The former Polish consul is of course Marek, who last year convinced me to become a shareholder in a chemical plant in Kazakhstan. I said yes, of course. I can never resist a proposal from Mr Marek!!! Luckily I was just investing my time in helping to coordinate the deal in return for one percent of the plant, which naturally fell through. A casualty of the Asian financial crisis. But what a wonderful line to toss into a conversation: "I own a chemical plant in Kazakhstan"!!!

Anyway, back to the Superstar. Marek told me that he was planning to make the place into a Latino hang-out. He tells me there are more than 2,000 latinos -- Spaniards, Italianos, South Americans of one flavor or another -- in Shanghai, and they have nowhere to go to really feel at home. Enter the Pole Marek!!! The music will be Salsa for dancing, bossa nova for quiet drinks. The residfent jazz band, the Walking Wounded, are playing most nights, and are earnestly learning some new songs in the new style of the bar. No!! I am so sorry, the band is not called the Walking Wounded, it's called the Walking Five. Or maybe Six. The number varies depending on the night. When I was there one night last week they were joined by Basia, the other prominent Pole in Shanghai multi-cultural melting pot of a nightlife scene.

Now, Basia is a real darling, a red-haired diminutive extravert who in her spare time directs plays with the Shanghai Drama Academy. Her full time job is much like mine -- helping to keep the Shanghai nightlife wheel whirling. She sang a version of Girl from Ipanema, no doubt an effort to get in the good books of the Polish manager!!!

There's an interesting story about Girl from Ipanema. I don't know if you have ever listened to the words, but it is about a boy watching a girl walking along the beach at Ipanema: "When she passes I smile, but she doesn't see". I once met Jobim, who man who wrote the song, and he told me confidentially that the girl was in fact blind.

Byeeeee!!!