The results are out, and Bush has secured his second term. Many of my friends are more than a little disappointed about this, not because the president stays in a job for another four years, but because it all ended far too soon. CNN would be happy to hear these words, as their ratings soared during the election period.

Last week, wherever I went, restaurant, subway station or even the gym, I could hear people talking about the choice between "incompetence and incoherence." Some of the conversations were full of electoral profundities, others were more lighthearted. Bush is against same-sex marriages, while Kerry could bring down soaring oil prices. Even someone with only the briefest interest in politics could have chatted with you for several minutes on either stance. It may not have occurred to many Americans that while they were being encouraged to take part in the elections, people on the other side of the Pacific were doing much the same. The only difference being that we were restricted to watching and discussing, we were disenfranchised.

However, not everyone here enjoyed the election performance. One of my friends expressed his concern about the level of media attention it was attracting. He considered the election a kind of live show, "Made in Hollywood," full of American values. With all eyes on the results, the media focus could only serve to further import America's culture to our shores.

There were a few gems in his thinking. Nowadays, the American-led Western lifestyle is increasingly impacting on our major cities, for instance, Shanghai, and especially on youngsters. If you go down to some of the city's foreign language institutions you'll find they're offering courses called "American English," or simply, "American." Like it or hate it, we're consciously helping the creeping cultural invasion. When we are out and looking to fill our stomachs, fast-food restaurants like KFC and McDonald's are always near the top of our lists. It is this subconscious preference that might make my friend's fears one day come true, and that is that we'll be "Lost in Translation" in our own land.

But his worries didn't prevent my eyes becoming glued to the live election broadcasts, since he was also watching attentively. We have to admit that the integration of foreign values and cultures is inevitable. It is the curiosity to know what's out there that keeps nations up to date. We can't just say no, nor can we even be tempted to. With the comparatively free access to information, it is important to select and digest the parts that are valuable or suited to our needs. The thing that impressed me the most about the US election was not the victory celebration or a beaming Bush, but the speech given by Kerry when he conceded defeat. It wasn't our election, our success or failure, but maybe it can teach us to lose in honour and win in unity.