A Personal Touch
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Dec 25, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 26, 2020
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - MORNING
Sitting in bed, PETER checks his phone mail boxes.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, a friend has made a personal reply to my personal brief X'mas Greetings in response to his earlier general one.
Peter checks other phone notifications.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, my Quora story, the Tenant, has reached 1.8 million views during the night; and there's a second translation of it into French.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I became a landlord for the first time in or around 1994.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My first tenant was a university professor, having a PhD. We had good landlord and tenant relationship.
Act 2
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
FLASHBACK
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - NIGHT (Dec 1996)
PETER (V.O.): Socially, the most important thing is to send X'mas greetings.
FLASHBACK UPON FLASHBACK (Dec 1986 - Dec 1996)
INT. RELATIVE'S HOME, WIGAN, UK - NIGHT (X'mas Day 1986)
Carpeted sitting room. Peter (32) and his WIFE (31) chat with their UNCLE (40s).
PETER: Your restaurant is closed tonight?
UNCLE: Yes, only on X'mas day. One holiday in a year.
PETER (V.O.): I know what life is like in the catering business.
INT. ATTORNEY GENERAL'S CHAMBERS - DAY (March 1988)
Peter is reading a note in his office.
PETER (V.O.): Recruiting actors and rehearsing performances for X'mas? It's only March!
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The expatriate colleagues are really serious about X'mas.
Peter overhears a remark from another office: It's never too early to talk about X'mas!
PETER (V.O.): Perhaps, I should adapt to the culture.
END FLASHBACK UPON FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What X'mas greetings should I send to my good tenant?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Sending a X'mas card isn't personal at all. Instead of asking him: how are you? Why don't I tell him: How am I?
Peter writes his note: Me? Fine...
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was a unique and poetic brief message.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My tenant wrote back and remarked that my note was humorous and stylish. That was encouraging.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The following year, 1997, was a year of change, a lot had happened.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I believe relatives and friends near and far might care how my family was doing.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): So. I began to write and share my family story in one page - easier for posting, faxing or e-attaching.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was very heartwarming to hear some replies; and I would thank them personally.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I became the Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, I extended my X'mas Greetings mailing list to include internal and external stakeholders.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Gradually, my X'mas Greetings writing and publishing became my most enjoyable thing to do in Dec every year.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Whenever I met up someone in person, our small talks began with my family stories. My unique X'mas Greetings became my personal brand.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Since my official retirement in 2014, I've ceased sending them though. All good things must come to an end, otherwise they wouldn't be good.
Act 3
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Now, social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, What's App or WeChat enable anyone to stay up to date with anyone around the world.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Everyday, I enjoy writing my stories, documenting how I live. Living my life is a very personal thing.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But I also publish my stories to the world at large, sharing what humanity can be, multiplying my joy incidentally.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I believe all should welcome X'mas Greetings with a personal touch. This X'mas, I take a minimalist-readymade approach.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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