A Glamorous Career
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Apr 26, 2022
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDY - 08:30
Dressed in a suit, PETER is preparing to go out.
PETER (V.O.): Today is April 26, the World Intellectual Property Day. It has been so since the turn of the century.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was China's proposal to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1999 and the WIPO General Assembly adopted it.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was a delegate of the China delegation to WIPO from 1997 to 2013.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But today I've got a human rights job to do.
Peter dashes out.
Act 2
INT. OFFICE - 12.00
SEQUENCE OF PETER'S WORK TODAY
A. Via a black-haired woman INTERPRETER, Peter is explaining something to a CLIENT.
B. The Interpreter then interprets the contents of a form to the client.
C. In response to Peter's queries, the client explains via the Interpreter.
D. Then, they work together to make some amendments before signing the form and other papers.
E. Peter has a chat with the interpreter before they part.
END SEQUENCE
EXT. STREETS - 12:30
Sunny. Peter is walking leisurely.
PETER (V.O.): The Interpreter looks like some 10 years younger me, but she's actually 12 years older than me.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): She told me she had done black-and-white photo developing for 10 years.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I watched my Dad doing that, I was a 5-6 years old playful kid.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Inside my Dad's darkroom, there're a dim red lamp, chemical liquids in containers, wet papers and emerging magical images.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The interpreter shared with me the job details, including how she colourised the pictures.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's only now that I've learned the processing of negatives must be done in complete darkness.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The exchange was nostalgic.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My Dad was passionate about photography when he was a newspaper cameraman.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The interpreter was helping his father to run a business.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A job is an exchange of performance for money. A career is a job that one is passionate about.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I was with the Intellectual Property (IP) Department, I was passionate about my job.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And now, I don't even know the theme of the World IP Day 2022.
Peter surfs the web under broad daylight.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The theme is on "IP and Youth innovating for a better future".
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Be creative to be original is hard. Be innovative to be novel is even harder.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): IP users often complain that they aren't allowed to copy.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - 18:00
Returning, Peter relaxes on a sofa.
PETER (V.O.): I haven't responded to any Quora answer requests yet.
On his smart phone screen, we see a question: Is it glamorous working with children for a career?
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The theme of World IP Day 2022 is apt.
Peter then mines from his Google Photos App a photo featuring two children engaging a sanitising robot.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yes, it can be a glamorous career if one creates and innovates with them for a better future.
Peter types his answer on screen.
FADE OUT
THE END
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