Portable Magic
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jan 13, 2022
- 2 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. STUDY - 09:30
PETER is reading a novel.
PETER (V.O.): I do something soft this morning. Yesterday, I tried hard to understand a thesis on legal philosophy.
Soon, Peter turns to his smartphone screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Apart from linguistic skills, fiction is irrelevant to me.
Peter checks mini charts on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While stock price fluctuations are fiction-like, I can realise them in seconds if I want.
Peter refocus on the novel's prologue.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But for my curiosity to check if the author has created a hook upfront, I won't waste time reading it.
Seeing an incoming email, Peter checks its attachments.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They're facts. I'll advise on the law this evening.
Act 2
INT. MALL - 13:15
Atrium. Peter sees a pop-up book fair.
PETER (V.O.): When my children were young, they loved it. But now, we've information overflow
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In the 1970s, when I was reading Philosophy as an external student, I bought whatever relevant ones available in Hong Kong.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I also asked friends travelling to London to buy books on philosophy for me.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): They're just like treasures to me. The theses in them can be evergreen.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm still proud that I got my BA (Hons) in Philosophy (Lond) 1981.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): While reading my LLB at HKU, I bought lots of law books too.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But they became dated as days passed as the jurisprudence continues to move with the times.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): However, I'm still keeping them even though I haven't turned the pages for decades.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): When I can still see some of them on law library stacks, my feeling is mixed as some of the authors have already passed away.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Now, I absorb the most when I surf the web or read the latest editions of books in libraries.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I haven't bought any books for years, as I've already been surrounded by too much food for thought.
Peter goes to a restaurant to get his takeaway lunch.
INT. KITCHEN - 13:30
Opening a lunch box. Peter looks unhappy.
PETER (V.O.): I didn't order that. I don't know what has gone wrong in the communication process.
Consuming the food, Peter looks upset.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The taste of it could be a therapy, but it isn't.
EXT. MTR CABIN - 17:30
Peter is glued to his smartphone screen.
PETER (V.O.): If I relied just on books, I'd have missed the development of the tort of harassment in Hong Kong.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - 23:00
Peter relaxes on a sofa with books by his side and at his knee.
PETER (V.O.): This evening, I've rendered great pro bono legal services to my clients. The smartphone is a uniquely portable magic.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): On legal matters, I follow the rules and reasoning, however they're stored, to practise and apply them to facts. They've made my career.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): On philosophical matters, the theses, antitheses and syntheses are demanding exercises of my mind.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While reading fiction doesn't require devotion and energy, it consumes my time.
Peter works before his laptop.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Striking a balance, I prefer writing raw and real docudramas about life experience and lessons.
Picking up his laptop, Peter begins to type.
THE END.
FADE OUT
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