dear sumire

half year mark

2014-06-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Sumire,

Here goes half a year. This half a year has been tiring, and filled with loads of medical leave. My goodness the headache and fever, and whatsoever whatsnot.

And my gosh. I have not completed a single thing!

*NOTE TO SELF*

Even if you are sick, work it up!
Just work it out!
You gotta make those vids goddamnit!

Alright, signing off

Eugene

twentysix

2013-10-23T12:17:00.003-07:00

Dear Sumire

A few days ago, I turned 26. I was so happy that my darling was took a day off just to do nothing with me. We went to the mall, had lunch, catch a movie. It was a bliss. I was enlightened in her company. I love her, so much. And I want to thank her so much for putting up with all my ridiculous mood swings. I was never a good partner to be with. But she stayed by my side anyway. She stayed by my side, peeping and observing me through the years. :-)

My love. She won't let me take her pictures. Must be my skill's problems.

At night, my sister hollered at me. We met for dinner and after that we tasted the worst dessert ever. It was all worth the laugh. Funny how much we paid to torture ourselves!

The silliest silly sister you can ever get.

You don't know how sick you made me.

Sometimes its in these simple stuffs I find myself lost in my own laughter. Where everything else just fell behind, drifting away.

Love.
Eugene

Chloe

2013-10-15T02:21:00.001-07:00

Dear Sumire,

I haven't, posted anything here for a while now. So here's a repost from our Breathing Pictures Official Blog. :-)

Hello Breathers!
2 months ago, we released a horror short film 'Chloe'. The main reason we made the film is actually as a testing ground: as to how much time we need to make a short film of approximately 15-20 mins of time.

Dominic as Sam. Dominic have to travel back and forth from JB to Melaka on weekends to help out with this film.
Appreciated the time and effort to help out!

The writing began much earlier, but it wasn't until 2 weeks before shooting I made a massive rewrite! Imagine a family drama rewritten into a horror film. That precisely what we did.
We then start our recruiting process. And lucky we are, my good cousin Dominic and Janice offered to help out. With the actor & actress set, our remaining problem would be the make-up artist. I contacted my junior from secondary school, Celina and almost immediately, she agreed to help us out with the make up. At the last minute, my cousin Janice have to drop out due to the courses she need to attend.

Celina applying the scar make-up effects on Dominic's face.

We started panicking big time. Then Eunice called up one of her friend and she agreed to help out. Dominic, Celina and Chiew Lian are such big help! Without them, this short film will never see the light of day!

Chiew Lian is currently preparing for her STPM examination.
Thanks for helping us out even with your super duper tight schedule!

Filming took a total of 5 days over the course of 3 weeks. Not everything went smoothly. I broke my LED lights due to my carelessness. Many people help us out with this mini-production. That includes some old friends of mine, and my family members.

Our group photo during an outdoor scene.

It was a great experience shooting with friends and family. I appreciate all the support! After the shooting was over, my nightmare begun. I have more than 200 footage to go through. Syncing the audio, color adjustment, and not to mention the extremely long video export and upload!

Trust me when I say the video export process took more than 6 hours.

Well, all the hardwork is over and I hereby present you:

Enjoy the show,
Eugene
Breathing Pictures Production

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2013-05-05T20:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Malaysians,

I read a comment somewhere on Facebook that Gandhi fought 32 years for democracy,
Nelson Mandela imprisoned for 27 years for battling apartheid, and Malaysia's battle is only 10 years so it's still young.

She suggested we do not paint our profile picture black and stop whining.

My current profile picture

Gandhi is sort of like an idol to me. I learned from his battle that democracy doesn't happen overnight, democracy is a journey. I know that is true. But we called our beloved Malaysia a democratic country for 55 years already. We cant even call ourself a 'young' democratic country any more!

Malaysia is all grown up. That's the reason why 80% registered voters showed up to vote. And it almost feels like we cast our votes to be ignored.

I'm proud that so many young people shares the same passion, they came back from from wherever they are to practice their rights to vote. But in the end, it was all for show. The entire polling station is just a stage, and we are merely actors on it.

For that reason alone, we are not whining. We are mourning.
This is not about which party you support, it's about the death of our democracy system.

The black pictures is merely a statement. It is a part of the fight. The fight has not ended yet. We will not wait until there's only months left before election. The fight was continuous from the point our election process and poll counting sessions were compromised.

And the truth is, the government is underestimating us the Rakyat. They downplay our rights to choose our own leaders. They downplay the democracy concept that made Malaysia a truly blissful place to life in.

“These are the six ways of courting defeat – neglect to estimate the enemy’s strength; want of authority; defective training; unjustifiable anger; nonobservance of discipline; failure to use picked men . . . ” Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Ch. X.

Mourning,
jin

2013

2013-01-07T18:56:00.001-08:00

Dear Sumire,

My resolution this year? Just 5.

1. Be a better person.
... because as a person, I sucks. Made my family worried all the times. Got to go back to my family more often. Drop more phone calls to my mum.

2. Start a YouTube channel and make more vids!
... I think I should experiment with whatever resources I have. Gotta say, I wanna make my dreams comes true. Can't let it stay a dream like forever. I still think this is far from reality though.

3. Take whatever shit people throw at me.
... That's for growth. I don't want to whine and get stuck in the same place forever. I'll take whatever shit people throw at me, and make fertilizers out of it.

4. Planning.
I really gotta learn how to plan. Because heck, I can't plan. ;-P

5. Work.
Minus the time for family and friends, I'll put all my energy into this. I want to learn as much as possible and rise and rose and bloom. Whatever that means.

2013. Please be good to me. (Quoting +Eunice Wang)
jin

the abduction short film

2012-12-26T18:29:00.002-08:00

Dear Sumire,

Few weeks ago, I helped my sister and her friends with their video assignment. I co-write the story, and guess what? This time I get to play the HERO! I mean not the hero but... Urgh. Lets not give out the spoiler. This is the second time I'd acted. The first time I was a kelefeh in Fist of Dragon.

It's only a 8 minutes film, so please check it out!

That's my eye in their Poster! =.=

If you're a critic, please help us out. Give us as much comments as possible because me and my sister +Eunice Wang are planning to make another short film soon! We need all the comment we can get in order to improve. For the new short, currently we're still in development stage. I'm still writing the script. I hoped to speed things up and shoot it sometime next month. But for now, please enjoy: The Abduction.

We all did our best and this is the final product!

Hope to update this blog again soon.
jin

sms

2012-12-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

Dear Sumire,

I don't understand what you're trying to tell me. Please don't hint me with underlying messages. I don't understand.

Perhaps I don't want to understand.

jin

little lion man

2012-12-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Sumire,

This songs really hit like a slap on my heart.

Weep for yourself, my man,
You'll never be what is in your heart
Weep, little lion man,
You're not as brave as you were at the start
Rate yourself and rake yourself
Take all the courage you have left
Wasted on fixing all the problems that you made in your own head

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?

Tremble for yourself, my man,
You know that you have seen this all before
Tremble, little lion man,
You'll never settle any of your scores
Your grace is wasted in your face,
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck
Now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?

[harmonizing]

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?

jin

will life find a way?

2012-12-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Sumire,

I helped out my sister out for a whole 2 days, for her video assignment.

I must say, it tolls on me, physically, mentally and spiritually.
But it was fun. I enjoyed it. Even if I'd to be tossed on the cold damp stony ground.
Frankly, I enjoyed it. But don't mistaken me for a sadist. I just missed story telling.

Then it strikes me hard, that I miss this life. I really wanted this kind of life you know? Scouting the location. Being on the set, planning the shots. Looking at storyboards. God knows I missed these stuffs.

I wonder what I'm meant to do. I want to get there. But where's the God-damned path? I can't see it. Not a window of opportunity.

I'm not ranting. Or maybe I am. But more than that I'm just asking, if there's a way of going back into the life I really wanted. I'd always been the kinda guy that tell himself that "Life will find a way". I'd always been like that since forever.

But now I wonder...
What if this way is not leading me to the destination I should be; or more accurately the place I wanted to be in the end.

I just wonder if I will get there before I die.
Maybe.
Maybe not.

I guess I'll never know.
jin

symphony no. 1 in a minor, op. 12

2012-10-24T10:14:00.002-07:00

Dear Sumire,

Here I am again typing from my laptop. This month had been hectic on me. Not a lucky month so to say. Running tight in the wallet, even though they're really things I really wanted to buy still on my "Wanted List".

Anyway, I didn't plan to rant here today. I'm about to write and share about awesome free music again!
http://www.jamendo.com/en/list/a104855/symphony-no.-1-in-a-minor-op.-12

Don't let this album cover fool you. Although it sounds classical, it's laced and creamed with metal music.

I'd never wonder that classical and metal could be meshed together to form some head banging music. But Daniel Bautista did it. This free album is made up of 4 tracks; each track called 'Movement' + 3 bonus tracks. All these tracks featured some really awesome guitar works, and it was all breathtaking! I can't forget to mention the drum and bass. Guitars, drums and bass coexist with an orchestral body to create an epic, intense, hard and brutal classic movement. The symphony is sizzling, and if I didn't know better, I would've thought my Audio Technica ATH-Pro5Mk2 was smoking from all the heat!

I can't help but notice Movement 4 - Allegro Ma Non Troppo some how feels familiar. It's not like I heard music like this anywhere else before this; it's just that this particular track reminds me of guitar solos from our local rock bands we are all familiar with and categorized as 'Rock Kapak'.

The first four tracks had me trying to catch my breath. It was heavy, bassy and melodic. It was sophisticated, memorable and complex.Yet, the bonus track: Gymnopedie no. 1 (Satie) was a beautiful & simple acoustic rendition that didn't requires listeners to do any head-banging.

All and all, I enjoyed this instrumental album very much.

Highly recommended. :)

jin

forlorn memories

2012-10-22T09:48:00.002-07:00

Dear Sumire,

I'd been surfing some music blog, jumping from one blog to another. And then I got into this particular music blog. And as I read on, curiosity got the better part of me.

“Forlorn Memories is designed to be just that, the re-capturing of memories and associated moods through wordless sound. The album is designed to tella story through emotion, in chronological order. Using old tastes, smells,sounds, and sights, I would attempt to bring myself into the mindset ofvarious key moments that influenced me in some way, and attempt tocreate those feelings again with the use of audio.”

Audio that recapture memories? I told myself I got to listen to it somehow. And then it hit me. Chapter 2 brought tears into my eyes.

There's no better way to explain such a masterpiece by the means of words. You gotta listen to it. You have to. The best part of it? It might touch your soul, and the music is free. ;-)

Go catch Chris Tenz's work of art.
http://softphase.org/netlabel/releases/sfp05

jin

open letter to my baby sis

2012-10-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Sis,

The next time you said you're born to be hated again, I'll friggin bite you to death.
I love you, and so do mummy, daddy, Nic, Jan, Jocelyn and the list goes on and on and on and on.

So seriously, you're not born to be hated.

Life gonna go on no matter what, so live with it. If she call you a parrot, call her a bitch. If she call you a pet, call her a pig. Or you could be more exquisite, call her a swine. If you can't live with it, bitch her out. Life's harsh, and on this plane we live in, it had always been survival of the fittest. Can't stand the sight of her? Scheme against her and get her out of your sight. Poison your way out. Scorpio you are anyway.

I can't blame you for being depressed. But hey, it's in her blood alright? she bitch about everyone, whether she knew them or not, so why bother? Fuck her inside out, or just live your life happy.

PS. If you really gotta puke, go puke on her. That will be some good payback. :-D

With lotsa love,
jin

get retarded

2012-10-05T09:36:00.002-07:00

Dear Sumire,

If you break something, you pay up.
Or the least you can do is to apologize.

But, buat bodoh is the best strategy of all. Really.
Works like a charm.

jin

respect gone

2012-06-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Sumire,

I found this is my drafts. I think should post it. LOL
Well, It's my freedom to express myself in my own blog ay?

Dear You-know-who-you-are,

Let's face it. I won't be kind with my words. So here goes my big mouth.

I used to look up to you. I'd been hearing stories about how smart you were. How well-mannered you were. Now I wonder if any part of the stories I heard were true. Maybe you were smart and well-mannered, but I guess it's all past tense now.

You were egoistic, but you know what's worst? You were not civilized. You act and walk like a lad, but deep inside, you're barbaric. You're pathetic old hag who still lie to your poor mother. You don't worth any respect at all. You had any idea your lies could create arguments? I guess you would care since you'll just hide under your mama's skirt when all those shit came pouring in. Have some dignity will you? Grow up and start acting your age. You're not 12 anymore. You aged more than 12 doubled. You're a degree graduate. Use your fuckin brain.

You think you're some kinda superstar? You think we're some kinda paparazzi trying to get a scoop for gossip tabloid about when you're gonna get married, or when you're going to break up? Sorry sister. You're no Paris Hilton even if you bitch like one. You're no Lady Gaga neither, because you're much more freakier then Mama Monster. Just to let you know, we're not interested in your personal life. I guess no one is or ever will be. So stop bitching, and stop blaming. Get a life, and live your life happily would you? I pray for your happiness, and I pray so that you shut your trap.

jin

thanks

2012-06-13T20:11:00.003-07:00

Dear Sumire,

I used to think young, wild and free is the way to live. But ever since I started working, I realized life is no longer that wild and free. Even the young part is sipping away, absorbed into my work. What's not to sip away? 9 hours of work, every single day!

I'm no longer socializing in many ways. I try to distance myself away from people. Mainly because sometimes I feel like we're in a totally different channel. Well, of course we can always fake a smile, try to think that everyone likes you and blend in.

But I'm a little lazy to do just that. Trying to blend in can be a nuisance, and it's absolutely tiring. You have to watch your words, try not to hurt others, and keep all that you want to say right in your heart. Lips sealed. That's tiring. You can't call those friends. We call those people acquaintance. Some call these people their company, but for me, not really.

I rather stick to a few I can really call friends. Say all I want, and even if I hurt them, they know my intentions. I said all sort of y things for a reason. Hurting someone else definitely couldn't be one of it.

So, to those I call friends, thanks for sticking around.
Even with my shitty comments, hurtful words, and my heavy babbling.

I truly cherish y'all.

Truthfully yours,
Jin

superhero dad

2012-06-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Dad,

You are my Superhero. No less.

My dad had superpowers. Despite his 100kg size, he had Superspeed. He once outrun me when I was 9 years old.

He had the ability to stare into my eyes and scare the shit outta me.

He had the supersonic scream. When we argued, the whole neighborhood could hear us. I guess I inherited that from him though.

He had superhuman strength. I remember clearly how he punched me in the chest so hard, because I was rude with my mum. That particular moment, I could barely breathe.

His superhuman strength is magnificent, he could tear one comic book into 8 parts. Many of my comics became victims to this particular superpower. (I always wonder why he hated comics so much, since my first comic was his gift to me. LOL)

He had the ability to doze off immediately. The moment he lie on the couch, you can already hear him snoring.

He had the ability to wake up early too. He wakes up 3a.m. in the morning and goes off to work in his cab. He worked his ass off to feed me and my sister. He faced this ugly side of the world with positivity. Send us to school and provided us with everything we'll ever need. He'd been doing this at a daily basis for decades now.

He's the man of steel. He would never take a day off unless its Chinese New Year, and Christmas. That's 3 days off in a 365 days calendar.

He's the Superhero that protects his wife, and his children from all kinds of harm. I won't forget the day he was driving me back from school as he told me,

"My responsibility is to provide and protect you and Eunice until you all have wings of your own. All that I have is this family, and I will give all that I have to this family."

I didn't come from a wealthy family. I remember back then in primary school, he would buy me new clothes and shoes every year, even when his own shoes and socks are torn beyond repair. That doesn't even begin to describe the sacrifices he had done for me.

If he's the Superhero, I'm the Supervillain of his life. I grew up to be so different from the man he wants me to be. God knows how much heartbreaks I had given him, with all the mistakes I'd made. But he love me all the same.

This might come a wee bit too early, but Happy Father's Day daddy.

Taken at CNY 2012. ;-)

Thanks dad.
I love you.

paradise, the living hell

2012-06-07T18:27:00.002-07:00

Dear Sumire,

There's no good guys in this world. Literally.
Sometimes, I wished I could be like you. Look at the world like its a paradise, where everyone is angelic. But I can't.

Everyone is stepping over my head to get higher. Everyone is taking advantage of someone else.

Some judged me before knowing me. Some hate me before knowing me. Some spread untrue rumors without even knowing me. Some trampled over me just for the fun of it. Some pretended to be a friend, so that he can see my downfall. Some betrayed me over matters so trivial.

I'm not talking about people who brushed through my life.

For some were friends so closed to me.
And some were relatives. Members of the family.
They fucked up every last drops of trust and faith I have.

It's disappointing.
I swear on my life that I will do everything in my power to get even with those who trespass me.

Maybe God need to show me a little light to get me out of this hideous mindset. Or maybe He need to see me in hell when I moved on.

But until I see that spec of light, until I see a Good Samaritan with intention so pure, then I will view this world as a living hell, where everyone is demonic. No one will treat you well without a hidden agenda.

Dun blame me. Blame the world for the way it is.
Or just blame me. Just like everyone else did.

jin

a day out with my darling

2012-03-31T01:57:00.001-07:00

Dear Sumire,

Here's some pictures... I guess you can tell that I'm happy today! ;-)
Breakfast, movie and lunch.

Have a nice day!
jin

the liar

2012-03-23T02:05:00.001-07:00

Dear bie,

I'm sorry for hiding some truth from you.
I know its not right. I know I'm at fault.

But please believe me when I say:
- I love you.
- Your smiles make my day.
- I want to be yours until my days on earth are numbered.

You're the pillar of my life.
Jin.

you are right. i'm worthless

2012-03-22T19:43:00.001-07:00

Dear Sumire,

I guess I'm pretty much useless. I'm a distrusted piece of shit.

So much for my filthy life.

Sorry to those I'd hurt in the past.
Especially you...
Sorry bie.

Sorry.
jin

bunohan review

2012-03-11T10:27:00.010-07:00

Dear Sumire,

It's been quite some time since I wrote a movie review! Well, I got lazy. Let's cut the bullshit here and go straight to the point. The first movie I'll review here is Bunohan (Return to Murder) directed by Dain Said (who also directed Dukun). The film made its first showing at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival which ends Sept 18, and from what I read, it got a few awards already, before hitting our own Malaysian cinemas.

Bunohan (Return to Murder)

The synopsis goes a little bit like this:

The wild flower - Bunga Lalang

Adil (By the way, his stage name is 'Bunga Lalang'. Yeah, I know ryte... what kinda stage name is that? ;-P), a young Muay Thai boxer who owed the Siamese boss some sum promised to fight in a fight-to-the-death-brawl. However, he was saved by his associates and smuggled him out from Thai when he lost the fight. The death match organizer wouldn't let him go unharmed, send a assassin to finished him off.

Ilham, the assassin.

Ilham the assassin is hired by the organizer of the death match. Following Adil's track, Ilham tracked him back to Bunohan, the very village he originate from. He has never been back to Bunohan for ages. Upon returning, memories of loneliness and abandonment flood his mind, and he experiences waves of resentment and regret. He will then learn that Adil is his step-brother from a different mother. Ilham visited his mother's grave only to learn that the grave was removed and relocated elsewhere. The bodies and graves were treated with disrespect.

Bakar, intending to bring development to Bunohan.

Bakar, also step-brother of Ilham, has also come home from the city. He is a greedy and ruthless person, and is trying to convince his father to sell the burial ground to a construction company, thus without his father's knowledge, relocated the graves including the one that belongs to Ilham's mother.

Now the review. Bunohan is a sad and mystical tragic at heart. The story dwells with family histories and sometimes in mystical way. I would like to say that Bunohan is a well balance film, but some of the scenes are way too out of place.

There are a few scenes which the viewers can never explain, such as a mysterious boy whom only Bakar and the protagonists' father can see and interact with. Even at the end of the film, I can't determine if the boy was real or a spiritual being since he disappear at will, but was able to act as a medium when someone dead possessed him. At other times, you can see him leisurely coloring his book like all ordinary boys his age.

Or the scene where Ilham starts talking to a bird, and doesn't seem one bit surprise when the bird spoke back to him. They interacted with each other like they were friends until Ilham announces to the bird he is a murderer (That announcement scares the bird flying, literally in slow motion. Well, so much for a talking bird.)

The story is mystical in bits, but still amusing. I think all the mystical part is to show that human progress towards development is inevitable. We leave our tradition behind, stepping on our ancestors' graves to pursue even more development.

There was quite a bit of violence as well, but that all revolves around Ilham's swiftness in executing his victims. The fight scene are a little disappointing, with the fights looked a little bit too 'pre-choreographed'.

Overall acting was top notch, but I guess that was no surprise with actors such as Zahiril Adzim, Faizal Hussein, Pekin Ibrahim, Namron, Wan Hanafisu, Soffi Jikan, Bront Palarae, Amerul Affendi on the roll.

And by the way, the whole movie was shot with all the characters speaking in Kelantanese. I thought that was amazing. Bunohan was pronounce as 'Bunoh-hair'. Bunga Lalang become something that sounds like 'Bunge Leleh' in my ears. Maybe I hear them wrong, but I really loved watching art house film in which the language I'm not familiar with. Choosing the Kelantanese dialect was a good move by the director, since it portrays the nativeness of characters to Bunohan, and still not diverge itself from a Malaysian setting.

3.5 / 5 stars
jin

my new car

2012-02-23T18:13:00.002-08:00

Dear Sumire,

I'd been driving my brand new Persona for almost a week now. 6 days to be exact. Somehow, I'd still not adjusted to the new car. First of all, the signal and the viper trigger are all mirrored compared to my old Wira. Secondly, the automatic transmission make me lazy.

Well, now some of the people I knew starts calling my car McD, since it was on the plate. I thought it was funny.

***

I'm happy I'm now cruising in a new car, but I'm also worried how my wallet will look like later, after all the loan and the petrol and all. I hope I can cover my expenses nice and well.

a worried new car owner

gene

life

2012-02-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Sumire,

I'd got much headaches recently. Any remedy to cure this pain? I guess if my mum is reading this, she would say, "Sleep earlier." ;-) Ohmygod. I missed my parents back a home.

Life's going on a rocky direction this past 2 months, but I guess it's going to be better. My old Wira is cracking down on me, work ain't much of a smooth flow, money is never enough, my cellphone won't work like it's supposed to be and so on so forth.

My old car had been through a lot with me. What used to be my dad's tools for living became my companion. We get through college together, we survived a crash together, we survived the hellish internship together (seriously, the internship in EVO PICTURES had its tolls on both of us), and this old car still delivers me to work everyday. But even so, it's getting disorders every now and then. Sending it to the 'car hospital' wouldn't help much as its sickness grew and time flows. And its burning holes in the pocket.

Few weeks ago, my dad called and told me maybe its time to let it go. I guess it's time too. But hell, I'm so gonna miss this car. But that's also the beginning of another new nightmare. I had to get a loan to get myself a new vehicle. Yet another hole burn in my pocket.

As for work, I think my nightmares are far away from being over. Although I'd finished the monthly publication (thanks to June & Jess for their hardwork) another publication is coming my way.

Cellphone? I really hate talking about it, but I just can't stop complaining. I could carry 2 Nokia phones with me, but none work right. My C6 drains battery like a hungry hog, and my E72 wont show me the incoming calls. Sometimes, the calls don't show up at all even if the caller heard the ringtone on their side. On my side? HOME SCREEN. Gosh. The phones are driving me insane!

jin.

a reply

2011-10-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Miss T,

I got your memo, and I understand you perfectly. I'll keep my reply as brief as possible.

You're probably right about there's nothing to salvage after all, but I never thought of our friendship as something to salvage. I thought you said no one would or will understand what's between us. I guess that includes me.

Sorry for all the blood you bleed.

And a big thank you for being there despite all the shit we're in.

But don't worry, I read you perfectly.

Like I once said, "We're done when you don't want me around anymore."

I'll do as I promise.

But I guess it doesn't matter much, since we ain't talking to each other like how we use to be.

You won't hear from me anymore.

This will be the last.

A deleted friend,

jin

sakuma drops / hotaru no haka

2011-10-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Sumire,

Have you ever heard of the 'Sakuma drops'? I know that's so random, or maybe I ran out of things to blog about. I realize all my entries are mostly rantings nowadays. Loled.

According to Wikipedia:

Sakuma Drops (サクマ式ドロップス Sakuma-shiki Doroppusu) are a hard candy from Japan. They are flavored with real fruit juice and are made by Sakuma Candy Co. based in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The candies are not as popular as they were in the past, but they are an easily recognizable icon in Japan as they have been available since the Meiji period. The candies are sold in 4-by-3.5 inch tin cans with a tin pull cap. Sakuma tins are collectible items, as the design frequently changes.

And here's my first can of sakuma drops!

What I learned from the internet was this green can is the 'normal edition'.

Well, the first time I ever had this candy was when Lucas had a can in his bag. I was immediately hooked by the design of the can. The one he had was the red colored can. But never had I thought that the candy itself had such a long history.

It was even featured in a Studio Gibhli 1988 animation titled Hotaru no haka (Grave of Fireflies). I watched it, and I will never be able to look at Sakuma Drops the same way ever again. It's undeniably the saddest movie I had ever watched.

Seita and Setsuko

The film speaks of Seita and Setsuko, a pair of siblings living/surviving the end of World War II. It's a saddening story of how harsh life can be during wartimes.

The film begins with Seita dressed only in rags, dying of starvation. All he was holding on was a can of Sakuma drops can. After given up his last breath, he drop the can. A janitor picks it up, looking for anything valuable. He toss what seems to be a worthless candy can out. The can's cover breaks open and sprung out the ash and bones of Setsuko. But that was not all. Also coming out of it was a cloud of red fireflies, and Setsuko's spirit.

Upon seeing her brother Seita's lifeless body lying on the floor unattended, Setsuko was about to run towards him, only to be stopped by Seita's spirit, now dressed handsomely.

Seita and Setsuko's spirit then travel back to the place they belong: Kobe. As they travel, they are seen to face their own flashbacks. They were the children of an Imperial Navy sailor. During the Kobe bombing, they lost their mother. It was then an empty Sakuma drops can in Setsuko's possession was used to store their mother's jewelries.

They rely on their aunt for a while, until their only relative left begins to think of the two of them as a burden. Seita decided that they can live on their own, converting a shelter into their home. But living on their own was a grave mistake that Seita made.

Seita had to steal and trade in order to get food, but it was never enough. Unable to get enough food for the two of them, Setsuko begins to suffer from malnutrition and eventually dies from it. Before dying, Setsuko was sucking their mother's jewelries from the candy can due to hallucination. She also ingested the 'rice balls' she made out of mud.

Seita cremated his sister with sorrow. He store her ash in the candy can and never went back to the shelter ever again. The film end with the pair of siblings sitting beside each other, watching over modern Kobe cityscape nightview.

Seita trying to get the candy out of the can when Setsuko cries... *Cute*

The way I see it, at least they're still reconnected at death. This is a film you should never miss. It's a masterpiece. My review? I give it a 5/5.

loving both of it: sakuma drops / hotaru no haka,

jin