We may be authors of romance fiction, but we happen to know a thing or two about real life love as well. And if you've been listening to our podcasts at all, well, you do too. Right? So today we are on a mission to help one hopeless romantic find his happily ever after. I'm Sarah Wendell.
I'm Alisha Rai. welcome to lovestruck daily where we bring a love story to your ears every single day.
I'm in love with that I'm in love with you have a dating app question? Yeah, what have you had to rank all of the dating platforms and apps? You've been on? What are your top
three? Okay, ever are like currently in use currently ever, ever, ever? I would say my top top one, I should say Bumble, because that's what I met Kai on. But it's not its hinge. hinge is probably one of my favorite apps. I feel like I met other I know I didn't meet my fiance on there. But I feel like I made good connections on there. And I liked that it wasn't a swiping app like you slide which is feels different. Not it because they they discovered that swiping makes you feel like it's a game, which I think is very true. So I do feel like I met more intentional people on there
is that the one that connects you through another form of social media. So it used
to be that way, when my when it was new, you would always be like friends of your Facebook friends. And it sort of lost that over the years, right?
It hinged on your family.
And I will say when my my cousin met his wife on there many, many years ago, when it was very new. And for their table settings. They had little hinges, which I thought was adorable. And I was like, Please let me meet someone. And so I can steal this idea. But I didn't I met some on Bumble, which I would say is my number two app. I like Bumble a lot. Because I feel like I could vet it very well. Oh, like because because the women respond first on Bumble or message first. And I felt like that and I could vet it even after I matched better. That's a very important feature. Yeah. And then I would say number three, I would say which I would hadn't used in years would have been OkCupid. That's the one of the originals, right. It's one of the original original. So it's like match.com and OkCupid. Were in a war for a long time. And I liked it because you could write paragraphs and paragraphs for your profile, oh wordy person. So I could like seduce people with my words, which is what I'm good at. And you can't do that so much on an app you get like, you get like 300 characters or something like that some very tiny. So I liked I liked that I could show more of a personality. And that's probably why I like hinge too, because they give you like other prompts in addition to your profile. So those are my top three, I would say I've done an exhaustive study of all of them. There was one app where you could see all the people that you'd come in contact with through the day. And I realized quickly that that's borderline stalking, and I had to get rid of that. That just gave
me the creeps so much. So
yeah, it was like you've you've crossed paths with this person four times today. And I was like, Well,
okay, but now, but now we call that contact tracing. I know it was contact I gave I gave the state of Maryland permission to contact trace me for COVID Not
for dating. Probably the same company. Probably
the same technology. Yep. Wow.
If you listen here, you may remember a few weeks ago, we performed our first love struck makeover on Amanda because we are all about helping people find love year. Yes. And today we're embarking on a similar journey with David Pham based out of Pittsburgh, who wants to figure out how he can set himself up for finding love. Please welcome David. David, thank you. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Thank you very much. We have no idea how excited we are about this. I
am equally as this is my first ever podcast. So like when this opportunity came up and I saw a subject that I wanted to be part of I jumped at it. Tell us a little bit about
your past dating history since you are here for a dating makeover.
I started dating really mid into college. I never did any dating in high school had my first serious relationship with in college that lasted three and a half years. It continued after college, but then we broke up shortly after that. And since then, I technically might consider myself had to have been in other relationships since then, but nothing that has last said that blank, or that intensity, I guess?
And how old are you?
I am 33 years old turning 34
Excellent age, perfect age for love, I think. And what do you what are you looking for? Like, what are you looking for in a person right now,
I've come to at this point in time, I've come to realize, like, I naturally would like to be in a relationship. And that can just be like, generally so kinda like for me, I don't need like a marriage. I don't need like a white picket fence house or something, but just like a general relationship, but I'm sharing really not that particular and my, what at least I don't think I am particular in that sense.
So when I was actively dating, I had like, a list in my notes, app. qualities that I was, I was like, you know, like really trying to drill down and usually it was like, a failed relationship that would add something. Do you have like, let's say, let's try to figure out like it maybe your top three like what are some qualities?
I guess a good way to approach this would be who I tend to attract. Because I just pure coincidence. Like, I've noticed, I tend to attract and enjoy dating people who are generally speaking all turn ative, okay, in a general sense, like, very left leaning, you know, just kind of like odd. It's like, I guess generally what you might just consider like, artsy, maybe, like, kind of like hipsterish you know, like, I enjoy dating those people. So in in a sense that I guess that's what I am kind of like going for from a physicality personality. Okay,
and are you Are you an artist? Or what? What do you do for a living?
I actually just switched careers. I am previously for the six plus years I worked in IT auditing, so definitely not art.
Very different from our Yeah. And maybe that's why
I like kind of like attracted to it. Because like, on a least from a day to day basis work is doing very boring work and whatnot. So like, I like that the other person has interests. Yeah, views,
it seems like you're very comfortable in yourself. Would you say that? Like you're you're comfortable in who you are. And as a person?
Yeah. Despite being a very shy person, initially, I'm not opposed to just laying it all out there. And I think that's comes from like years of just fine understanding of like, you know, I can't fit into every thing to a group or another person exactly how they want me. And the best I could do is just be myself.
So what are your What are your strategies that you're using right now to meet? Yeah,
what are your What are your methods of choice for trying to meet people?
I, you know, much like probably everyone in my generation did when it was a foray of like dating apps, I started with like, OKCupid, and jumped on Tinder. In the past year, I've come to really enjoy a hinge, and the type of people that have brought, and that's been my primary dating app most recently. And it has actually brought on the most luck, I guess, if you want to say, yeah, everything I've done, including just, you know, go into gatherings and whatnot.
Yeah, they always they always tell you that, right? Like, just do an interest and you'll meet somebody into that interest. But for me, my problem was always that like, I didn't know if somebody was hitting on me, or like trying to ask me out so that the security of online dating for me was like, okay, when we both show up to a place, I know why we're both there. And that makes like, that is a level of comfort. Know,
exactly. And like, I've been told the same thing. And even though I am like, like, I play a lot Ultimate Frisbee, so I'm like that in the Pittsburgh region where I'm at, like, that's a big group of people my age. I think I clear away from that from like, a couple of reasons. One, as you said, I can't tell their intentions. And I'm not like being me being shot myself. It's not like I go up, I was like, Hey, are you interested in doing so like, and, and usually, in those situations, a lot of my interests are actually like sports. And, and when I engage in a lot of those activities, I'm like, she's very focused. And I've been told by like, a lot of people like, I probably come off too serious. And maybe kind of like, asshole is because I'm just so focused and like, my demeanor and stuff, like, like, he's not thinking about dating. He's thinking about, like, getting the ball in their neck or something like that's another reason why I don't try to like, you know, try to date in my group. Well, then the other thing is, and I've seen too many example was like starting a relationship in a somewhat large group but then it not working out and then just creating a very toxic. Yeah after, you know, like aftermath. Yeah, what's that? So I don't want to be part of that.
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would you say that when you go out on a date, you're pretty focused on the person you're with?
Oh, definitely. Like put my phone away. I try to make as much eye contact as can lamp like do a good job on listening and trying to like gauge like, how they feel if they had show any interest, you know, and just kind of like suss out the situation.
Yeah, I think I think it's important. There's something to be said for like a focused person. So I think if you know, I know it's sometimes to your detriment and date someone in a game but if you're on a date, and you're focused on them, I think that's very important.
Yeah. No, I walking dates coffee, and sometimes like, you know, dinner lunch, whatever is usually my go to I prefer coffee.
Yeah, coffee is a good first date. I think I would you consider yourself like a romantic person.
Despite my top lists, five lists of favorite films, I still really considered myself a romance. In a traditional sense. Yeah. What's your topic? Believe it or not, my top five are number one Portrait of a Lady on fire. Okay to lala land. Okay, three. Not technically love but sideways. Yeah. For the Parent Trap. Lindsay Lohan. And number five, technically a technical favorite because was the first movie ever I saw in theaters was Jurassic Park.
Okay. All right. Sort of. Yeah. Okay. Um, yeah. I would say probably based on your other favorites that are not technical favorites, that you might be a romantic.
I guess I don't consider myself a romantic because like, someone I don't truly believe in like that one person in that whole universe. That is like me, for me. Like the your, your destiny. And like, I don't even need to get married. Like, I'm okay with marriage. But I don't even like didn't even even need it. Oh, yeah, you can.
In the romance genre. Like for romance novels, there's a distinction between happily ever after. And happily for now, like, those are the two endings that you can kind of go with. There's this idea of happily ever after. It has to mean marriage and kids and all this stuff, which I don't think it really does. But that's fine. And then happily, for now kind of grew out of like, well, you're just in love and happy at the end. And that's good, too. So they're both like, I think everything is valid, you know, I don't think I don't think the end game is necessarily as long as you're like, happy. I think that that's, you know, I think that's pretty romantic in itself.
Yeah. And like, I found a point, I was like, I think I started to have this love, like myself. And so it's accepting myself for the fact that, hey, you might not be ever cut out for this. And that's life. So if, at the end of the road, I am left with only myself, I'm okay with. Yeah,
I think that that's a big part is to sort of love and accept yourself and be happy with yourself do very important.
In addition to ultimate, what are your other activities
over the pandemic? I picked up a lot of Geriatric tennis, aka pickleball. So I've been doing that very actively, my friend and has been teaching me tennis. Besides that, I go to the movies like a lot, a lot, a lot more lately, I've come to realize, like, you know what, I should see more concerts. Besides that, you know, geeky side of me would be I do a very small infrequent like d&d session with my friend, like once a week and yeah, besides that, I guess, people might considered me a gamer, but I realized just play one game. I have been playing it for like seven plus years. So but it's World of Warcraft. No, no, no, no, it's even probably even more, GTO in the show is called Warframe. This is
excellent. Like, it's important to lead with the things that you love, no matter how nice you might think they are. Because I promise you you will either find somebody who loves them too, or you will find somebody who adores that you love something that niche so as it is, you know, you might think like, Oh, it's too geeky. I don't want to lead with that but like No, no, the More you drill down, I think the better it is.
Oh, yes, absolutely.
Can we do you mind if we like run through your dating app profile? Can we give you some constructive criticism? Yeah, no, definitely.
Definitely here,
here's what I would say. I think this photo of you at the coffee shop is so perfect. Like, it's adorable, I would put that as your first photo.
I'm surprised a lot of people like that photo. Because if you would hit the button to give you extra details, it will say that I got stood up for a date in that picture. That's what you're looking
for. That is a great story, though. And I love it. So I think you should make that your number one photo, I think it's so flattering, and you look really cute in it. And you have some good full body photos. That's always a great thing. Yeah, I would also say like, maybe like be a little bit more specific and what you're looking for,
yes. And you can say things like, I'm looking for someone to go to concerts in the movies with or I'm looking for somebody to talk about movies with
because I think I think it's always good to like bring your hobbies into it a little bit more and, and then it's a little bit more grounded instead of a little more like metaphysical which is not bad. Like you can always have that. But it's always nice to say like, this is what I like, and I want somebody they enjoy this with me. And I
agree with you. Because that's not the the side of seeking someone, I always have an easier time writing a message to someone who tells me an interest or rights and all that interest. So you have something tangible to like talk about.
Yeah, this is a great profile. It looks adorable. I love the coffee shop photo, and I love the story behind it. And I use 100% Make that your first photo. I think it's adorable.
Really well done.
David, I hope I hope this was helpful. And I hope maybe somebody knows somebody and I think it would be a great love connection. But either way, thank you so much for coming on the show.
Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity for being on here and just let me speak I and it doesn't even matter if it doesn't happen. I like I really just like this experience. And just like understanding I am getting a story person perspective of everything.
Oh, that was so cute. And I hope we can find David love.
If you are in western Pennsylvania and you know, have a good tea shop for David or you'd like to go to Florence and the Machine with us because we would love to connect you. Yeah. And he's got like, we've seen his profile. He's really cute. She's very cute. Yeah, he's
absolutely I use charming. He says he's not a romantic, but I think he's definitely super romantic. super romantic. Yeah. Sarah, what is your love to go for this episode?
Don't be afraid to be specific about what you want. Because the things that are specific to you help people identify whether or not they have something in common.
Yeah, yeah, you should never hide what makes you you. Like even if you think sure super nerdy, or the other person will get it or whatever. Just put it out there because you never know. Yeah, for sure. I agree. And we would love to know what you love. And if you would like to maybe you know, I don't know, talk to David, we would be happy to facilitate that. Oh, yes. Oh, and he's like cute. He's cute guys. So send us an email at lovestruck daily at frolic dot media or follow us or message us on Instagram or Twitter at lovestruck daily. And please especially go to our Instagram because we have like really cute photos and we might have some maybe photos of David that you could page through and check out and you know, you can maybe see if you're in Pennsylvania region that he's in think's gonna happen. And if at any point you enjoy our content, please leave us a review. The easiest way to support us is to leave us reviews and we will probably read them live because we get really excited by reviews.
Our researcher is Jesse Epstein. Our editor is Jen Jacobs. We are produced by Abigail steckler and little Scorpion studios with executive producer frolic media. This is an iHeartRadio podcast. We wish you a very happy matchmaking ever after I'm in love with you say to you I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you
