To boldly go where no panda has gone before

Congratulations to no. 16 (left, female) and no. 19 (right, male), you have won yourselves an all-expenses paid one-way trip to Taiwan! Read about their enthralling love story - how the son of an American expat came to share a bamboo tree, and ultimately his heart, with the feisty heavyset daughter of an amputee.

I have to admit though, that the decision came as somewhat as a surprise to me. I was so sure it was going to be this couple:


On the other hand it was also painfully obvious that this pair didn't stand a chance (even Jessica and Nick managed to put on a better show in their final month together):


Well, what's next for the cutest political pawns in the history of cross-straits relations? Already they've been caught up in a bit of a diplomatic hissy fit. Come on Taiwan, stop being such a drama queen, you know you want them.

For those who are worried that the No. 16 and No. 19 may be roughing it in their new home, rest assured that this is definitely no hardship posting. They will have get to vacay in the countryside which is known to be an idyllic verdant utopia. Should they tire of bamboo, the cuisine is delightfully diverse, ranging from gristly tendon to tendony gristle to the more simple rice burger from McDonalds.

The well-established music scene also provides a rich supply of entertainment. Stocked with young homegrown talent, one of its leading lights is singer-composer Jay Chou. His latest album "November's Chopin" has sold 3 million copies in Asia and he has won more awards than say..the number of syllables in the line "Po, Po, Po, Po, PopoZao, PopoZao". On top of that his signature single-eyelid look, the source of much fangirl squeeing, has made a dent in the cosmetic surgery industry over here. With all these achievements at such a tender age, I think that Jay can be forgiven for having a bit of a God complex.



Blog to vote for: Gaijin Biker has been nominated as Best Asian Blog at the Kineda Asian Blog Awards.