Lover's Day

FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. STUDY - MORNING
Smartphone in hand, Peter taps YouTube.
PETER (V.O.): Today is the Chinese Lantern Festival. Let me find my MV on that.
Surfing video clips, Peter stops at two.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): One was done in 2017 and the other in 2018. Both still sound and look good.
Watching his MVs.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The 2018 version has a tiger clip. Now is the year of the Tiger.
Clicking Share, Peter copies the link and pastes it on a draft blog post.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Hong Kong's COVID-19 infections has hit record.
Peter shares his MV in other chat groups.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Hope my MV would change some recipients' perception.
Act 2
INT. STUDY - LATE MORNING
Surfing the web with an iPad Mini, Peter reads something,
PETER (V.O.): It was the Chinese poet 歐陽修 Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072) who wrote "月上柳梢頭,人約黄昏後" ("As the moon rises above the willow tree, lovers' dates at dusk begin").
Reading.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Another poet 辛棄疾 Xin Qiji (1140-1207) wrote "衆裏㝷他千百度, 驀然回首,那人卻在燈火闌珊處" ("While striving to find her in the crowd, I see her suddenly turning her head at the well-lighted corner").
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The Cantonese lyrics of my song are pedestrian stuff.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.): Having round dumplings on Lover's Day symbolizes well-being and fortune.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The Buddhist's traditional practice of lighting up lanterns on the 15th day of a lunar new year has gradually become a Chinese custom.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Yes, light shines in darkness, and darkness can't overcome it.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Ha! Lover's Day used to be a public holiday: Han Dynasty - 1 day, Tang Dynasty - 3 days, Sung Dynasty - 5 days and Ming Dynasty - 10 days.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): And the lanterns would be lit up from the 8th day of the lunar new year until the 17th day.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Well, in the then agrarian economy, there isn't much one can do at the start of Spring.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Unlike the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 - a rarity.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): In the old imperial days, night curfew was the standard. Only the 15th day of a lunar new year was the exception.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Now, people in Hong Kong are worried about possible pandemic curfews.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): My wife has been working at home. And I haven't gone back to chambers since the Year of the Tiger.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): People then also believed that sleeping late on Lover's Day could lead to longevity!
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Hongkongers tend to sleep late all the time.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): That's a good romantic reason to explain why Hongkongers enjoy the world's highest life expectancy - 85.16 years in 2022.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The open secret is that we've ready access to heathcare and all try to live healthily.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But the latest pandemic situation in Hong Kong is that our healthcare system is being challenged.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - 15:00
Peter is working on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): As individuals, we're wonderful.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But a loving partnership brings out the very best of each other.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Amid our hectic work schedule, we should spare a few moments to remind ourselves how much we love each other.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I had better publish my screenplay and my MV early on Lover's Day.
FADE OUT
THE END

Lover's Day

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