Have you ever held so many movie tickets? Lol. We were so afraid of losing them!
We were mightily impressed by the goodie bags Eja put together. In fact, these aren't your typical goodie BAGS. These are goodie BOXES - the boxes being cardboard folders for loose papers and files. Brilliant! And the best part is, many of the items were lovingly personalised with the individual names. Thank you donors for your generous contributions. The kids loved them. 
We were shit nervous at the start. We felt like we were groping about blindly in the dark. We have not done something like this on our own and on such a scale. Goodness!
The girls were so cute, chatty, friendly and easy to bond with.
The boys were, being boys, doing what they do best: creating chaos and running amok half the time. Lol.
Ratatouille gets a two thumbs up from everyone. The movie was fantastic: funny, great effects, good character development. The kids were laughing easily and were really into the whole movie experience. 
After the movie, we braved the traffic and pedestrian crowds and walked to Cafe le Caire. 
Of course, goofing around along the way is a must. 
And this boy in stripes here is the 'chief'. 
Just so you know, many of the pictures featured here were taken by the kids, which makes this post so much more meaningful. 
Many of the kids were really interested in photography - either as shutterbugs or subjects. 
Lunch at Cafe le Caire was really good. My deepest and sincerest thanks goes out to the management for being so obliging and accommodative. The owner, Mr Ameen Talib, deserves a big round of applause. He may be a minority Arab but he is a Muslim first and foremost -a giving and generous one at that - and he does not forget the section of our Muslim community which is in need of a helping hand.The kids pretty much enjoyed the Arab fare. Some even had extra servings.
And a very thoughtful friend of ours, Kak Kamsirah, surprised everyone with the prettiest mini cupcakes. The kids loved them. Thank you, Kak. =) 
More goofing around after lunch. Poor Aidil was "bullied" and our Nicky (the Nikon camera) was kidnapped. Lol. 
To end off, Izati helped to conduct a sharing session. She got the kids to pen down their goals and aspirations, their interests and hobbies. She was a terrific speaker and really managed to get the kids to share with us their thoughts and opinions. 
The kids are enthusiastic and have a lot of potential. They just need some coaching, mentoring, motivation and good role models to inspire them to excel. 
And it's back home. 
We met with the Director and took a short tour around the orphanage. The whole experience was definitely an eye-opener. We hope to be able to continue helping the kids - academically and socially - and we would encourage those interested to lend a hand to come forward. And last but not least, we sincerely thank all the bloggers/friends/volunteers/ donors who helped make this event a success. We could not have done this without you.
THANK YOU.
Sincerely,
Shaz and Aidil
P.S. For more pictures, go check out these blogs: Seri, Faddy, Zak, Nassy, Aisyah.
P.SS.
We have decided to conduct a public summary of our accounts as there were contributions from various public individuals. The following is the summary –
Costs:
Item 1 – 73 movie tickets x S$9.50 each = S$693.50
Item 2 – 20 sets of popcorn/drink combo x S$6.50 each = S$130
Item 3 – Charter for 2 40-seater buses, Two-way trip = S$280
Item 4 – Lunch for 70 pax x S$6/pax x 7% GST x 10% Service = S$491.40
Item 5 – 10 cans of Pepsi Light for 24 volunteers to share x S$2/pax = S$20
Total = S$1614.90
Contributions:
Contribution 1 – From Mr L.I. from a private law firm = S$800
Contribution 2 – From blogger, Saudari Lee = S$50
Contribution 3 – From blogger, Soffiah = S$50
Contribution 4 – S$16 from 25 volunteers
(S$9.50 for movie, S$6.50 for lunch incl taxes) = S$400
Contribution 5 – From AMP = S$200
Total amount of contributions = S$1500
Over budget by = S$114.90
I covered the excess out of my own pocket.
~Aidil
