The good news: the song which drove us all crazy in Shanghai last year -- the theme from the Titanic -- seems finally to be sinking slowly away. The bad news: it is being replaced by the theme from The Secret Garden. It's EVERYWHERE!!! I can't stand it anymore. Really.

I was at the opening last week of the Mercury Marina, which looks like it will become a favorite weekend spot for Shanghai's boating maniacs. The marina is on Lake Tai and is fully equipped for waterskiing and other water sports. It's hard to believe sometimes, but summer's just around the corner.

Speaking of which, Indian vacations seem to be becoming the "in" thing to do. Before it was Thailand, but more and people are heading even further west. The younger and more adventurous Shanghai foreign residents are seeking more in the way of vacation excitement than lounging on a beach sipping pina coladas can provide. India definitely fills the bill.

Antique shopping is becoming more of a rage, and people are wasting entire weekends buying a single piece and the next weekend cleaning it! Not for me, but there's no accounting for tastes!

Computer tip of the week: If you receive an email with an attachment called happy99.exe, throw it away immediately and do NOT double-click on it. It contains a virus that will really screw upon your computer. I have received two copies from friends who subsequently had to send out embarrassing messages to friends telling them of the problem. Don't let it happen to you. Practice safe computing!!

Byeeeee!!!