Mundane Monday?
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- May 31, 2021
- 2 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. STUDY - DAY
Phone in hand, PETER is pondering.
PETER (V.O.): It's Monday again. I only have a dental appointment.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Would it be a mundane Monday? Let me first change my Monday mindset and do something mindful.
Peter checks his Quora notifications.
PETER (V.O.): A Quoran is asking me the best positive way to send a farewell email to colleagues.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I believe the message should be a personal, emotive and true.
Having typed his reply, Peter sees an incoming phone message.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, my wealth manager is checking if I could see her. Okay, I'll go back to my chambers to do something first.
Act 2
SEQUENCE OF PETER'S MONDAY (11.am - 3pm)
A. In his chambers, Peter collects some papers from a SECRETARY.
B. Sitting at the front row of the upper deck of a Causeway Bay tram, Peter takes photos like a tourist.
C. Inside a bank, a wealth MANAGER is preparing some papers for Peter to sign.
D. Inside a Cha Chaan Teng, Peter is having soup, fried beef noodles and coffee.
E. Inside a MTR cabin, Peter captures an uncommon scene before getting off.
END SEQUENCE
INT. DENTAL CLINIC - AFTERNOON
Treatment room. Peter is being attended to by a DENTIST and a NURSE.
DENTIST: Today. we'll do dental cleaning and the X-ray of your wisdom teeth.
PETER: Dental cleaning?
DENTIST: The service has been resumed since last week. You last postponed it.
PETER: I'm lucky then.
DENTIST: The cleaning will be a little uncomfortable.
PETER: I can endure that.
Having done all the preparations, the Dentist, with the nurse's assistance, begins to work on Peter's teeth with a mouth mirror and a high-speed handpiece.
PETER (V.O.): I haven't had my teeth cleaned by a Dentist since the pandemic. The working is pretty routine. But I can't control my gag reflex.
DENTIST: Relax.
PETER (V.O.): My uncontrollable tongue is blocking the Dentist's tools.
DENTIST: Lower your jaw.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, I don't know I've been raising my jaw as if I'm doing backstroke. I'm very tense.
Peter lowers his jaw.
DENTIST: Open your mouth.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, yes, it's nearly closed.
Peter opens his mouth.
DENTIST: Wider, if you can.
PETER (V.O.): I thought it was wide-open already.
Peter struggles to meet the expectation.
DENTIST: Yes.
PETER (V.O.): So discomforting.
DENTIST: Maintain the position. Nearly finishing now...
No more machine sounds.
DENTIST (Cont'd): Done!
PETER (V.O.): So embarrassing.
Peter takes a deep breath.
Later, in the X-ray room, the Nurse does the X-rays for Peter. Then, Peter returns to the Treatment room to learn about the result of the diagnosis.
DENTIST: Your wisdom teeth are reasonably healthy. But you've to upkeep them for longer-term use.
PETER: Dr, I'm 67. How durable would be my wisdom teeth?
DENTIST: For about 20 years.
PETER (V.O.): That exceeds my life-expectancy by two years.
Act 3
SEQUENCE OF PETER'S MONDAY (4 pm - 8 pm)
A. In a newly-opened mall, there is an art exhibition. Peter examines some miniature works and tries to find angles to capture images.
B. In another modern mall, Peter buys a modern fan in a stylish household store.
C. In an estate park, Peter is jogging in the rain.
END SEQUENCE
INT. STUDY - NIGHT
The TV is reporting China's new 3-child policy.
PETER (V.O.): The Chinese civilisation is entering the phase of abundance.
Pausing
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Today isn't mundane. I've brought the sublime into it, making the day special to me.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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