Latest news with #Hai
Sydney Morning Herald
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Love, loss and found family among America's lower working class
FICTION The Emperor of Gladness Ocean Vuong Jonathan Cape, $34.99 Ocean Vuong achieved fame as a poet before his acclaimed debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, andthere's creative continuity in follow-up The Emperor of Gladness. Previously examined motifs undergo complex transformations so that it reads like the literary equivalent of a musical variation. Autobiography is grist to the mill for Vuong. His mother fled Saigon for the US, via the Philippines, when he was an infant. He was raised in Connecticut among an extended family of Vietnamese refugees. He's also openly gay. These experiences inspire but do not define his creative fiction, and if the vaunted lyricism of a particular style of American dreaming marks the opening of The Emperor of Gladness – a flashy choric invocation of a dead-end Connecticut town, its ghosts inviting suicidal 19-year-old, Hai, to escape by jumping off a bridge – it isn't long before sublime cadence and melancholy grandeur yield to a different kind of song. An old woman spies the boy in the rain, and roundly tells him: 'You can't die in front of my house, okay?' This is Grazina – a force to be reckoned with, having survived Hitler and Stalin in Lithuania during WWII, and now in a battle to preserve her independence against the onset of dementia. Hai moves in as an unofficial carer, to keep her out of a nursing home. Grim doesn't begin to cover their living conditions; the house is decrepit and built on a toxic contamination site and Grazina can't afford to feed them. So Hai lands a job (courtesy of his cousin Sony, named after the television manufacturer) at a budget restaurant chain. As Hai's friendship with Grazina grows, he bathes her, comforts her when decades-old war trauma resurfaces, and engages in role-playing historical battles with her to manage her sundowning. He reads Slaughterhouse Five and The Brothers Karamazov from her dead husband's library and, alas, stumbles across an unused bottle of serious painkillers … dire news for someone recovering from opioid addiction. At work, Hai rocks up to every shift pinned to cope with the drudgery. Genuine camaraderie and unlikely dignity are found among the motley crew who work there, despite some extreme weirdness. Long-serving Maureen evades grief in conspiracist thinking – she believes lizard men control the world, she speaks like a drag queen, and she harbours a Star Wars obsession. Manager BJ conducts herself with an almost martial pride – giving inspirational speeches, slipping cake mix into the cornbread to make it more appealing, and training to achieve her dream of making it on the commercial wrestling stage. Dreams are thwarted in this place – except perhaps for Sony; his unaffected desires, whether in crafting origami penguins or in his encyclopedic knowledge of the American Civil War, throw into sharp relief the miseries inflicted on other characters by unattainable ones.
The Age
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Love, loss and found family among America's lower working class
FICTION The Emperor of Gladness Ocean Vuong Jonathan Cape, $34.99 Ocean Vuong achieved fame as a poet before his acclaimed debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, andthere's creative continuity in follow-up The Emperor of Gladness. Previously examined motifs undergo complex transformations so that it reads like the literary equivalent of a musical variation. Autobiography is grist to the mill for Vuong. His mother fled Saigon for the US, via the Philippines, when he was an infant. He was raised in Connecticut among an extended family of Vietnamese refugees. He's also openly gay. These experiences inspire but do not define his creative fiction, and if the vaunted lyricism of a particular style of American dreaming marks the opening of The Emperor of Gladness – a flashy choric invocation of a dead-end Connecticut town, its ghosts inviting suicidal 19-year-old, Hai, to escape by jumping off a bridge – it isn't long before sublime cadence and melancholy grandeur yield to a different kind of song. An old woman spies the boy in the rain, and roundly tells him: 'You can't die in front of my house, okay?' This is Grazina – a force to be reckoned with, having survived Hitler and Stalin in Lithuania during WWII, and now in a battle to preserve her independence against the onset of dementia. Hai moves in as an unofficial carer, to keep her out of a nursing home. Grim doesn't begin to cover their living conditions; the house is decrepit and built on a toxic contamination site and Grazina can't afford to feed them. So Hai lands a job (courtesy of his cousin Sony, named after the television manufacturer) at a budget restaurant chain. As Hai's friendship with Grazina grows, he bathes her, comforts her when decades-old war trauma resurfaces, and engages in role-playing historical battles with her to manage her sundowning. He reads Slaughterhouse Five and The Brothers Karamazov from her dead husband's library and, alas, stumbles across an unused bottle of serious painkillers … dire news for someone recovering from opioid addiction. At work, Hai rocks up to every shift pinned to cope with the drudgery. Genuine camaraderie and unlikely dignity are found among the motley crew who work there, despite some extreme weirdness. Long-serving Maureen evades grief in conspiracist thinking – she believes lizard men control the world, she speaks like a drag queen, and she harbours a Star Wars obsession. Manager BJ conducts herself with an almost martial pride – giving inspirational speeches, slipping cake mix into the cornbread to make it more appealing, and training to achieve her dream of making it on the commercial wrestling stage. Dreams are thwarted in this place – except perhaps for Sony; his unaffected desires, whether in crafting origami penguins or in his encyclopedic knowledge of the American Civil War, throw into sharp relief the miseries inflicted on other characters by unattainable ones.
Elle
30-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Elle
There's A Summer Trouser For Everyone - Here Are The 8 Styles To Shop Now
While we are eternal fans of the ubiquitous summer dress, separates forever hold a place in our hearts. But don't let AW dressing get all the mix-and-matching fun, in fact, summer trousers are a key part of your warm weather wardrobe. To be paired with white vests, Breton t-shirts and boyfriend-fit, button-up shirts, summer trousers can keep you cool and help you cover up, as not everyday has to be a pins out day. From Capri length to cargo style, here's our guide to the best fabrications and styles to try now - just add your favourite pair of summer flats and woven bag. Starting off simple, it's hard to go wrong with a pair of cotton poplin summer trousers. Look for styles that feature a drawstring waist and skim the top of your feet and pair with any summer flat shoe style - from ballet flats to boat shoes. Capris and pedal pushers are the trouser style of summer 2025, they best work with slingback heels and a slightly oversized shirt - it's giving Carrie Bradshaw. Linen trousers are a hot weather hero, and shouldn't be relegated to your holiday wardrobe. Add a linen shirt and fisherman sandals to wear during a heatwave at work - just make sure you have a steamer at home. Channel Rachel Green in a pair of Cargo trousers and flip flops with extra Millenial kudos if you add an anklet. Not one for the sweat-abundant amongst us, satin summer trousers are a slinky summer trouser option ideal for sipping sunset cocktails after a long day of lounging. Add a worn white t-shirt with a silver pendant for cool points. If looking polished while being comfy is your goal then look no further than a pair of silk trousers. Home of Hai's Lara style come with a co-ordinating shirt, which will further emphasise your part suit, part PJ feeling. Lean into this hybrid style of summer trousers, ideal for holiday or summer party dressing. We particularly love the skirt wrap styles from Paloma Wool which would pair well with a vest top and arm cuff. If it's above 25 degrees, we wouldn't recommend wearing denim at all, however, for those slightly brisker summer days, a pair of white or cream jeans paired with a peasant's blouse and gladiator sandal is truly chef's kiss. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
The Star
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
China twins, separated at 10 days, reunite at 17, become besties before discovering truth
A set of Chinese twins who were separated at 10 days old accidentally reunited at at the age of 17 and became best friends for a year before discovering the truth. - Photo: SCMP composite/ BEIJING: Twin sisters in China who were adopted by separate families at just 10 days old have been miraculously bound together by fate, becoming best friends at 17 before realising they are sisters. Zhang Guoxin and Hai Chao were given away by their parents, who could not afford to raise them. One of the conditions of the adoption was that the two families must be from the same city in northern China's Hebei province. They had been living separately without knowing of each other's existence until they reached the age of 17. The twin sisters look so alike that they can even fool teachers at their children's school parent meetings. - Photo: Handout Hai heard from a classmate at school that a shop assistant at a local clothing store looked exactly like her, so she went to check. She said the first time she saw Zhang's face, she immediately felt close to her. They discovered that they have the same birth date, they both almost died from illness at around 100 days old, and they had the same voice, the same hairstyle and the same taste in food. Hai said they became best friends and talked about everything. The pair were adopted by separate families in the same city shortly after being born. - Photo: Handout Both adoptive families knew they were twins but hid the truth from them, worrying that they might lose their daughters to their birth family. After 14 months as best friends, their families revealed that they were actually twin sisters. They then played rock-paper-scissors to decide who should be the elder sister. Zhang won, and their families later told them that the game of chance actually got it right. More coincidences followed. They bought flats in nearby compounds without discussing it beforehand. Both their children are 13 years old this year and were allocated to the same class at school. Hai said their kids also look alike. Sometimes only one goes to parent-teacher meetings, and the teacher cannot tell them apart. Now 37, the sisters run a social media account that has 62,000 followers. They recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their reunion and have not tracked down their birth family. 'Every day of the past two decades was full of happiness. I am grateful to have met you. Let's look forward to our next two decades,' they posted on their account. 'The world is big, but the earth is round. People who are destined to be together will eventually meet,' an online observer said. 'You missed each other's childhood, but you will spend the rest of your life happily together,' said another. - South China Morning Post
Hindustan Times
16-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Twins adopted by separate families become best friends then discover they're sisters
In a story that reads like fate's own script, twin sisters adopted by separate families in northern China unknowingly grew up just miles apart, only to become best friends at 17 and later discover they were actually siblings. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, Zhang Guoxin and Hai Chao were given up for adoption at just 10 days old by parents who couldn't afford to raise them. A condition of the adoption was that both girls had to be placed with families from the same city in Hebei province. Though raised separately with no knowledge of each other, destiny eventually brought them together. Also read: Indian-origin kid in Toronto makes special sketch for 'Priya Pradhan Mantri' as PM Modi begins his 3-nation visit Hai first heard from a classmate that a shop assistant in a local clothing store looked exactly like her. Curious, she went to see for herself. The moment she saw Zhang, she said she felt an instant connection. What followed were a series of striking similarities. The girls shared the same birth date, narrowly survived serious illness at around 100 days old, had identical voices, had the same hairstyle, and even shared the same taste in food. Hai said they quickly became inseparable. 'We became best friends and talked about everything,' she recalled. Despite both adoptive families being aware that the girls were twins, they chose to keep the truth hidden out of fear that the sisters might be taken back by their birth parents. It wasn't until 14 months after their friendship began that their families finally told them the truth: they were sisters. To settle who would be the elder sister, the two played rock-paper-scissors. Zhang won. Coincidentally, their families later confirmed she had indeed been born first. Even after discovering the truth, the coincidences kept coming. Without knowing the other's plans, both women bought flats in nearby residential complexes. Now 37 years old, they each have children, both 13 years old, who were unknowingly assigned to the same class at school. Hai shared that their children look so alike that teachers often can't tell them apart during parent-teacher meetings. 'Sometimes only one of us goes, and the teacher doesn't notice the difference,' she said. Today, the sisters manage a social media account with over 62,000 followers. They recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their emotional reunion. 'Every day of the past two decades was full of happiness. I am grateful to have met you. Let's look forward to our next two decades,' they wrote in a heartfelt post. Also read: 'Absolutely beautiful': Kyrgyzstan couple's Delhi vlog challenges stereotypes, wins internet
