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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

Recollections & Reflections


  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. LIVING ROOM - 20:00 (The night before)


  4. Checking WhatsApp, PETER sees a faded photo of a group of western men, women and one Asian man.


  5. PETER (V.O.): Ah, our former HKU law teachers.


  6. Examining.


  7. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): How can I forget those who taught me from 1981-1984?


  8. Recollecting.


  9. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Especially my former law teacher-mentor, Robyn.


  10. Reflecting.


  11. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For one or two, I couldn't remember their full names.


  12. Examining.


  13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And not all of them were there eg Malcolm - the one who has become my close friend.

  14. Act 2


  15. INT. CONFERENCE ROOM, HK CLUB BUILDING - 15:00


  16. PETER is chairing a MEETING.


  17. PETER: As I'm taking the chair for the first time, I'd like to introduce myself a little. I was a HKU law graduate...


  18. Pausing.


  19. PETER (Cont'd): I worked in the Law Reform Commission secretariat and later designed and built Hong Kong's intellectual property system...


  20. Pausing.


  21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In Geneva conferences, I was a British Delegate and then a Chinese delegate.


  22. Pausing.


  23. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 2004, I was appointed by WTO's DG to settle international disputes between US v European Communities, and Australia v European Communities.


  24. EXT. MTR CABIN - 17:10


  25. Peter checks his former classmates chatgroup again.


  26. PETER (V.O.): I didn't mention my first degree was in Philosophy, as it led me nowhere.


  27. Pausing.


  28. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I didn't mention my postgraduate law degrees either, as without my undergraduate law degree, I couldn't do them.


  29. Peter examines the faded photo again.


  30. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I first met Peter in a 1980 HK Govt legal training scholarship interview.


  31. Recollecting.


  32. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When asked by a white-haired gentleman why did I study Philosophy, my answer "to acquire wisdom" did impress him.


  33. Reminiscing.


  34. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He's not Peter, but without Peter's endorsement, I might have been screened out.


  35. Recollecting.


  36. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Of the three interviewers who interviewed me at the 1981 HKU Law School admission interview, the Chair Hartley Bramwell wasn't in the photo.


  37. Pausing.


  38. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Albert who asked me whether I read newspapers was in the photo.


  39. Recollecting.


  40. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Rodney Griffith posed all the tough questions...he wasn't in the photo either.


  41. Recalling.


  42. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Many years later, Rodney told me that the success rate was 1 in 10. Those he didn't endorse would be rejected.


  43. Pausing.


  44. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I did reply well: "If I was wrong...my alternative view is..."


  45. Recollecting.


  46. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In my first year, Peter taught me Constitutional Law, I can still remember his reference to "law-making by strings and mirrors.'


  47. Recalling.


  48. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 1998 when I was Deputy Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, I had one official exchange with him. And that was all.


  49. Pausing.


  50. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Malcolm taught me Property Law. Fearing I might fail in his subject due to poor time-management in the exam, I thought about silly stuff...


  51. Act 3


  52. INT. LIVING ROOM - 20:00


  53. Having inserted an AI drawing entitled "Recollections & Reflections..." to a draft, Peter hears a WhatsApp notification.


  54. PETER (V.O): My former law classmates and I are reminiscing about the past and reflecting on the impact of former teachers on us.


  55. Recollecting.


  56. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Apart from Malcolm, I've lost touch with all the others including Robyn.


  57. Reflecting.


  58. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I'm still very grateful to all those who have played significant roles in my legal career development.


  59. FADE OUT


  60. THE END


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