FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 08:15
Waking up, PETER looks disoriented.
PETER (V.O.): My family's trip to Macao during the X'mas holidays was hectic.
Grabbing his mobile, Peter taps a WeChat message.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): It came in after midnight from a Shanghai contact.
MONTAGE OF WHAT HAPPENED ON X'MAS NIGHT IN MACAO
A. While watching a concert, Peter feels that his mobile is ringing a few times.
B. Seeing the WeChat caller is from Shanghai, Peter doesn't pick up the calls but sends a message: In a concert now.
C. Then, Peter sees a text message on screen: Not urgent...
END MONTAGE
Having read the message, Peter examines an attached resume...
Act 2
EXT. ROADSIDE - 09:00
Standing by a New Beetle, Peter sees his WIFE approaching.
PETER: I know it must be hard for you to go back to work today...
WIFE: Yes, I'd have taken leave today!
PETER: Drive carefully then.
INT. STUDY - 10:00
Sitting on a sofa and re-reading the WeChat message, Peter begins to type on screen.
PETER (V.O.): My Shanghai contact is asking me to find a job for his friend's daughter.
Typing and sending.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I can see from the resume that the daughter is preparing herself to become a New York lawyer rather than a Hong Kong one.
Typing and sending.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Were the father and my Shanghai contact just trying their luck to improve the circumstances?
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Earlier, a "friend" in Hong Kong asked me to do the same for his son. And I wasn't helpful.
Typing and sending.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Actually, I didn't even help my son to find a job, leaving him to try his luck.
Typing and sending.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I don't have the right connections, and even if I have, I don't think it right to do so.
Opening his apps on securities, Peter places some "sell" orders.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Luck refers to circumstances seemingly without any controllable factors.
Peter sees on screen the status: Order pending.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Yesterday, it was lucky that my family could catch the scheduled ferry back to Hong Kong.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): An hour before time, we're still at Rua do Cunha, I was very worried as taxis were occupied and we had to use public transport.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): On the early morning of Boxing Day, we were at the front of a hotel taxi stand, only after we had waited for over 45 minutes.
We see on screen the status has changed: Fully executed.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Luck can manifest in financial gains, personal relationships, or career successes.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I came to know my Shanghai contact in the BIP Asia Forum 2018. Luck didn't bring us together in the BIP Asia Forum 2023.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): A relative who quit his Govt job once remarked that I was very lucky as I stayed put with Govt all along and could have good pension.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): One might think that luck operates independently of personal effort, such as winning a lottery. But can one win without placing a bet?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Can one sustain consistent successes effortlessly?
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 21:00
Working on a laptop, Peter selects an AI drawing and inserts it into a draft.
PETER (V.O): This AI drawing is entitled "Luck's Currency..." I've many worries as life is quite unpredictable.
Opening the HK Express app on his mobile, Peter checks his Jan 2024 flight itinerary from HK to Okinawa and return.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): My worries serve as catalysts for me to resolve them. I traded stocks and swam well today.
We see at the Payment Details: Fares - HKD 596...Taxes...HKD 897...Pricing currency HKD1,473.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): While luck can hold certain value, I can only capitalize on luck's currency consistently through my labour, skill and judgment.
FADE OUT
THE END
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