Debut

6th April 2009

It has been an eventful week.

We've sworn in a new Prime Minister in Malaysia, rained out the F1 race yesterday, witnessed the unveiling of a 100-million-ringgit dress in KL and nursed Hannah through yet another bout of flu.

As exciting as the local political arena might be, surely nothing beats being summoned to Hannah's school once again - this time for a concert!

While we were curious to know how Hannah's first term school fees were utilised, we felt it was a little early to assess the progress of such young toddlers, much less expect them to bloom into confident performers in less than 3 months.

Nonetheless, we were keen to see Hannah's arm-biter in the flesh.

It was the center's "Fliptec@Q" celebration, a demonstration of the multimedia teaching tool used by their centers nation-wide. Children between the ages of 2 to 6 presented a variety of action songs and displayed their reading and mathematical skills.

Rightfully introduced as the babies of the school, this little bunch of toddlers did not disappoint the appreciative audience. Amidst the "media frenzy" created by excited camera-wielding parents, the young performers stood their ground and presented not one but three songs in two languages!

Alright. Some were outrightly stunned and stood staring ahead blankly, while some found the large screen projector behind them much more interesting than the crazy adults. As for Hannah, we'll let the video do the talking:

One of the highlights had to be the way the children filed in and out of the room. It's pretty hard to imagine our stubborn, strong-willed little girl following instructions and being an obedient student. But there you go, the evidence is undeniable.

Not only did we catch a glimpse of Hannah's "attacker" - a surprisingly meek little thing - we also managed to meet with Hannah's best friend, Mei Qi.

So perhaps this little girl is learning something in school after all and we'll make a performer of her yet.

You know Hannah's started going to "school" when...

... She starts parading in front of the mirror in her "gym" kit in anticipation of the actual session

This was taken during the weekend, and till now the kit remains ridiculously loose, all in the name of economics.

... She comes home with a bite mark on her forearm

It was a shame Hannah wouldn't keep still for a clearer picture, but trust me on this one - if you were a dentist, you could probably jot down a complete set of dental records for the offender.

How do you react to something like this?

While the initial reaction was to be angry at the little child, Hannah was so unaffected by the incident that it seemed funny. Since Hannah had forgiven her friend, it seemed right to do the same.

... She talks about birthday parties, drinking Ribena and eating cakes

So much for parent-instilled discipline of no refined foods and only "natural" flavoured food (well, as far as possible). Hannah now enjoys the world of chocolate, sweets and all manner of hyperactive-inducing snacks, courtesy of her friends, their parents and her teachers.

... She gets a string of viral infections, one after another

and may I add, passes it on to her parents and grandparents. While we can only remember one or two episodes of vague illnesses in her first two years, we have already lost count of the number of flu bugs Hannah has caught from school. As they say, a necessary rite of passage.

... Her parents are summoned to school for a "Parent-Teacher Session"

Thankfully, all her teacher said was "She's a keen learner, but stubborn at times". Well, in many more words, but that was the gist of it. Nothing we didn't already know though.