Best Day of Her Life {Ariel's K2 Graduation Concert}

It was the big day that we had been looking forward to for months - the little sister was going to graduate from kindergarten! Well, actually, I looked forward to it not because I was too eager to see my kid reach this milestone and be a preschooler no more - in fact, I always wish time can slow down so I can enjoy the tiny them more - but because I knew she had spent a long time working for it.

She had already surprised me when she told me she was going to be one of the four main characters in the K2 concert performance - they did a really interesting 'Jumanji' story and she was one of the students who were the game players too, how cute, right? In a way, I don't expect that from her just like I don't expect her to surpass her elder sister or even try to keep up with her achievements. I've always feel like it's the least I can do for this secondborn although frankly speaking, it gets so, so hard not to compare at times. I've also watched her rehearse her acts - she had two dances, a thank you speech and a finale song - umpteen times and knew how much effort and thought she put into them. This girl of mine has always been the bubbly, sprightly one and I had no doubt that she was going to shine on stage. Still, I was feeling the jitters as I sat among the audience, just like how I felt the first time round.

It's weird, huh? I thought I might be more composed since this was the second graduation concert I've attended but no, I think there's something indescribable about seeing your child all dressed up in the mortarboard and graduation gown, and you have no idea how the years have flown by and how your tiny bundle of joy has grown into this outstanding human being in front of you.

I didn't want to cry, but I did. Uncontrollably. I blamed it on how seeing those baby pictures evoked a whirlwind of emotions in me, which were only worsened when they chose to play the piano version of one of our favourite songs - "A Million Dreams" - in the background. Gosh, I guess I just have to go through these emotional upheavals again and again, right? I guess in a way, they help to remind me just how lucky and truly blessed I am to be a mum who gets to witness all these precious milestones of her kids.

Anyway, as usual, I'm always the videographer and photographer at such events and I always insist on capturing as many memories as I can for my child. In this case, it's not about learning to be handsfree and to put electronic devices away just so you can sit back and truly appreciate and enjoy the show. For me, it's really record, take photo, record, take photo. Just like the last couple of years, I have to add 'handling a fidgety toddler' into my task list because he tends to stick to me and tug at my hands so I end up with shaky videos. Arrgghh. This time, I became smarter and brought along lollipops and gummy bears to distract him - which did work for a good period of time at least. Haha.

The show began with the graduating batch of students doing a march-in to the theatre, followed by each of them giving their thank you speech on stage. You can watch Ariel's in the video below, she did such a good job although her speech was pretty long! I knew she was feeling nervous but she showed no sign of stage fright and I was beaming with pride when she did her bow and said "Thank You". Yay, you did it, my dear! You said you were worried about your speech but you did it so, so well.

We cheered so loud for you when it was time to receive your graduation certificate, you know? You said you didn't hear it on stage so you were surprised when you heard it in the video afterwards. Still, it made you smile because I knew you were just happy to have us there cheering and rooting for you, right? I was half worried that Papa couldn't make it as he said he might have work commitments but in the end, he managed to make time for you because this day was important to him too. You also smiled when you saw us holding up all the handheld fan boards we did for you. Haha. We are definitely your biggest fans!

The performance consisted of seven scenes and Ariel acted in five of them. Although these budding actors and actresses didn't have to say their lines live on stage (they pre-recorded their voices in a studio), I totally came to understand why because there were dozens of lines for Ariel in her script and some could be pretty long! Nonetheless, this means they could focus more on their facial expressions, hand gestures, positioning and acting, which I must say were also quite complicated for these six-year-olds but they all did such a great job.

Even when a technical fault happened - which it did not once, but twice - and things had to come to a halt for a while, they didn't let this deter their determination to put up a good show for the audience. Well, which was mainly made up of mums, dads, brothers, sisters and grandparents. We cheered them on, we waited patiently, and we just wanted our little ones to continue to the end no matter what.

And shine this girl did, at least in my eyes. She was a star that day to me, and a very bright one.

She did two dances to the tunes of "Flashlight" and "Best Day of My Life", both of which I thought were very apt songs for the occasion. I loved seeing how much fun she had and how she enjoyed dancing with her peers on stage. See her costume for that night? Yup, she was a student and I thought the pieces were all very well put together. That reminds me, we have to thank all the teachers and staff for putting so much effort into the annual concert year after year. All this would have been impossible without their hard work behind the scene so I really appreciate all they have done.

The finale song was "A Million Dreams", a song that this girl knows every word by heart and so she delivered it as best as she could from where she stood on stage. Awww, I was a little sad when the concert ended because it was such a great one to watch and I knew she was going to miss all her friends once everyone started going on different paths. This was such an awesome night to remember and I know we will always look back on it fondly.

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Dear Ariel, 

It's still hard to believe that you are turning six already! I always call you my baby girl and no matter how old you get, I think I will still call you that, haha. It reminds me of the time when you arrived in our world and we were so glad to see the chubby, healthy you and I was so deeply thankful, and still am, to have you in our lives.

You looked so pretty tonight, you know that? I think Ms Janna and Ms Hani did the makeup perfectly for you, not too overboard and not too little. I loved your costume which made you look like a cute Japanese school girl. See your kawaii pout here? Haha, it's one of your signature poses since you were a baby and it's nice to see how certain things stay constant over time even though many others might change. The one big constant will be our love for you, yeah? Papa, Jiejie, Didi and I love you so, so much and we will always do so.

I still remember your first day of school, you know that? You were the strong, independent child who didn't need me to sit with you or even near you and instead, I just watched you from the back from the classroom as you introduced yourself, got to know your friends, ate your own lunch and I couldn't help but be amazed by how you didn't need me the way I thought you might. You were not a big sister yet (well, accurately speaking, didi was already in my tummy and ready to come out in a couple of months) but I already knew you would be a great one.

At the end of your first N2 year, we shifted and with that, we had no choice but to transfer you to a new school too. You were so understanding and receptive about it which made things so much easier for me. We wanted a school nearby so we could walk to and fro and I could be with you every day. We wanted a school that wouldn't take up more than 3.5 hours of our mornings so that we could eat lunch, nap, go grocery shopping, play or just relax at home together. We wanted you to be happy to go to school each day and truly find the joy in learning. I am so, so glad we got all we wanted and you've been a happy girl in school for the past two years.

Your teachers have nothing but praise for you during our PTM sessions and they always say you are the fast learner, the little helper and the source of joy in class. Yup, not a single complaint whatsoever though I always tell them you might behave differently in school when you get into fights with your siblings. Haha. Oh well, I am just still very happy to know that you are happy with your teachers, your classmates and even if you might be hard to wake at times, you've always looked forward to going to school.

I hope this will stay the same when we embark on your primary school journey next year, okay? Whatever happens, always remember that we are here for you, we will always have your back and our love for you will never change. Let's move on together! Happy graduation, my darling!

Love,
Mummy

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