Sunday: Sunshine

Today we spent the day at home enjoying the sunshine and togetherness. It also saved Leo and I from making decisions about what to do, where to eat out, what time to leave/return etc. In the backyard, Leo and the boys played cricket and then handball while I sat and drank coffee without the fuss. A perfect Sunday in.

Tonight, when everyone else was in bed sleeping, I watched the Japanese film Departures. It won the 2008 Academy Award for Foreign Language Film and a well deserved win too. I'm a sucker for films with music - Four Minutes, Life on a string, Shine, The Piano, and a few more. I think music pulls a film together like it pulls at the heart strings.

Admittedly, I did cry a few times because the film brought back a memory about my Maternal-Grandfather. He was the father my brothers and I didn't have (around). In my culture, we dress our deceased relatives. It helps us to cope with 'the sending off' part of grieving, just like in the film. You can ask for the body to be dressed but, this is a relative's final act of respect. It is also our last intimate moment with our loved one before he/she is seen by non-family members.

Other winners in 2008 were Sean Penn (Milk), Heath Ledger (Dark Knight), Kate Winslet (The Reader), WALL·E and Slumdog Millionaire.

Image: inadawords