7th month

The 7th month is usually the busiest month for me. I spend my weekends running from one make shift tent with a stage to another make shift tent with a stage. Before any of you get any wild ideas, its better to let you all know that I am not a part time ghost buster and neither am I a gei tai singer. I am a coolie. (Hahaa I bet it's been a while since the word has surfaced for most of you. And I can see some kind of lame jokes forming in some of your corny brains. Something along the line of.. What do you call the son of a cool dude? A coolie!)

Back to the the main topic.

During the weekends of the 7th month, my parents would rope me in to help deliver the goods for the auction dinner and prayers. This year is exceptionally special, as every delivery I make would jolly well be the last delivery I make for the "family" business. Recently, the self sustainability of the business has been questioned. With no clear direction from the leadership, annual turnover is decreasing over the years. Old businesses like ours that distributes and retails canned food and sundry are fighting a losing battle with Giant (literally and figuratively) daily. Their economy of scale alone is able to put us out of business, not to mention all those publicity. The remaining customer base comprise main of a few remaining old faithfuls. Goodwill accumulated and relationship forged during my grandfather's reign is waning as our clients are slowing being phased out by 7-11, Cheers and Econ mini mart. Our common fate bonds us to a common demise. It is an old business still trapped in an old era where manual labor still prevails, where receipts are still written in Chinese and where customers are more than just friends.

It would be a pity if it were to fold. We do not say it out, but we all know that it is inevitable. The government do not encourage inefficient businesses and do not support SMEs that are still in the old trade. Also, there is no successor from the next generation. If you want to know where is it, we sit along the row of shop house at the junction of Still road and East Coast road.

losing part of our history everyday..