Intellectual Addiction
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Oct 4, 2021
- 2 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. DINING ROOM - 07:15
Having breakfast, PETER taps on his phone screen from time to time.
PETER (V.O.): I must check time. I've to appear in court today.
Finishing his round, Peter goes out.
EXT. MTR CABIN - 0:750 - 08:20
Standing and thinking, Peter taps on his phone screen.
PETER (V.O.): I mustn't forget to change at the right station.
INT. RESTAURANT - 13:10 - 13:45
Having his lunch, Peter think and taps on his mobile screen.
PETER (V.O.): Playing this video game has become my new intellectual addiction.
Act 2
INT. MALL - 16: 45 - 17:00
Standing, Peter speaks to the images in his mobile.
PETER (V.O.): This is the first time I've joined and spoken in a Zoom meeting in this way.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My main messages was on turnaround management and the need to act timely.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can't bear to see an emergency to become a crisis. We aren't playing games.
Later, Peter taps on the red "Leave" icon.
EXT. MTR CABIN - 17:30 - 18:00
Standing and thinking, Peter taps on his phone screen at times.
PETER (V.O.): The rounds have become more challenging. I've used probably all the idioms that I know.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For the past three days, I've played over 150 rounds. They've jogged my memory.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've also learned many idioms that I don't know.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've also checked hundreds of idiom stories. The recent ones are over 100 years ago while the ancient ones are over 2000 years.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And I've seen my blind spots eg 義薄雲天 ie 義 (Righteousness) 薄 (thins) 雲 (clouds) 天 (sky).
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I used to interpret it literally as 'Thin righteousness is like clouds in the sky."
Smiling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That isn't dissimilar with my childhood bias.
FLASHBACK
EXT. HILLSIDE - DAY (1962)
Peter (8) is walking along a catching area. He sees warnings signs: 防止山火 ie 防 (Prevent) 止 (Stop) 山 (Mountain) 火 (Fire).
PETER (V.O.): I'm scared of volcanoes. How come there're so many here.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In the 1960s, I was taught to read Chinese from right to left.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Reading the idiom stories, I realize that the verse was actually a 5-word idiom - 高 (High) 義薄雲天 - shortened to a 4-word one 義薄雲天.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The 5-word idiom simile means "Righteousness is so high that it dwarfs the sky."
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): No doubt, video games are interactive. Some video games are violent and I don't need to train muscles that I don't normally use.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Video games seem a boy thing. Big boys create them for the young boys to play.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Do they ruin the younger ones' lives?
Act 3
INT. DINNING ROOM - 21:45
Mobile in hand, Peter is playing a video game.
'PETER (V.O.): I've to solve problems in Chinese literature.
Playing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):The video game fosters my mindset.
Playing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I believe I can write better Chinese lyrics in my songs before long.
Peter pauses to capture a screenshot.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Meanwhile, the penultimate step of this round is relevant to my last given name...
Finishing the steps, Peter begins another round right away.
FADE OUT
THE END
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