Phone call from China

Estimated phone bill this month: $500 - thanks to a colleague who's in China called me on my handphone to discuss some work matters that I don't consider to be extremely urgent. Well, at least not enough to warrant a SGD$500 phone bill! The thing is I didn't know that the overseas call rate from China to a Singapore handphone would be so horrendous until a friend told me that it might be like about $6 per minute or thereabout. SGD$6 NOT RMB$6!!!!!!! When I told 3 friends that the phone conversation lasted an hour or so, they stared at me in horror and the 1st thing each of them said was, "It's going to cost you A LOT! A LOT". I have been in a fould mood since.

I really upset because the caller himself is a PRC national and should know better than to call me. Even though it was not over something frivilous, neither was it over something of utmost importance. I feel so tempted to make him pay for the calls. If he had been an awful colleague, I would most definitely make him pay. But because he's usually nice and helpful, I'm slightly hesistant though I'm really upset. Argh! I could have paid for tickets to and from Hong Kong with the $500!!!!! *Wail*