FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BED ROOM - 13:00
PETER is having screen time. His WIFE is still sleeping.
PETER (V.O.): Today is Saturday.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My wife envies me as every day is a holiday to me.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was so before I began working in retirement.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I didn't feel my quality of life without working was better.
Peter's wife wakes up.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Are you happy that you've slept enough?
Act 2
INT. SITTING ROOM - 13:30
WIFE: I'm going to cook shrimp roe noodles. Do you want other ingredients?
PETER: I just want some sliced ginger and green onions on top.
FLASHBACK
INT. KITCHEN, PETER'S FAMILY HOME - DAY (1963)
Having cooked some plain noodles, Peter (9) puts some sliced ginger and green onions on top.
PETER (V.O.): The cheap stuff add flavours.
EXT. NOODLES SHOP, YUEN LONG - DAY (1964)
Window shopping, Peter (10) sees noodles dotted with shrimp roes.
PETER (V.O.): They must be expensive.
RETURN TO PRESENT
INT. DINING ROOM - 13:30
Table. A bowl of noodles with shrimp roes, sliced ginger and green onions and wontons on top. And a cup of juice.
PETER: Wow, beyond my expectations!
As his wife smiles, Peter sips the juice.
PETER (Cont'd): Oh, apple juice from Aomori! I can taste the high standard!
PETER (V.O.): Well, my qualify of life isn't bad now.
INT. SITTING ROOM - 14:30
TV news. We hear and see images that Shenzhou 13 taikonaults landing in Inner Mongolia.
PETER: Great!
Peter and his wife begin to watch.
PETER (Cont'd): I was worried about Shenzhou 13's accelerated return from Space to Earth.
PETER (V.O.): I recall very well the mishaps of Apollo 13.
Taikonaults being interviewed one by one on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, Wang, the woman space flyer, admitted that 180 days in space weren't easy.
We see Wang hugging her daughter on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't know if quality of life is good inside the Tiangong space station.
Then, TV News about the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What were the countries' quality of life before that?
Finding the web page on the World's Best Countries For Quality of Life 2021, Peter reads the list top down.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Being safe, politically stable and having a well-developed public health system, Finland was ranked 1st among 60 countries or territories.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Hong Kong, China was ranked at 28, and China at 37.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Russia at 43 and Ukraine at 59.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Their quality of life can only be worse now.
Act 3
INT. BED ROOM - 23:00
PETER (V.O.): Quality is by design. It's always the result of effort.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Socio-political environment aside, quality of life depends on the quality of our thoughts and actions.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We've got to be physically and intellectually fit.
Peter goes to bed.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My wife is a night owl.
FADE OUT
THE END
Quality of Life
Updated: Apr 17, 2022
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