FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDY - 09:00
Rushing in, PETER gets his wallet and leaves immediately.
PETER (V.O.): I'm taking my wife's lift back to my chambers.
EXT. ROADS - 09:15
Peter's WIFE is driving. Peter observes the traffic.
PETER : Rush hour, slow cars.
EXT. LOWER ALBERT ROAD - 09:30
At St John's Cathedral, Peter hesitates as to which way he should go.
PETER (V.O.): It's a sunny morning. I suddenly have the urge to visit the Botanical Garden.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In the late 1950s, my family went there often.
Act 2
EXT. HONG KONG BOTANICAL GARDEN - 09:45
Walking through a Memorial Arch, Peter bumps into a Bamboo Garden.
PETER (V.O.): If I saw a garden like this overseas, I'd just rush past.
.
Peter sits in a bench under the shade.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Before the invention and use of paper, masterpieces were written on bamboo.
Peter takes out his smart phone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Helping Quorans and myself to find life balance and inner peace has been my daily endeavour.
Thinking and typing for a while.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Done. Let me visit the Garden Terrace Fountain.
Strolling past colourful flowerbeds and plants, Peter captures photos from different angles.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The photos taken and developed by my Dad were all black and white. But they're soulful.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Things change a lot in a decade, not to mention in over half a century.
Returning to the Memory Gate later, Peter studies the inscriptions.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, it's dedicated to the Chinese who died assisting the Allies during WW1 and WW2.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Who were they?
SEQUENCE OF PETER'S AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES
A. Chambers. Having put some papers into his brief case, Peter passes a cheque to a SECRETARY.
B. Sony store. Having presented some QR codes and paid, Peter gets 4 speakers from a STAFF.
C. Cha Chaan Teng. Having finished his lunch, Peter enjoys his coffee and reads Quora Digest.
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.): What was the Maidan Revolution that took place in Ukraine in Feb 2014.
Peter surfs the web.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, it resulted the overthrow of the then Ukrainian government.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, the sequences were similar to what happened in Hong Kong in the latter part of 2019.
EXT. HENNESSY ROAD - 15:00
Walking, Peter is glued to his phone screen.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, there're foreign involvement. No wonder.
EXT. MTR CABIN - 15:15
Standing, Peter is in thoughts.
PETER (V.O.): I was then preoccupied with supporting a major international IP conference to be held in Hong Kong.
INT. MALL - 15:45
ATM. After tapping Account Inquiry and seeing the balance on screen, Peter looks shocked.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, the little balance won't be good to settle my chambers' rent! Have I invested too much in Chinese stocks?
Peter taps Transfer..
Act 3
INT. STUDY - 20:00
In his Google Photos App, Peter checks bamboo images.
PETER (V.O.): Unlike stiff trees that crack easily, bamboo bends in the wind - flexible, yet firm; delicate, yet strong.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What is worth fighting for metaphorically isn't power and glory but the prospect of uplifting and transforming humanity.
Reading. Peter is astonished.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For Chinese bamboo, there's no growth for 4 years. And then in year 5, it grows almost 1 meter in a single day!
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In today's world economy, a bad year in China is a good year in any other country.
FADE OUT
THE END
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