Play It Again For The Second Time Around Once More, A Rerun

Because we sent him to school at age 3, and because the Philippine school system is run by a bunch of bureaucratic idiots who change their policies depending on where the money falls (6 1/2 to 7 years is the new parameter for first grade) , Woog graduated from kindergarten for the second time in his life.

A record! Atch declared, he's the first ever person on both sides of the family to do so. Atch would know. He spent 8 years in college.

Still, there was much rejoicing, albeit a shortage of excitement, as Woog's big day loomed. We a.) rented the requisite toga, b.) listened to him as he practiced the alma mater songs, and c.) attempted to drag him away from his Nintendo gameboy to buy the regulation navy long pants. Only the first two were successful, but then again, graduation wasn't a new thing to get all worked up about, so two out of three isn't so bad.

Teacher Piorque and Shi Lau Shr

With the oppressive heat of summer pressing down on us and making us cringe into the pavement, nearly 300 nursery and kindergarten kids, accompanied by parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nannies, and their whole barangays, it seemed, filed in a surprisingly orderly manner into the gym, and sat obediently on plastic chairs arranged for the occasion.

We waited, we sweated, and we clapped through the opening remarks, awardings, speeches, and presentations, guarding our toes as eager parents and hangers-on rushed forward with their cameras and handycams to capture each gloriously shining moment of their beloved offspring.

Woog, our 6-year-old veteran, frolicked in the first few rows with his graduating class, pulling off several caps and running away with them, jumping up and down on his chair, and playing abbreviated games of tag before the assistant teachers shushed him and pulled him back to his seat. Him and 300 other kids.

Chaos, thy name is Woogie

Finally, his name was up, and our first-born rushed forth upon the stage with his signature ear-to-ear grin.

Watch out first grade, here I come!

Ignoring the heat, we took the requisite hundred pictures, and we all headed home where we fell to our lunch like hungry wolves.


He never even asked for a graduation present.