FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. STUDY - DAY
PETER is listening to radio. We hear: There're only two big things - been born and death. What's in between is water under the bridge.
PETER (V.O.): Is that right? It's true that being and non-being are extremes.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While all things in life come from being, were we born by choice or by chance?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Being born is a big thing to parents and those who care.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Perhaps, nature too, as life force can be sustained.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As to death, is it the tragedy of life?
Act 2
FLASHBACK
EXT. NAN LIAN GARDEN, DIAMOND HILL - YESTERDAY MORNING
FRIEND#1 (to Friend#2): How many grandchildren have you got?
FRIEND#2: I don't have any children. How can I have grandchildren?
FRIEND#1 (to PETER): How are your children?
PETER: Thanks. They're all doing well. Only one is in Hong Kong, the others are working or studying overseas.
PETER (V.O.): My other friends are still unmarried.
INT. RESTAURANT, TSIMSHATSUI - YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.
PETER is having dim sums with FRIENDS.
FRIEND#4 (to Peter): The life expectancy for males in Hong Kong is about 82 years. I want to make a will.
PETER: If you don't have any special preference, there's no need to make a will. The intestate rules are equitable.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): For the deceased, the estate is water under the bridge. For the beneficiaries, the legacy might be perceived as a windfall.
FRIEND#2: I wish I could live to 102 ie 2049 to see what would happen to the political scene.
PETER: I take Sir Run Run Shaw as my role model. He only retired from his CEO role at age 103, setting a Guinness record.
FRIEND# 5: I opted to retire as early the earliest.
FRIEND# 6: Some of the senior medical doctors who taught me are still practising in their 80s and early 90s.
Peter looks enlightened.
PETER (V.O.): Should I follow suit as a practising barrister?
EXT. KOWLOON PARK - LATER
Peter is strolling around, enjoying the sights.
PETER (V.O.): In my late teens, I used to come here dating.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): In my mid 30s, when I became Assistant Director of Intellectual Property, I parked my car here.
Peter sees a DANCE TROUPE practising in a corner.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): This is life.
Peter then sees VISITORS relaxing on benches either alone or in groups.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I don't know if most people actually live their lives the best way they can.
Peter walks past a flock of pigeons in a corner.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I always envy them, as they can fly.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Beings, other than humans, don't carry baggage. They focus on sustaining the life force of their species.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Is death the tragedy of life? Or just a part of life?
Act 3
INT. STUDY - 23:00
Peter is in thoughts.
PETER (V.O.): Between birth and death, we start school, we make friends, we get jobs. Some may fall in love, get married and have children.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Some might divorce or emigrate. Many retire before they die.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We all die. But if we don't learn life lessons, we might not have lived fully.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): One who has fully lived is prepared to die anytime. We die good.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Been born or death aren't big. Living life is.
FADE OUT
THE END
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