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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

The Pulse of Life



FADE IN

  1.  

  2. Act 1 

  3.  

  4. INT. BEDROOM - 01:45

  5.  

  6. Having swiched off the lights, PETER lies in bed.

  7.  

  8. PETER (V.O): My wife and I have flown back from Seoul two hours ago.

  9.  

  10. Recalling.

  11.  

  12. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): It was very nice that we also travelled to Busan with our elder daughter and son-in-law.

  13.  

  14. Recalling.

  15.  

  16. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): There, the mothers tried their Korean costumes for the wedding feast to be held in March next year...

  17.  

  18. Pausing.

  19.  

  20. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): While the excitement lingers, there're time-sensitive tasks awaiting me in just a few hours.

  21.  

  22. Peter feels the plush comfort of his pillow.

  23.  

  24. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I hope to have few hours of sleep before the rush begins.

  25.  

  26. Act 2  

  27.  

  28. INT. CLINIC - 09:45

  29.  

  30. Softly lit. Filled with medical equipemnt. NURSE#1 approaches Peter.

  31.  

  32. NURSE#1: You haven't eaten anything in the last eight hours, right?

  33.  

  34. PETER: Yes.

  35.  

  36. Later, NURSE#2 prepares to draw Peter's blood.

  37.  

  38. NURSE#2: Just relax and look away...

  39.  

  40. Later, Peter helps himself to a blood pressure machine and gets the readings- SYS:126 mmHg, DIA: 63 mmHg and PUL: 54 bpm.

  41.  

  42. PETER (V.O): While my blood pressures are within the normal range, my heart rate is at the lower side.

  43.  

  44. Researching with his smartphone.

  45.  

  46. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Due to heart efficiency, althlets and individuals in good physical condition may have lower heart rates...Am I one?

  47.  

  48. Reading.

  49.  

  50. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The natural aging process can affect a heart's electrical system, leading to slower heart rate...

  51.  

  52. Pausing.

  53.  

  54. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I hope for the best...and I must go swimming when my tasks scheduled for today are done.

  55.  

  56. EXT. MTR CABIN - 11:15

  57.  

  58. Seated. Peter is listening to the chats among three WOMEN sitting nearby,

  59.  

  60. WOMAN#1: I'm 75. I'm still working...

  61.  

  62. WOMEN#2-3: You're still working?

  63.  

  64. WOMAN#1: I like to dress in red, but you two prefer wearing plain.

  65.  

  66. Women chatting.

  67.  

  68. WOMAN#1 (Cont'd): The teaching during our secondary school days shaped us. We can't be bad!

  69.  

  70. More women chatting.

  71.  

  72. WOMEN#2-3: Do you have any regrets about your political career in Canada?

  73.  

  74. WOMAN#1: Yes...I was only the Minister of International Trade...

  75.  

  76. INT. CHAMBERS - 12:00

  77.  

  78. Peter chats with a fellow COUNSEL.

  79.  

  80. PETER: We've done a lot for Hong Kong. I'm practising the minimum...I'm living my bucket list.

  81.  

  82. COUNSEL: I've waited for the day to do mine...to find my permanent resting ground...I don't want to be cremated...

  83.  

  84. PETER: Just do it then.

  85.  

  86. PETER (V.O):...I treat every day as my last one.

  87.  

  88. INT. RESTAURANT - 18:15

  89.  

  90. Before Peter and his WIFE are two steaming bowls of pho.

  91.  

  92. PETER: Apart from completing my Duolingo streaks, I've also gone to the HK Bar Asso to renew my membership, re-arranged the auto-pay of my mobile subscription, got back my coupe from the repairer...

  93.  

  94. As they continue to eat, Peter brings up his heartbeat reading.

  95.  

  96. WIFE: Hmm...you should seek your doctor's advice.

  97.  

  98. PETER: I will, in a fortnight...meanwhile, I've resumed swimming in the sea (despite the red flag).

  99.  

  100. Act 3

  101.  

  102. INT. BEDROOM - 21:30

  103.  

  104. Peter inserts an AI drawing entitled: "The Pulse of Life..." to a draft in his laptop.

  105.  

  106. PETER (V.O): Life is a journey marked by experiences, relationships and cycles that flow into one another.

  107.  

  108. Thinking.

  109.  

  110. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): They all contribute to a sense of ongoing existence without clear beginnings or endings.

  111.  

  112.  Reflecting.

  113.  

  114. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): My being is transitory, and when I'm gone, the very pulse of life will live on.

  115.  

  116. FADE OUT

  117.  

  118. THE END



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