Balance and Order
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Aug 7, 2023
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 06:00
Waking up, PETER checks the time of a bedside clock.
PETER (V.O.): Stress is disturbing my sleep-wake cycle...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If I begin working now, I don't think I'd be energetic the whole day.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While no preparation is ever enough, I'm not appearing in court today or tomorrow.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me relax and sleep again.
We see Peter continuing his sleep until he wakes up again at 08:15.
Act 2
EXT. CROSS-HARBOUR TUNNEL - 09.15
Peter's WIFE is driving. Peter is in the passenger seat. We hear from the car-radio an anchor talking about ancient poems written by Liu Bang (劉邦).
PETER: 力拔山兮氣蓋世...
WIFE: No, it's by Xiang Yu (項雨) .
Peter immediately surfs the web with his smartphone.
PETER: Yes. Having rebelled against the Qin dynasty, Xiang became a powerful war lord.
Reading.
PETER (Cont'd): However, Xiang was finally defeated by Liu Bang's troops. He committed suicide.
Reading.
PETER (Cont'd): He was a tall man having unusual physical strength.
Reading.
PETER (Cont'd): He lived c. 232-202 BC. He died at age 30.
They arrive in a car park.
PETER: I'll go swimming and then I'll do some legal research. Can we have lunch together?
WIFE: Not sure if I've to work over lunch...
PETER: Let's keep in touch then.
EXT. BUS TO DEEP WATER BAY - 10:15
Sitting on the upper deck, Peter checks WhatsApp messages on his smartphone.
PETER (V.O.): An accountant friend asked me if his party bumped into me at Tregunter Towers yesterday.
Peter types his response.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's a friendly perspective.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Decades ago, I heard senior civil servants talking a lot about the complex.
Surfing the web, Peter reads about the Tregunter Towers.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):.. Remi Lucidi, known for his high rise stunts, plunged to his death after falling 721ft of the complex on July 27, 2023. He was 30.
SEQUENCE OF PETER'S PERSPECTIVE
A. Being stuck outside a penthouse window, a SPIDERMAN can't move out of it.
B. The window edge is thin and the spiderman hasn't any space to move.
C. The spiderman has no way to sit, turn or change position in any way.
D. We see the spiderman is getting very tired...
END SEQUENCE
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): How long was his falling time?
Peter researches with his smartphone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Neglecting air resistance, it'd take 6.68 seconds for him to fall from a height of 721ft to the ground.
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What was he thinking during those 6.68 seconds...
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:00
Having input the prompt: "A tall warrior and a spiderman, both are 30 years old" in an AI art generator, Peter sees a cubist image appearing.
PETER (V.O.): If one is mindful of what dreadful things might happen, one wouldn't lose one's footing.
Focusing on the AI drawing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Happiness isn't a matter of intensity but of balance and order, or rhythm and harmony.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Sometimes I may lose my temper and hope, still I endeavour to maintain my balance. I had lunch with my wife today.
Smiling, Peter hits the keyboard of his laptop.
FADE OUT
THE END
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