How We Met
We met through OkCupid in August of 2016. Yaju kind-of tricked me as she intentionally “undersold” herself on her profile. Then when she arrived on our date, I was in a state of aesthetic arrest (that is how strikingly beautiful I found her). In contrast, I posted my best pictures online and dressed for the date as I was going to the gym. I immediately knew I will have my work cut out for me. When, during the course of the date, Yaju told me that in addition to classical music and math she also loved reading Henry David Thoreau and listening to Folk Metal, I pretty much canceled my OkCupid subscription then and there (actually one week later). We also geeked-out on Jewish and Chinese cultures – similarities and differences – and got really excited about each other’s backgrounds. The date lasted a few hours and we first kissed on the steps of Washington Square Park in NYC. A magical night.
How They Asked
The background of our proposal is that Yaju and I have a game we play with our online friends called “Name That Tune”. The way it works is that I introduce Yaju – a classically trained pianist – to a tune she never heard before (usually rock songs) and then she has 15 minutes to learn it by ear and play it on the piano in one take (mistakes and all). Then our friends have to guess which song she played.
This time around I wanted to do something a little different. I needed to make sure that Yaju did not pay attention to the lyrics nor see the name of the song. It wasn’t easy. But somehow I pulled it off. And the rest is part of our family’s history.
What I really love about this video is the look on Yaju’s face when she begins to realize what is happening. I also love it when she says “Are we still in there?” at the end. The whole thing brings a smile to my face and a tear to my eye every-time I watch it. Even better, Yaju is pregnant with our second child in the video. Of course, we also want to thank Bruno Mars for writing and performing such a beautiful song.
Roi and Yaju also shared their experience using Lasting, a relationship counseling app, and how it has helped to strengthen their relationship. Read about their experience here.