So proud of Nigel

Nigel officially graduated from Kindergarten on Saturday - although he still has another month of school to go.

All of us went to the concert at HDB Hub. When we arrived, the other parents and kids were also just showing up and before long, the reception area was completely abuzz with chatter, bunches of kids running around and playing. Lots of laughter. After all, this must surely have gone down as one of the most exciting days in the lives of these little ones. Wearing fancy costumes among good friends you see everyday in school - music, dance, wild performance, what else could you ask for.

And when the lights finally dimmed and the children took to the stage, it was not just a graduation ceremony. It was a celebration of life, youth and enthusiasm. Months of practice, anticipation and longing converted into an electric display on a stage, in front of mummys and daddys.

It didn't matter if it wasn't perfect. Even the audience, to a certain extent, didn't matter - the children were actually putting the show on for themselves as a reward for their yearlong hard work. We were just there as witnesses and to give them encouragement and support through our applause and cheering.

We are so proud of Nigel and all his friends. It's amazing that at such a young age they are capable of choreography, complex dance steps, song lyrics and more. That they don't get stage fright and forget everything. That they embrace a performance with such energy that I've caught him doing his dance steps in the living room and in his sleep. I can almost imagine him running through the whole concert in his mind and just wishing that the day would quickly come. Well, the day came and he danced, jumped, rolled, sang and fanned his little heart out. At one stage, he even had another boy standing on his back.

Shannon and Amber watched the show from our laps. Shannon's eyes darted everywhere, closely absorbing all the movements and dance steps as she mouthed the lyrics of the songs that she somehow mysteriously learnt. She did perform last year in her old school, but the current kindergarten only has the older kids performing. I bet she's looking forward to next year, our little showgirl. Amber too was busy looking around for her big brother and she kept shouting very loudly "Hello Ge Ge!! Hello Ge Ge!!"