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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

Make Sense

  1. FADE IN.


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. SITTING ROOM - 23:00 (Yesterday)


  4. After some exchanges, PETER's WIFE warns PETER.


  5. WIFE: The US and European stock markets are falling. The Hong Kong stock market will fall tomorrow.


  6. Peter nods.


  7. PETER (V.O.): It was only last Friday that my stock investment was out of the red. Today, I've negative gain again.


  8. Recalling.


  9. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've been following the tension between US and Russia over Ukraine.

  10. Pausing.


  11. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If there's any armed conflict, European economies are at risk.


  12. Pausing.


  13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I try to make sense as to why such scenarios should hit the Hong Kong stock market.


  14. Act 2


  15. INT. STUDY - 09:45


  16. Tapping Yahoo!Finance on his phone screen, Peter sees red numerals against Day's Gain and Total Gain.


  17. PETER (V.O.): My wife was right. I'm wrong. Let me turn a risk into an opportunity by buying low.


  18. Having tapped on his entrepreneurship fund icon on the phone screen, Peter sees no response.


  19. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Is the fall so deep and fast that even the App can't cope?


  20. Peter does the same with other hand-held devices.


  21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): No response. Without the timely information for analysis, I can't predict what is the right price and right time to buy.


  22. Pausing.


  23. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As there's not much I can do, I had better do something constructive.


  24. Peter begins to entertain answer requests in Quora.


  25. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Here's an interesting question: Does Newton's prediction that the world will end in 2060 make sense?


  26. Pausing.


  27. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Did Isaac Newton actually make the prediction?


  28. Surfing the web, Peter finds and reads an old letter on screen.


  29. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Sir Isaac was a very religious person. He interpreted theological works and arrived at his prophetic calculation: "...will end A.C. 2060."


  30. Peter re-examines Isaac Newton's propositions 1-7 and his three conclusions.


  31. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They're bizarre to me. I can't make sense out of them.


  32. Thinking.


  33. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But he originates the law of universal gravitation. Anyway.


  34. Peter types his answer: It makes theological sense to him.


  35. INT. RESTAURANT - 14:30


  36. Enjoying fried noodles, Peter is having screen time.


  37. PETER (V.O.): The Yahoo!Finance App is functioning again.

  38. Checking.


  39. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Wow, the Hong Kong stock market has been falling deeply.


  40. Thinking.


  41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Similar to Newton's laws of motion, if people don't apply force to counteract the falling, it'll continue to fall and there won't be any reaction.


  42. Thinking.


  43. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I just can't resist to act. Let me buy my 68th stock. I might apply the last-in-first-out rule later.


  44. INT. STUDY - 16:30


  45. Peter is checking his entrepreneur fund on the screen.


  46. PETER (V.O.): Of the 68 stocks I've invested, only the price of one continues to rise against all odds.


  47. Pausing.


  48. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I take the Star Ferry from time to time. I thought I should support it and bought its shares


  49. Having surfed the web, Peter looks enlightened.


  50. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, I've actually got the shares of the Hong Kong Yaumati Ferry Company Ltd.


  51. Reading.


  52. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The rise happens for a reason - the company is going to diversify further.


  53. Act 3


  54. SEQUENCE OF PETER'S MEMORIES ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE WITH THE FERRY COMPANY


  55. A. Office balcony. 1958, Peter (4) is watching ferries mooring at the United Pier.


  56. B. Vehicular ferry deck. 1977. Peter (23) gets out of a Ford Capri as the ferry is crossing the Victoria Harbour.


  57. C. Bauhinia ferry deck. 2010. Peter (56) is dancing Cha-cha-cha with a LADY joyfully.


  58. END SEQUENCE


  59. INT. SITTING ROOM - 22:30


  60. Smiling, Peter chats with his wife.


  61. PETER: I lost a lot of money today. But I've bought my 68th stock at near rock-bottom price!


  62. PETER (V.O.): And I've fathomed how things make sense.


  63. THE END.


  64. FADE OUT





















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