yay!

i'm "yay-ing" for several reasons:

• rosie's back in the office (double yay!)
• i get to see my family this weekend
• i get to spend time with my nieces this weekend (! triple yay!)
• i think someone likes me  *blushes like a schoolgirl*
• i think i might like him back *winks like a woman*

missing rosie

You know those TV shows or movies about big wig execs who conquer Wall Street with a steely glance, but only because they're fully supported by a superhero assistant who basically knows their business (and their lives) like the backs of their 75-wpm-typing, coffee-fetching hands? (takes a deep breath)

Well it's like that. Except I'm not a big wig exec, I don't work on Wall Street, and I've not quite mastered (nor intend to master) the steely glance.

But Rosie is every bit the superhero assistant sans cape and tights.

She's efficient and smart and just all flavors of fabulous. She's been my assistant for almost two years, and I'm not sure what I would do without her. Meetings, messages, appointments, personal advice, friendship -- she does it all. Including the Friday morning latte and blueberry scone (it is now a ritual).

Rosie is out all this week and I'm missing her already...and it's only Tuesday! Mind you I don't think I've ever taken Rosie for granted, but this week has sure made me realize how much I rely on her.

So for those of you who have assistants, admins, a good friend, or just general good help and support -- let them know you appreciate them! And Rosie, if you read this, I appreciate you! I'm glad you're taking the time off, but I miss you, too! ;)

this is not a sports blog....really

Cause i'm not a sports fan much... really. But I did catch Game 7 of the NBA Finals tonight. I must say, I was a die-hard Lakers fan growing up, but tonight, I was rooting for the Celtics.

Why? Because Kobe Bryant is such a turn off.

I think that's all I'm going to say on this topic. But it was a good game!

xoxo,


bella

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soccer basics

Have you all been following the World Cup this year? I’ve tuned in to a few games – those that are during my waking hours in the West Coast. I have several soccer fanatic friends, so it’s almost impossible to avoid it.

So for those of you who want to know just enough to have an idea of what everyone’s talking about, here are a few soccer terms and basics:


• players: there are 22 players on the field, 10 + goalie per team


• Players other than the goalie cannot touch the ball with their hands (hence, “football” makes so much more sense than “soccer”)


• the Laws of the Game are the official rules for soccer


• football pitch: what they call the playing field


• A standard game has 2 rounds, each round 45 minutes long


• Kick-off: begins each period of play


• Goal-kick: Good. Awarded to a team if the opposing team allows the ball to leave the field of play by crossing the goal line without scoring a goal.


• Yellow (penalty) card: bad. This is a caution to the player that the ref is watching him/her. A player who gets this can continue playing, but beware! Can be issued for non-sportsman-like behavior, persistent infringement of the game rules, etc.


• Red (penalty) card: really bad. If a player gets this, he/she is removed from the game without any replacements. Violence, spitting, offensive language and gestures, or a second yellow card in one game are usual causes for a red card. Imagine if the goalie got a red card. Hmmm…


• FIFA World Cup: THE world championship of soccer/football. Members of FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) can compete in the World Cup. It is held every four years. 2010 World Cup is in South Africa (The finals will be on July 11).


So, dear readers, the next time your boyfriend/husband/best bud/boy next door/[insert other soccer fan here] talks to you about soccer, you at least have some insights as to what they're talking about!


xoxo,

Bella

one great love

Do you ever sometimes feel like things are over before they even begin?

In many ways he was my complete opposite.
He was athletic; I was bookish.
He learned to fly a plane; I’m afraid of heights.
He was a people-person; I preferred my small group of friends.

Yet in other ways, he was everything I didn’t even know I was looking for in a man.
He was ruggedly good-looking, with eyes that danced when he laughed. We shared the same tastes in food and music and generally had similar interests. He was warm and generous, intelligent and witty. (We were once talking about our favorite books and I was pleasantly surprised at his insights on Pride and Prejudice).

We used to spend hours sitting on the front porch just talking. When he held my hand for the first time, every molecule in me awoke.

I was in love with him.

Yet before anything could ever happen between us, I ended it. You see dear readers, there was one key thing that we didn’t share – our faith. My One Great Love, wasn’t his. I realized that everything between us would be meaningless if we didn’t hold fast to the same foundation. So as much as it pained me to, I walked away without ever telling him how I really felt about him. (That act was equivalent to tearing my heart out, throwing it on the ground, and stomping on it. By a sumo wrestler.)

That was many years ago; I’ve had relationships since then. (Okay just one serious one, if you want to be technical. But that’s another blog post).

I’m not in love with him anymore. I think about him now and then, saying a silent prayer.

But the aching stopped (ok I did feel a miniscule, almost negligible little pang in my heart when I found out he had a girlfriend). God has been faithful in healing and restoring my heart, and I know He will be faithful in bringing me my right love at the right time.

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” – 2 Cor 6:14 (NIV)
xoxo,

bella

Happy birthday to me!

It’s not really my birthday, but today I am born into the blogosphere. So happy birthday to me.

So where do I begin? I guess I should start with introductions.

My name is Bella. I am 30, single, and relatively well-adjusted (Yes, I am the middle of three girls. No, I don’t have the middle child syndrome). I grew up … everywhere. My dad was a businessman and his job took him to different parts of the world, sometimes for years at a time. Fortunately, he had the luxury of being able to take his family, so we moved when he moved (By the time I started grade school, I had lived in 3 countries, including my parents’ respective “motherlands”). My mum was a teacher by trade but made a career of being a stay-at-home mom, which she didn’t mind at all. Suffice it to say that my sisters and I had a happy childhood. We were never in want of attention or love, that’s for sure.

My family finally “settled” in California when I was in high school and I haven’t left since. We lived up and down the state, but I eventually chose to make the San Francisco Bay Area my home (I know it’s cliché, but I think it’s the weather that sold me). These days, I’m a self-confessed workaholic (I’m trying to change that, really I am!), a closet karaoke singer, a wannabe athlete, and the “bestest auntie in the world” (my nieces’ words, not mine).

Well my dear readers, that should suffice for our first meeting, don’t you think? Thanks for stopping by on my blog birthday. I hope to see you again sometime.

xoxo,

bella