins and cookies, and forces himself to cook at least one meal a day when she is around.

His best dish? Pasta with meatballs and tomato sauce.

"Of course, her mother can cook much better than I can," he admits. "She can make lasagna and steaks, which I wouldn't dream of attempting.

"But I try, because I'm her father and I want her to eat healthy homemade food.

"And sometimes, I do make something absolutely delicious," he says proudly.

Mr Chua spares no effort in making sure everything is perfect. He cleans his five-room flat in Bukit Panjang every week just before the weekends, so it looks neat and tidy for Sarah.

One challenge of being a single dad is that he has to be "on" all the time.

He says: "With two parents, you can take turns. But for me, I have to look out for her constantly."

In terms of parenting style, he has to be loving as well as strict.

"In regular families, one parent is usually the 'good cop' and the other the 'bad cop'.

"But in my case, I have to be both. It can be harder to strike a balance."

Mr Chua is firm on some issues like mealtimes and when Sarah has to do her homework.

He says: "I have to be. These are important and I can't let them slide even though I want her to like me."

But other times, he admits to being the fun type of dad.

"This is not an easy task, especially when you have a girl," Mr Chua says.

"Girls are more emotional. I have to be very cautious of how I'm relating to her all the time.

"Boys can vent their unhappiness through sport. But if Sarah is sad, the negative feelings will just fester."

When this happens, he typically tries to talks things out with her over a cup of hot chocolate.

He says: "I can't just leave her to deal with it. If I don't talk to her, she's got nobody else to talk to."

Other times, he tries to coax it out of her through play.

This normally means he ends up playing the monster in a mock battle, reigning havoc on Sarah's "fort".

He admits that the situation may not be ideal, but adds that being a father is special and very rewarding. "If I can just see her smile once, it's a good day."

Get The New Paper for more stories.