Pageant News Bureau - Oriental Pearl 2

First, the philosophy:

There's a fine line between irritation and inspiration. Sometimes the things that bother us the most drive us to our greatest accomplishments. Traditional philosophers call this creative force "the divine discontent." Today's pop philosophers put it another way: "If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade."

Oysters don't make lemonade, or at least none that we would care to drink. But they do make something beautiful, and they make it (literally) to deal with irritation. A tiny piece of debris in the mollusk's shell, lodged too firmly to be washed away by the tides, is coated with translucent material to relieve the distress. Over time, if conditions are right, the protective coating becomes something round, luminescent, captivating. It becomes a pearl.

Second, the girls:

Women of beauty have been likened to pearls since the earliest times. In English, fortunately for songwriters, "pearl" and "girl" rhyme. But the visual comparison is even better. The Miss Oriental Pearl Chinese International Beauty Pageant, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 29, 2005, was as captivating as the finest pearl necklace of an empress.

It is the world's largest ethnic beauty pageant, we are told, with 42 contestants from 42 cities around the world. The winner in 2005 was Li Da Ni, 18, of Beijing. The first runner-up was Hou Jia of Qingdao, China, and the second runner-up was Mi Chiao Ling of Taichung, Taiwan.

All pearls are alike, but every pearl is slightly different. Is the greater delight in seeing many of them together, or in choosing one from the rest? Judge for yourself.

For previous winners, click here

Miss Oriental Pearl Chinese InternationalPhotos courtesy of Vincent Keong

Miss Oriental Pearl Chinese International
Photos courtesy of Vincent Keong