Think of a small bar, less than a hundred square meters wide and maybe about four hundred square meters long. It's so small even its roadside sign seems to apologize for its size; you won't be able to spot the place when you drive down Shaw Boulevard unless you know where to look. The bar doesn't have air conditioning. What it has for ventilation are three large windows, waist-high up until the ceiling. The windows have no glass nor a screen, giving you a clear view of the narrow gated alley beside the building.

You enter the bar through a glass door. In front of you is a stage. It's a very, very small place.

This is Cuerdas Bar. This is where I spend some of my Friday and Saturday evenings.

It's not the kind of place you and I would go to unless you have a friend or a boyfriend playing there tonight.

I am the only female in the room who isn't an audience member.


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