The Performer in our Home ....

“It’s 7:30am already! Ryan…wake up! Wake up! Or you will be LATE!” I repeated over and over again like a broken down recorder.

I sounded more excited than he was and so was mommy who purposely flew back from Beijing the night before.

Yes. It’s that time of the year again. It’s time for his year end concert and this year it was held on the 20^th October.

Being parent, I must admit that we get all excited to see our little ones dressed up in some funny costume, with make up that transform them into little super stars and getting all ready to go up the stage to do what they have been secretly practising for weeks at the school or day care.

I can still remember Ryan’s very first concert when we could not believe our eyes when he went up the stage, all dressed up as little Simba, the Lion King! When he made those moves, GOD, we went ballistic, especially mommy who just could not believe her eyes, seeing her little one swinging and twisting to the tune of “The Lion sleeps tonight”

Two concerts later, we were still equally excited to see what he was going to do or perform for this year although his teacher has assured us that he has absolutely no trouble following and remembering all the moves, especially since he has been absent from school with all his recent travelling to Beijing and Disneyland.

We knew that he would be doing two numbers. One from his class and the other from his Day Care After School Program (ASP) class. When the first show was announced and that it will be from the ASP children, I strained my neck to try to catch a glimpse of him, not knowing what exactly to expect. Pushing and struggling (sorry to the other parents), I positioned myself right in front just below the stage to get the best angle I could to grab some pictures. I will be dead meat if I reached home without any good pictures and would probably get an earful from his mommy. Times like this, I really wish that I have the super 70-300mm f2.8 lens but to be realistic, why would I want to spent over RM7000 for this lens just for a concert. So, my simple reliable Nikkor 18-105mm kit lens would have to do.

And suddenly, I spotted him, in his orange costume dancing and jiggling to the lively tune of “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez. With his hair gelled, I must said that he looked dashing to say the least (something that he must have picked up from my genes…HAHAHAHA)

He was going through his silky smooth moves with ease and for that moment, there was a deep sense of pride and a compelling urge to shout “Hey..that is MY SON!"

But then, I guessed every parent there was feeling the same pride and the same urge as me. Which parent would not?

For his second number representing his class, he came out dressed as a Life Guard, dancing to the tune of “Under the Sea” and God, was he agile or what. He was simply awesome, going through the moves with such flexibility. No wonder, the teacher kept on assuring us that we have nothing to worry about.

He nearly did not make it for this year concert since our original move to Beijing was supposed to be early October. However, the complications with visa and the securing the right apartment in Beijing pushed the date back a month, which then allow Ryan to take part in his school’s concert for one last time, and we are definitely glad that he did.

 

The next concert post will be from Beijing!

Natural Performer

Ryan has always been an outgoing child and has very little trouble interacting with others. Even when he was a baby, he can be carried by almost anyone and often times, he will be `missing’ the moment we arrived at any gathering or parties because he will be carried off by one of his nannies, uncles, aunties, kor kor or cheh cheh.

When he started talking, he was such a talker that he amazes most who talked to him. Recently when we were at Club Med Bintan Island, we were pleasantly surprised that he could hold a proper single conversation with the resort in house doctor who happened to sit with us for dinner.

Because of his outgoing personality, he is also a natural performer. For the last two school concerts, he has done very well and was one of the few in his class who could follow almost every step and movement the teacher taught.

(Ryan going through his baking class in the Petite Club)

And when we heard that he was going to perform at night when we were in Club Med Bintan recently, we were a bundle of nerves. We weren’t sure how he would perform. Unlike when he was with us in Club Med Bali last year and Club Med Cherating earlier this year where we did not enrol him to join the Petite Club, we made it a point to enrol him to the Petite Club for 2 full days this year for two reasons. Firstly, is to allow him to have fun with other children and the activities that they are organising and secondly, so that mommy and daddy could have some quality time together.

On the night of the performance, we had a hurried dinner and rush him an hour earlier to the Petite Club organizers to get him ready. Joanne, one of the GO who came from Cheras Malaysia and who have taken a special liking to Ryan was gracious enough to take him there on our behalf.

When the hour came, and when the MC announced the special dance performance from the Petite Club, we were overwhelmed when we see Ryan all dressed up and ready to perform and performed HE DID! He was simply amazing and the crowd went totally frenzy.

When his dance performance ended, we had a bigger surprise when the pretty MC (GO from Japan) called Ryan up to the stage again and this round, he sang a solo. His rendering of “This old man, he play one …” was simply flawless (errrrr….parents are always bias ok)

From that night onwards, for the next three days that we were there, the entire Club Med including the Village Head knows Ryan by name and he was treated like a star whenever he goes. They gave him the title `Assistant’ because he was being so helpful and that is also the other way to get him to keep quiet instead of asking so many questions !!!!

His First CONCERT!

27th November 2010

Months ago, we were informed that Ryan will be taking part in his daycare center's concert this year and he is going to dance. We were apprehensive, stressed and worried whether how the concert will turn out.

Knowing now `sticky' he is to us, we just can't help but wonder whether he will just freezes, stopped, cried and called out `mommy' or `daddy' at the top of his voice, right there in front of all the other parents. And with his recent craze over Ultraman, we were even afraid that he will break into one of his favourite Ultraman stance the moment he sees us down in the audience.

We actually have no idea what he is going to do or what he is going to wear. It was meant as a total surprise to us ....And surprise we were!

Well, the day finally arrived. We managed to get him up by 7:30 a.m. (which itself was a rather big achievement). Got him cleaned up and sent him to Yuk Choy School at Taman Megah. He was making a fuss when we drop him there but we had to and left promptly for our breakfast so that he could get changed into his costume.

His concert was supposed to start at 10:00a.m. His grandmother, uncle, auntie and cousins including his kakak turned out in full force to support him.

After the principal's speech, all the children came out in their costume for the national anthem and OMG, there he was in his cute brown and yellow mouse costume. He looked a little lost and seemed to be searching for us. As he was marching down, he saw his grandma, pointed at her and shouted `Po Po!' We were like ...oh oh...he is not going through with his dance routine...

Anyway, his class was next. Out they came marching in a line and there he was, our little MOUSE dancing to the tune of `The Lion sleeps tonight'. He was shaking his bum, and trying as hard as he could to follow his teacher's every move in front. The moment the song finished, he marched forward and waved at his mommy! OMG! The teacher managed to get him back to his position while he danced next to the tune of Macarena! As I was taking the shots, I just could not help laughing looking at him shaking and waving his hands. He was the shortest of them all and in the cutest costume and there he was, trying his very best to do what he was taught!

And that moment, PRICELESS! AND WE ARE SO PROUD OF OUR LITTLE MOUSE!