Saturdays on Koornang Road

Today's blessed with a warm breeze and a soft sunshine, and it seems to be brightening up everyone. Cars buzz here and there, and surprisingly traffic teems up the humble stretch of Koornang Rd. like it does on Collins St. at the CBD. Mums and dads pushing prams or tagging along kids beat the sidewalks. Dogs on leads trod silently or sit lazily outside shops waiting for their masters. It's fun watching them sit like a rock, unfazed by the admiring stares from passersby. The aroma of surrounding international cuisines, the scent of freshly washed clothes from the coin launderette across the road, and even the fumes from styling chemicals emanating from the salon next door, can tell you how vibrant this tiny strip is.

Saturdays are usually the busiest day at the strip, but today is especially busier because of the opening of the suburb's new library. It used to occupy a modest door among the string of shops on the opposite side of the road from where I work. But now, it sits exuding grandeur in the hub of the shopping centre, with its own carpark, playgrounds and a landscaped promenade linking it to the rest of the strip. From the tiny shop with a few assortment of books and a cramped space for children's storytime sessions, the new library is four times bigger and boasts of a very modern architecture with a separate multipurpose wing for preschool kids and an indoor playground. It was built with the whole community in mind, with function rooms which can be rented out by the Council and clubs. I heard the senior citizens' clubs have already gained priority access. How about that? You didn't think they were sloooow, right? :)

For the first time since I started work at the bottle shop, we'll be open on a Sunday. Yeah, we're hoping for good sales too, but we're trading mainly as part of the weekend celebration. We're giving a discount on the housewines, which should be appealing to new customers. That's bad news though for Alex.

He's an everyday customer (as different from one considered a "regular") who keeps the discount furniture shop two doors down. He just stepped in to buy his usual two bottles of Heineken lager, as he eats lunch "like Jesus" with bread and alcohol. He alternately buys Carlton scotch whisky, which he had earlier purchased, too. The whisky, he claimed, will be reserved for tomorrow for, what I thought, was a send-off party for his wife who'll soon be leaving for holidays in Greece. Well, he corrected me after and said he was going to celebrate, because he bought his woman a one-way ticket "for a grand vacation". He lets a devilish smile and a wink and shuts the door behind him. Oh, Greek he is.