Three to Five

1. FADE IN

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3. Act 1

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5. INT. BEDROOM - 09:00

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7. Grey light filters through the curtains. The distant hum of traffic. PETER lies on his back. His phone lies on his chest, screen glowing.

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9. A voice emanates from the phone speaker.

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11. VOICE (from phone): ...so consider the sequence as a clock. Not the one on your wall. The one written into your cells.

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13. Peter brinks at the ceiling. His left knee twitches under the quilt.

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15. VOICE (Cont'd): Upon waking, your blood is thick with overnight metabolic waste. More viscous. Slower. The first thing - the very first - is water. Dilute the sick blood. Wake the kidneys gently. Then breakfast. The gut's enzymes are at their morning peak. Food now has its greatest effect.

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17. Peter turns his head.

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19. VOICE (Cont'd): Throughout the day, whatever you're doing, insert three 30 seconds interventions. Stretch. Breathe. Relieve the tension. Before 2pm, a 20-minute nap. Not more. Not less. Just enough to re-energize the brain.

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21. He closes his eyes. A small reluctant smile.

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23. VOICE (Cont'd): Between three to five pm, the body has already warmed up. Core temperature rises. This is the best time for exercise. Dinner before 7pm. Then three hours of fasting before sleep. The body is winding down. Let it. No screen time two hours before bed. The blue light disturbs the pineal gland's preparation.

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25. Peter nods.

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27. VOICE (Cont'd): Keep the mouth clean before sleep. Bacteria multiply in the dark. They work through the night, and not for your benefit. And go to the toilet before bed. And undisturbed rest is the foundation of everything.

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29. Act 2

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31. EXT. SILVERSTRAND BAY - 3:53 pm

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33. Sunlight on calm water. The beach is quiet. Peter wades into the water. Deliberate. He swims. Not fast. Steady breaststrokes towards the buoys.

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35. Then freestyle towards a floating platform, anchored about 150 meters from shore. He pulls himself up. Lies flat on his back.

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37. The sky is immense. Pale blue. A single cloud moves at the edge of his vision.

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39. PETER (V.O.): Three to five pm. Body already warmed up.

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41. He breathes. Deep. His chest rises.

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43. PETER (V.O.): I let it follow the three-five pm sequence now.

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45. Pausing.

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47. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As to the 20-minute nap before 2pm and dinner before 7pm...

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49. MONTAGE

51. A. Offices, Kwai Shing Estate - 1:40pm (1974) Peter (20) is taking a nap at his office desk with his head resting on it.

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53. B. Yu Wo Tong, Lau Fau Shan- 5:30pm (1970-1973) In a corner, Peter (16-19) joins other STAFF around a broken table, eating quickly. Standing up. No chair.

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55. END MONTAGE

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57. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I first worked as a Housing Assistant at Kwai Shing Estate, we hired a widow to prepare lunch for us. I had the luxury to take afternoon naps.

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59. Recalling.

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61. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): During my teens, I worked as a part-time waiter. The staff ate first. Always. Because once the customers came, we didn't stop until 10pm.

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63. Pausing.

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65. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Other than these, I've been ignoring the body's sequence...

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67. Recalling.

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69. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I travel every month. If I'm on a coach and the driver takes the highway. Everyone sleeps. I can take such afternoon naps.

70. 
    

71. Peter chuckles, dry.

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73. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And for mainland package tours, dinners always start before 7pm. I should join more tours to the mainland.

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75. Peter chuckles again.

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77. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Meanwhile, for my May tour with my wife, we've already checked in our flights. There isn't a chance we'd follow our body's sequence.

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79. He stares at the pale sky.

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81. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We're one, for now.

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83. He leaves the floating platform, swimmnig backstroke and then butterflystyle back to the shore.

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85. MONTAGE OF PETER'S OTHER ACTIVITIES

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87. A. Dining room, 8:45pm. Peter's FAMILY is having dinner.

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89. B. Bedroom, 10pm. Peter has his eyes fixed on the phone screen.

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91. END MONTAGE

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93. INT. BEDROOM - 22:15

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95. Peter works on his laptop.

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97. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When my wife was still working, we often had dinner at 11pm. So we've already advanced our dinner time.

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99. Pausing.

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101. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As to the screentime, I'd endeavour to avoid that whenever I travel...It's about my intentional alignments, though small.

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103. Act 3

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105. INT. BEDROOM - 23:33

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107. Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows the Silverstrand Bay with floating platforms and buoys in the foreground, set against green islands under a blue sky.

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109. PETER (V.O.): Three to five isn't a deadline. It's an invitation. The body has been warming up all day just for this hour. Don't make it wait.

110. 
     

111. Thinking.

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113. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can spend 71 years fighting my own clock. Then one afternoon, between three and five, I lied flat on a floating platform, and the fight just stopped.

114. 
     

115. Reflecting.

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117. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My body's clock isn't a prison - it's a home I can return to, even at 71.

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119. The END

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121. FADE OUT