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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

Trips at 70


  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. BEDROOM - 09:30 (Yesterday)


  4. Sitting up in bed with a mobile in hand, PETER reads a Quora Digest on "Why is age 70 considered old age?"


  5. PETER (V.O): See what the author's opinion is.


  6. We follow Peter to read on screen: ...Mother Nature probably wants to rid of you at 50...


  7. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Yes, we cheat her for a while by paying attention to exercise, nutrition, and of course there's modern medical science.


  8. We continue to read: ...some people say..."70 is the new 50"...a friend in his 60's was always saying this.


  9. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): What's wrong with the positive slogan?


  10. We continue to read: Then he hit 70. Within a couple of years...hip replacements...colon cancer...esophageal cancer which did put him in. He was 74.


  11. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): OMG, just within a couple of years.


  12. Peter researches with his mobile.


  13. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The age 70 represents a statistical, biological, cultural and function transition point of the beginning of old age.


  14. Act 2


  15. INT. RESTAURANT - 14:30


  16. Peter and his WIFE are having afternoon tea.


  17. PETER: We'll set off for Sapporo this Friday right?


  18. Having checked her phone calendar, his wife nods.


  19. PETER (V.O): It'd be my Aug-Sept trip.


  20. Recalling.


  21. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): When I was about to turn 70, we spent a lot and booked four separate return trips - Paris, Sapporo, Tokyo and Seoul.


  22. Pausing.


  23. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): In Oct, we'll make two trips to Tokyo, as my wife was determined not to miss out of an airline's special offer.


  24. Peter observes that his wife has something to suggest.


  25. WIFE: As the airline's special offer is still open, should we'd book additional trips in Jan and Feb in 2025?


  26. PETER: Why not, if you like it.


  27. HIs wife looks very pleased.


  28. WIFE: I want to fly to Tokyo and take domestic flights to Akita in Jan, and to Wakkanai in Feb.


  29. PETER: We drove through Akita once. But where's Wakkanai?


  30. WIFE: At the northern tip of Hokkaido.


  31. PETER: Will we be hiring a car there?


  32. WIFE: No, we don't have much driving experience on snowy roads.


  33. PETER: Well, before your retirement, I've been to Hokkaido many times and know how cold it can be...


  34. Peter researches with his mobile.


  35. PETER (Cont'd): It's better to visit Wakkanai around this time...


  36. Thinking.


  37. PETER (Cont'd): We've already hired a car and can drive there next week...


  38. WIFE: No, I've already booked hotels in the south-east of Hokkaido.


  39. Pausing.


  40. PETER: Why don't we fly from Tokyo to Sapporo in Feb to watch the Snow Festivals?


  41. WIFE: There're direct flights from Hong Kong to Sapporo and return.


  42. PETER: But they're expensive when compared to flights with one stop.


  43. WIFE: Yes, our strategy is to extract value for money. Okay, in our return trip, we'll stay in Tokyo for a night.


  44. FLASHBACK


  45. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY (Dec 2023)


  46. Peter looks frustrated.


  47. PETER (V.O): My wife will retire from Feb next year. I've invited her to make a trip with me to Hokkaido to see the Snow Festivals, but she declines.


  48. Taking a deep breath.


  49. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Since I turned 60, I've been travelling monthly. For many trips, I was travelling solo.


  50. RETURN TO PRESENT


  51. Act 3


  52. INT. BEDROOM - 20:30 (Today)


  53. Peter inserts an AI drawing entitled "Trips at 70..." to a draft in his laptop.


  54. PETER (V.O): I accept that the age of 70 is the beginning of old age and that individual age patterns can vary widely. 


  55. Peter checks the many flight itineraries in his e-mails.


  56. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Taking advantage of the special airline offer, my wife and I planned our trips together, but I put her needs and desires first.


  57. Reflecting.


  58. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Trips at 70 now are special to me as I don't care about the destinations as long as my wife is making these trips with me.


  59. FADE OUT


  60. THE END


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