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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

Dreamtime Dilemmas


  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. BEDROOM - 22:00


  4. Waking up in bed, PETER checks the bedside clock.


  5. PETER (V.O): It's 10pm.


  6. Pausing.


  7. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Having slept for three hours, I feel refreshed.


  8. Pausing.


  9. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): It's the power of the power nap.


  10. Recalling.


  11. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): In May this year, my younger son talked about it when he strived to have lunch with my wife and me, soon after an overnight shift in a hospital.


  12. Pausing.


  13. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Would I be having dreamtime dilemmas hours later?


  14. Act 2

  15. FLASHBACK


  16. INT. LIVING ROOM - 02:30


  17. Peter joins his night-owl WIFE who is working on a laptop.


  18. PETER: I can't go to sleep.


  19. Pausing.


  20. PETER (Cont'd): Not sure if the jet-lag or the green tea during dinner.


  21. WIFE: I'm checking an alterative hotel accommodation in Hokkaido in late August. The one we've initially booked doesn't have parking facility.


  22. PETER: Oh yes, I still have to follow up with our complaint to the Colmar Tourism Office in France.


  23. WIFE: Don't let it spoil our visit to mainland China from this Saturday...


  24. PETER: But the 4-star Le Marechal Hotel in Colmar shouldn't have misrepresented its no-star room in its unlicensed annex as 4-star!


  25. Peter begins to draft something on his mobile.


  26. PETER (Cont'd): Colmar is a beautiful French town, but the practice of the Hotel is sharp, presenting challenging dilemmas during our stay about 10 days ago.


  27. Pausing.


  28. PETER (Cont'd): Did you recall I take a snapshot of a graffiti in Colmar - "the Shame of France"?


  29. INT. BEDROOM - 04:00


  30. Peter sits up in bed.


  31. PETER (V.O): As I still can't sleep, let me practise learning foreign languages until I feel sleepy.


  32. We hear Peter mumbling some Spanish. And then we see Peter looking excited.


  33. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Oh, I've got my 100-day streak! Let me share it to motivate myself and possibly others.


  34. Then, we hear Peter mumbling some French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Korean.


  35. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I feel very tired.


  36. Checking the clock, Peter sees "06:00"


  37. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I've a professional appointment at 11:30...Would I be able to wake up in good time?


  38. Peter sets alarms in his mobiles.


  39. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I worry that they might not work...I often turn them mute and forget to unmute them.


  40. Peter falls asleep. Later, at 07:45, we hear mobile alarms ringing. Peter wakes up reluctantly.


  41. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I haven't slept much, but it's better than to have no sleep at all.


  42. MONTAGE OF PETER'S SUBSEQUENT ACTIVITIES


  43. A. Interview room, 11:30. With the assistance of an INTERPRETER, Peter sees a CLIENT.


  44. B. Restaurant, 13:30. Peter and his wife are enjoying Roast Goose Noodles in Soup.


  45. C. K11 Musea, 14:45. As his wife posing with Doraemon and Friends, Peter captures images of them.


  46. D. Artisan Lounge, K11, 17:30. Peter and his wife are having Doraemon tea sets.


  47. END MONTAGE


  48. EXT. ROADS - 18:00


  49. Sitting in the lower deck of a moving bus alone, Peter is about to doze off.


  50. PETER (V.O): I let my wife carry on with her shopping. I'm exhausted.


  51. RETURN TO PRESENT


  52. Act 3


  53. INT. BEDROOM - 23:00


  54. Peter inserts an AI drawing entitled "Dreamtime Dilemmas..." to a draft.


  55. PETER (V.O): I've just had dinner. Sleep and work-life balances have been challenges to me.


  56. Thinking.


  57. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Practical strategies like power naps can help maintain my productivity and well-being.


  58. Reflecting.


  59. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Aiming to be better, my life oscillates between the pointy horns of dilemmas.


  60. FADE OUT


  61. THE END


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