Yesterday, I went to watch a Japanese Movie called 'Departures (おくりびと)' with my friends! It has won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2009 Oscars. It was shown in Japan on the Sept 13 last year and started showing in Singapore on 5 March 2009 exclusively at GV.

It is given a rating of 4.5/5 from the GV Movie Club Member's Reviews. Higher than Handsome Suit(3.5), Shinjuku Incident(3.5) and Confessions of a Shopaholic(4). Anyone interested to watch 'Departures', can catch it before 15 April but at a very limited time slots.



It is about a cellist named, 'Daigo Kobayashi' in an orchestra in Tokyo, losing his job because of dissolution of the orchestra. After quitting as a professional cellist, he decides to sell his cello which he had recently purchased for 18 million yen, then deciding to move back to his old hometown along with his wife to find a new job. One day, he finds a classified ad entitled "Assisting departures" and he goes to the job interview thinking it is for a job at a travel agency. But at the interview, he discovers that the classified ad is misprinted, and the job is instead to assist the "departed". As the salary is 500,000 yen per month and with no other job prospects, Daigo decides to accept the offer.
(Credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departures edited here by me)


The movie resolves about the ceremonial “encoffination” of corpses process prior to cremation.






The movie is rather interesting, showing how they prepare the corpses like changing them into clothes and make-up them to look like when they are alive before putting them into the coffin for cremation.

Chinese encoffination also go through this similar procedure but the difference is that at Japan, this procedure is done in front of the family members and friends, including putting the corpse into the coffin. Normally, Chinese ones is already done at the funeral homes before the funeral. And I believe that the funeral homes in Singapore do everything from embalming (preserving) to make-up. But in this movie, they are an agent contacted by the undertakers (mortician) to come and perform the ceremonial “encoffination”.

It is a very heartwrenching movie since it talks about the family members sending off their loved ones. The part where they show the procedure is interesting too. They are able to take off the corpse's clothes (plain kimono, perhaps specially for the dead) and putting clothes on without showing an inch of the skin of the corpse to others (family and friends). This movie didn't forget to add in some humorous elements in too, we laughed our asses off at certain parts. And of course, weeped our (our don't include Shiwen since she never even tear!!) eyes off at other parts too. XD



We went to Bugis to have dinner...


Shiwen and Shiyun sharing food!




Ice Lemon Tea and Cream of Mushroom!


We were bored even when we were outside, so we went.... ....


Haji Lane


Complete our journey through the lane!

I have to admit it's kinda scary, people sitting on carpet outside the shophouse smoking sheesha. People approaching us asking whether we want Sheesha as we walked passed. Oh, by the way, it is said that in a sheesha session lasting 60 minutes is equivalent of smoking 100 cigarettes. So ya, Think twice before trying. Or at least try smoking cigarettes before smoking Sheesha! Haha! No lah, just kidding!



Monday, as I said, Copyri9hts went Sentosa..

At Vivo City to buy Subway for lunch and we went Giants and saw...


Nestle infant food products which we sold during the fair! And we confirmed that at the fair, we sell at a cheaper price than market price.


Sentosa!!


Going to rain!


For some reasons, I never enter the water!






As that day, it rained. So we retreated to Vivo City, Carl's Jr. Xiufen eating a burger that was bigger than her face.


Still happy even though Sentosa trip is short.


Aaron ate so much and felt nauseous in the train to Ebenzer's house. We were afraid that he would vomit in train.


Ebenzer unhappy and unsatisfied with his cheese beef fries.


Bo-gae!


Receiving my belated birthday present from Copyri9hts!


Opening Ceremony


Ready to play!


On the way home, the bus had a fishy smell. hahha!