the day i gave to charity...

charity - it draws a mixed reaction from me. yes, yes, i know that it is good to give, and it ensures a few brownie points on your karma scale as well. but the 'giving' is not easy - i mean, if i were to use the law of opportunity cost (i.e. what-else-could-i-do-with-the-money calculation), i can come up with scores of options. no, i don't think i am a miser, i am just being, well, economically-minded.

so, what made me buy a $50 SACA charity film premiere ticket? well, i went for one last year (for 'die hard 4') and they wowed me with a box of yummy caramel corn placed right on top of my seat! such simple gestures win me over. *wipes tear, sniffs* and i was able to get a tax waiver on the $42 that was given in addition to regularly priced $8 ticket. ooh, and add in the karma points. quite cool eh.

so i bought another ticket this year, out of the goodness of my heart of course, and made my way to the cathay cineplex. i was waiting to catch 'journey to the center of the earth'. there was a long line of people outside, including some singer dude from t.v., who was obviously very happy with the glances/stares he was getting. loads of people is good, it means lots of tickets were sold. but it also set of alarm bells in my head - was i going to wait for long?

apparently, the SACA folks guessed that most singaporeans (and residents) are impatient people. they opened the doors on time, got us all seated quickly, and waltzed the VIPs through the pre-movie program (which included the donation of the big cheques - i mean, the really big cheques that are half-a-person's size; and a couple of appreciation speeches). snap snap - no time wasted, no glitches. having sat through some very tedious pre-event ceremonies that stretch for hours, i applaud them.

i wonder though, how many people were listening to the speeches, thanks to a goodie-bag that was placed on each seat. it had the box of caramel popcorn (thank you!), a magazine, a columbia water bottle, and loads of discount vouchers. and a souvenir notebook based on the movie's theme. ooh!

but as with all good things, it had to come an end. the movie began, and within 10 minutes, i was bored to tears. brandon frasier was fat, the story was utterly stupid and frankly, what's with the i-am-so-intelligent-blonde? and no, i don't think being a vernian would help much. jules vernes (erm, in case you don't know, he's the guy who wrote the book) himself is probably turning in his grave.

but that aside, it was a very enjoyable evening. i mean its not every wednesday of the week that i go out for a movie, and get people working hard from some months before to make sure i feel pampered.

yep, charity can be a good thing, and the charity film premiere gets a thumbs-up from me. cheers. so, when is the next one?