For the second time, I asked HSBC to reverse the annual fee they charged me, and they had no problem with it. It's simple, really. I just had to send them an email and tell them that if they will credit the annual fee back to my account, I'd be a good boy throughout the year and clean my room at least once a week. 

Now what to buy with the PHP 1,200 I just saved...

... a brand new entry-level phone here in Bangkok?

... an A|X shirt on sale?

... a Philips portable DVD player at Tesco?

... over two hours phone call to the Philippines,?

... 240 sticks of pork barbecue?

I went to Hard Rock Cafe Bangkok today, primarily because Jean, a fellow Zamboangeno who just recently arrived in Same-Same Land, told me that another fellow Zamboangeno- who is the son of my former college instructor in Ateneo- is in the band playing the keyboard.

When I got there, I found out it wasn't just him- it was the majority of the band! And they were freaking awesome. When the female vocalist went on stage, I thought that I recognized her. When she saw me in the audience and did a double-take herself, I knew she was this former schoolmate of mine from high school, Sharon. She recognized me as well and waved. "There's a Zamboangeno in the house! A Claretian!" she called out and pointed in my direction. Everyone turned to me and Jean. What the hell is a Zamboangeno, or a Claretian, the Thais must have thought. Na, kanatun.

The male lead vocal on the other hand was a true-blue rocker from WMSU. Really brought down the house. When he found out that me and Jean were from Zamboanga, he began injecting some Chavacano in his songs. "De Baliwasan yo..." he chanted in the middle of a rock song. Hehe.

When the bar closed all of us lingered and chatted and shared some good ol' Chavacano laughs. 

It really is a small world.