Ultimate story of American dream [ZT]

新八卦

LONDON: Priscilla Chan, whose transformation into the wife of the world's youngest billionaire Mark Zuckerberg is more remarkable than it may seem, is the child of a Chinese-Vietnamese father who arrived in America with his family in the 70s after spending time in a refugee camp.

Later Dennis Chan, 47, raised enough money to open a Chinese restaurant, where he worked gruelling 18-hour days as he dreamt of his first-born daughter living the American dream. Priscilla was raised largely by her grandmother as her mother Yvonne also worked long hours at the Taste of Asia in Boston. At the 1,200-pupil state-run Quincy High School in the working-class town of Quincy, near Boston, it quickly became clear that Priscilla was bright - and determined to get on. "She came up to me during that first year, when she was 13, and said, 'What do I have to do to get into Harvard University?'" the Daily Mail quoted Peter Swanson, 66, her science teacher and tennis coach, as saying.

"I was stunned. In all my years of teaching I have never had a 13-year-old ask a question like that. She knew what she wanted, even back then I encouraged her to join the tennis team because I knew that Harvard would require her to have a well-rounded resume.

"She was mostly raised by her Chinese grandmother, who spoke no English. She was a very dignified woman who clearly was a huge influence in Priscilla's life. The grandmother was her emotional support. Her parents were working long hours - 18-hour days - at the restaurant.

&quotriscilla worked incredibly hard at her studies and graduated top of her class. She gave me a voucher for a free meal at her family's restaurant as a gift. It was clear the family came from humble beginnings but were prepared to work hard around the clock to make something of their new life in America. Priscilla had that drive within her. She did everything she needed to round out her resume and make it attractive to Harvard. And she joined the tennis club - she was not a natural athlete but with hard practice she steadily improved.

When she got into Harvard she ran up to me grinning from ear to ear and said, 'See, I told you I would get to Harvard!'" he said.

Swanson visited Priscilla and her new husband at their 3.5 million home in Palo Alto, California, last year. "Mark was at the kitchen table working on his computer. Priscilla introduced us and he grinned and said, 'Behind every great man there is a great woman'. People are saying how lucky she is to marry him, but he knows he's the lucky one. Priscilla is the ultimate story of the American dream made good. Her parents came to US with virtually nothing and she has married a self-made billionaire. It doesn't get much better than that," he said.

Priscilla has closely guarded her family's humble roots, releasing only a few titbits through Facebook's PR machine. Her 'official' biography states that after Quincy High, she studied biology at Harvard where she met Zuckerberg as they queued for the toilet at a party in 2003. Recently graduated from the medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, she plans to become a pediatrician.

Source: The Times of India

新八卦

[ZT] Judging Priscilla Chan: Why People Won’t Stop



As Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan begin their marriage with an Italian honeymoon, she has frustrated the celebrity industrial complex just as he has vexed Wall Street: by refusing to play the game.

The gossip press's new favorite narrative about the couple focuses on their tightwad ways. First, Zuckerberg didn't get Chan an expensive enough ring; now he's cheap for taking her to McDonald's and for failing to tip at a sit-down restaurant (you're often not supposed to tip in Europe). Not only does Chan not seem upset by McDonald's or a wedding menu featuring $7.50 burritos, she appears to prefer it. In a world of celebrity weddings and bejeweled arm-candy wives, she's not demanding to be treated as a princess by her wealthy husband, and worse still, she's ignoring demands from the public that she act like one for their amusement. Chan might have been forgiven her disinterest in material status symbols if she'd shown any willingness to let the press take a look at what she does value, but instead, she's largely refused to grant interviews, making the celebrity press even more inclined toward vindictiveness.

There's always been a certain amount of interest in Chan as Zuckerberg's longtime love interest. But the captivating wedding photograph, in which Chan looks elegant and gorgeous at the peak of post-IPO Facebook hysteria, gave her the style and aura of a bona fide princess (Buzzfeed's Shift breathlessly dubbed her the "Kate Middleton of Silicon Valley"). Long before and long after Jackie Kennedy, Americans have been looking for a princess of our own; every new possible entrant has to be auditioned for the role in the pages of Vogue and the New York Times "Styles" section. Chan's behavior hasn't been encouraging for that faction. The Times recounts an incident in which Chan and Randi Zuckerberg were shopping, and she picked up a pair of $600 shoes. "You should get them, you have the money," said Zuckerberg, to which Chan reportedly replied, "It’s not my money."  The Harvard and medical school grad is doing her own thing, and it does not include expensive footwear. (Another recent topic of Zuckerberg-Chan speculation: that they timed the wedding to purposely fall after the IPO so their shared marital assets wouldn't include that new wealth, which he'd acquired while still — if barely — a bachelor.)

Chan, who grew up in Boston with Chinese parents, has also come in for a fair amount of ethnicity-specific judgment. Another Buzzfeed Shift writer complained, with a mixture of envy and admiration, that Chan's academic and marital achievements make her "every Tiger Mom's dream child." On the flipside, she has not been well-received by bloggers in China, one of whom described her as a "dark, ugly dwarf” who wed the “tall, rich, handsome man." Another Chinese critic said: “I really do not understand foreigners’ aesthetic standards when it comes to Chinese girls.” It's not just Americans who want to fit her into a neat box of what a billionaire's wife might look and act like, in other words.

But Silicon Valley has a very different definition of "trophy wife" — it's often the woman who wins the trophies instead of being one. Zuckerberg is hardly the first tech-billionaire to have a wife who is highly accomplished in her own right; he joins Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, to name just a couple of examples. Maybe it's something about the way the constant exchange of ideas (not confined to work hours) is valued in the industry and culture of tech. More likely, a certain breed of tech titans looks forward to having a modern marriage that is, above all, a partnership of equals. And what tech guy would want to look backwards?

Source: New York News & Features

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True love: Priscilla Chan, the new Mrs Mark Zuckerberg, was walked down the aisle two Saturday's ago by the couple's dog Beast, a Hungarian sheepdog. The couple also wrote their own vows





Married: The couple have been together for nine years, but did not reveal their engagement





Guests: Those invited thought they were attending a party to celebrate Ms Chan's graduation




Arrival: Guests were pictured turning up at the Palo Alto home on Saturday afternoon

Source: Mail Online

mn

she looks not butifull but must be a very lovely woman，rich in spirit and not in material，for which I guess may constitute one of the important reason for him to choose her to be his wife，being proud of her，as a Chinese.

新八卦

Relaxing with his new wife on a cruise around Italy, Mark Zuckerberg doesn't appear to have a care in the world.
But if news of Facebook's stock market decline has reached him, he will no doubt be feeling rather more uneasy today.
The company's shares plunged to its lowest point yet yesterday since its controversial public debut earlier this month, which is currently the subject of at least two shareholder lawsuits.

Seaside: The first couple of Facebook has finally put their billions to good use during their honeymoon

High Tide: The couple rented the entire boat, which can fit up to 12 people and can travel up to 45mph, according to company Amalfi Sails In spite of the troubles on the market, the first couple of Facebook have been enjoying a cruise around Italy's Amalfi Coast after spending two days exploring Rome on their honeymoon. The couple rented the entire boat, which can fit up to 12 people and can travel up to 45mph, according to company Amalfi Sails. Tour: The company is known to specialize in custom tours, shuttling customers to show the most beautiful and must-see sights of the jagged coastline and surrounding islands of Capri, Ischia, Procida, and Li Galli

Float: The boat ride was a stark departure from the Zuckerberg's previously low-key exploration of Italy, which has been mostly comprised of moonlit strolls and sightseeing

As one of the world's wealthiest men, with £11.6bn to his name, many were surprised by the couple's itinerary.

The two have preferred low-key adventures rather that upscale expenditures in the past few days, endearing many with their simple style of celebration.

Meanderinghand-in-hand down gently lit cobbled roads, soaking up the atmosphere, the two proved that sometimes it's the simplest things - and those that come free - that provide the most pleasure. Relaxed: Mark Zuckerberg and his new bride Priscilla Chan wander through the cobbled streets of Italy's beautiful Amalfi coast

Picturesque: The Amalfi Coast has been made a World Heritage Site thanks to its natural beauty Eschewing glitzy restaurants and stiff luxury dining, the two opted for a meal at a Kosher restaurant called Nonna Betta in Rome's Jewish Ghetto where they enjoyed a simple Italian meal of fried pumpkin flowers and ravioli in an artichoke sauce. Their bill, which was immediately posted online, revealed that the two sipped tea and water, and paid just 32 euros for their feast - a mere drop in the ocean of Zuckerberg's fortune. Within minutes of leaving the restaurant, the owner Umberto Pavoncello had confirmed the couple had paid a visit - while word also quickly spread via social networking sites. Mr Pavoncello said: 'They seemed like two lovebirds. They shared a plate of artichoke ravioli in the centre of the table. It was a very romantic scene.' Why the long faces? Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan look awkward as they eat during their honeymoon on Monday

The couple were also seen at the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, where they took dozens of photographs, before Zuckerberg took his new wife for dinner at Pierluigi restaurant, an institution in the Eternal City since 1938.

Staff revealed the two dined out on a supper of prawns Catalan style, oysters and fish carpaccio, followed by lobster pasta and flame grilled fish washed down with a bottle of Chardonnay Gaia e Rei.

Unlike Nonna Betta, staff at Pierluigi were rather more reluctant to reveal the cost of their dinner but it was thought to be in excess of £120 - service not included - with a waiter saying: 'It was just the two of them.

'They were happy and content. They had an intimate and romantic dinner.'

The couple are thought to have arrived in Rome by private jet and stayed at the luxury five star Portrait suites hotel close to the Spanish Steps which is owned by the family of fashion designer Salvatore Ferragamo. Prices for the upmarket hotel starting at 800 euros a night.

Source: Mail Online