In 2019, Ze had just moved to Oakland to be closer to work. As he was looking for opportunities to make new friends in the East Bay, he stumbled upon a dumpling-making party hosted by Tammy and her friends on Facebook. While Ze and Tammy barely spoke a word to each other that night, their friendship blossomed as they began developing mutual friendships and started organizing some of these monthly dumpling-making parties together. Tammy likes to refer to the first evening they hung out one on one as their “unofficial first date”. Boba in hand, Berkeley’s campanile in the background, they could’ve talked all night. For an introvert (Tammy) and an early-bird with an early bed-time (Ze), this came as a surprise to both of them. In a single, completely absorbing conversation, Ze and Tammy started wondering if this friendship could be something more. Ze likes to joke that he made an excuse to leave early that night just to avoid falling for Tammy too quickly! Four years and many beautiful moments later, their love for each other continues to overcome, nurture, and empower. Their love for family and friends continues to connect them. Their love for driving positive change in the world and for the people around them ties them together. And their love for food and boba will always bring them joy.

On a chilly, foggy, and in all ways characteristically Bay Area evening, just before Ze and Tammy started officially dating, Ze invited Tammy over for a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. Ze and Tammy love to reminisce and laugh about this night because Ze had ladled a large (Tammy would like to butt in and say abnormally large) bowl of soup for Tammy, and despite being full to bursting, Tammy forced herself to finish all of it (maybe because she just wanted to be polite or maybe because she was head over heels for Ze already). Upon finishing their soup, they grabbed blankets and headed out to a small bench in the Oakland Hills - right outside of the house Ze was renting a room in at the time (this neighborhood and this little outlook is still one of Ze and Tammy’s favorite places in the world). As they watched the fog roll over San Francisco, they talked about many things…but Tammy vividly remembers Ze mentioning that he loved the idea of being proposed to one day. That night, Tammy made a little mental note that she never thought she would get to use. Close to 3 years later, on an otherwise uneventful day in the summer of 2022, Ze and Tammy were relaxing in their living room. Tammy was mindless fiddling with a little piece of tin foil - crumpling it and twisting it until it became a tiny ring. Tammy, thinking this was adorable, playfully, shyly, got down on one knee and asked Ze if he would marry her. Ze, beyond excited, asked if they should marry each other for real. Ze quickly started planning an engagement trip and on their 3rd anniversary (the anniversary of the first time they held hands AND as Tammy likes to say, the anniversary of the day Tammy’s charisma overpowered Ze’s resolve in playing hard to get), Ze and Tammy officially proposed to each other. Joined by their families and a few close friends, both Ze and Tammy planned surprise proposals for each other on the beautiful Big Island of Hawai'i. Ze proposed to Tammy in a stunning tropical botanical garden with a ring they had designed together. Tammy proposed to Ze by sending him on a Survivor-inspired scavenger hunt. Spoiler alert - they both said yes!