Eske ou ka ede nou, souple?

Bonjou!

For the past several weeks, I’ve been learning Haitian Creole (just the basics, at least) in preparation for a trip that a group of my church-mates and I are going on.

We will be in Haiti for one week in November, building houses and cooking meals in conjunction with Grace International Inc. (Other than having an awesome name), Grace International is doing some amazing things for the local Haitian tent communities. [See their own WordPress HERE]

Good stuff.

It’s been fun reading through the Creole textbook on my commutes to/from work, and this morning, I got to share a little bit of what I know with my friends. I think they’re even more excited about learning than I am!

She's a faster learner than I am.

If any of you are interested in supporting Grace International, me, and my group of friends on our Haiti relief mission, just let me know! We are having an art/media show and silent auction called Impressions on 10/10/10 at Grieco Elementary School to raise funds for the house builds.

And between now and November, if you want to buy a personalized photo comic from me ($15 $20 per comic), I will be donating 100% of the funds raised for Haiti. You can either comment below to “hire” me, or shoot me an e-mail: whang.grace@gmail.com.

Thanks everyone! And 0revwa!

Resemblance?

I know people have said that my sister and I look identical…

…and I just don’t see it. But when it comes to my parents, I sometimes wonder who people think I resemble the most.

I occasionally video chat my parents who are back home in Maryland. Tonight, I asked them to put on an expression that they do often and I did my best to imitate them.

What do you think? Am I more like Mom?

Or Dad?

Hmm…

I wish she was a little bit taller, too…

Thank you to everyone who commented in!

To the following people, please e-mail me (whang.grace@gmail.com) with your High Res photos and I will write you back with a survey I’d like you to fill out! First come, first serve, so the faster you send me, the faster you go online! Yay:

1. Bob A.
2. Inkgwen
3. Jonny L.
4. Scotty D.
5. Connie L.
6. Grace H.
7. Lauren H.
8. John Y.
9. Dante S.
10. Grace L.
11. Tina M.
12. Dennis Y.
13. Paul A.
14. Greg K.
15. Stephanie K.
16. Tina C.
17. Steven T.
18. Jen S.
19. Rita S.
20. Eric J.

Thanks for reading, and look forward to your comics!

2000

Holy moley. 2000 hits in less than 2 months. Craziness!

So yes…thank you so much to everyone who’s taken the time to read my silly rants and enjoy my bubbly little comics.

And as a way to literally thank you, the readers, I’m offering the first 20 people who comment on this post a free personalized Photo Comic (like the one below)!

I will upload one of the 20 photo comics every Friday for the next several months, and also post a feature of that person in my blog.

My Inner Me is Ticklish.

If you get picked, all you have to do is:

1) Send me a clear, HQ photo of you in a pose that I can work with.

2) Fill out a short questionnaire (that I’ll be e-mailing out to you).

& 3) Wait for your photo comic to show up in your inbox and on WordPress.

Yay!

(Oh, and if I could ask a favor of the winners…when you do get your photo comic, could you please post the link to your featured blog entry on your Facebook/Twitter/Blog? Word of mouth is the best form of advertisement, and if any of your friends want their own personalized Photo Comic, I can make them their very own to purchase.)

Thanks for reading my blog, good peoples of the Webernet! And stay tuned for the next month: ISA in NYC, Miami, Shanghai, Seoul and more! Craziness!

Rock Climbing

I did something new today!

Rock climbing was very fun (thank you to the Liaw’s for inviting us out). The change of pace was refreshing and exciting.

And now that everything is over, my hands are super numb…typing is twice as hard as it should be. Even drawing today’s comic was difficult. But this is a numbness of victory. Mwahahaha!

Rock climbing is by no means easy. It pushes muscles in your arms that you didn’t even know you had. When you happen to slip and lose your grip, re-trying the same climb increases in difficulty as your energy depletes. Sweat pours down your face, your arms shake, and every nerve in your fingertips screams in pain.

But…the victory of touching the top of the climb creates a feeling of addicting satisfaction that surpasses any pain.

I had a particularly difficult time with one climb. I made it almost to the top, but no matter how many times I tried and tried, no matter how many times I forced my body to push past its limits, I just couldn’t get my arm to reach the final rock above my head.

The first time around, after my arms had given up, I also gave up. And when I was lowered to the bottom I was fuming in defeat.

But with the encouragement of my friends, I went to take the climb one more time. This go round, my friends and the experienced climber that both coached and monitored me shouted out directions and advice from their perspective. The second time was physically just as difficult as the first, if not more due to my fatigue.

But my friends did not let me give up. (Literally, my friend Suah yelled from below: “Don’t you dare give up. You HAVE to get up there. Don’t come down until you touch the top!”) Even though I wanted to get to the top quickly, I had to relax occasionally and take a break. I asked my coach for tips from below. And with one final burst of strength (and a little bit of help from the coach pulling my harness) I reached the top and touched the “X” that marked my goal.

I was drenched and in pain, but I had a huge grin on my face. It was so sweet.

A Book With A Cliffhanger

On my way home, I began to make associations between rock climbing and life.

Far, far above my head, there’s a goal that I am seeking to take hold of. On my own, I cannot reach that goal…it’s too high up and I am too short. But if I start climbing, I can go one step at a time to make my way closer and closer to my goal.

The climb is difficult and tiring, especially when you want to reach the top. And it requires many tries and there will always be failures. Mistakes can be painful and tiring, and giving up seems like the most viable option at hand. But with the help of friends to encourage you, experienced coaches/mentors to guide you (and give you an occasional push), and your own desire to make it to the top…

…you can make it to the top and enjoy the view from above.

Lord, be my coach and guide to the top of my personal mountain. Though the journey will be rough, I know You will show me the way to reach victory.

Fayce.

Hmmm…I think I know why my face still looks like a little kid’s.

After I took a nap today, I woke up and realized that I had been sleeping on my face. Like, face down, flat against my pillow.

I do this quite often, and I think it actually just makes my face flatter and kinda puffy.

This is my favorite sleeping position: Face-first-in-pillow.

Maybe I’ll try sleeping on my back tonight…see if anything changes.

D-0 :)

It has been done!

690 points, 88th Percentile!

That's...good, right?

I’m kind of clueless about GMAT scoring, but according to the sites I perused, the scores are on par with the competitive scores for the business schools I’m applying to. WHOO! PTL!

Now. I sleep. ❤

D-1

Tomorrow’s the Day!

I feel more at peace now…than I unfortunately did during the past couple of weeks.

I’ve been suffering from a huge lack of faith in God’s will for my life. It makes me sad to even read back on my blog and see how much I’ve been complaining about my GMATs. I’ve been obviously trying to do things on my own instead of trusting Him.

And simultaneously, I have been belittling the abilities that He has already gifted me with by wishing I was smarter and more able to do things on my own.

After an extremely difficult day at work today, I had managed to hurt myself, develop an ulcer, and completely lose my appetite…even after having not eaten all day. When I left the office, I felt an overwhelming need to just read tomorrow’s QT verse a little bit early.

Boy, was I glad that I did. (My notes are in orange.)

Psalm 25

1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

I know Satan wants me to crash and burn, and has been putting these doubts and fears of shame and failure in my mind. Lord, I put my trust in You. Don’t let my enemy triumph over me.

3 No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.

4 Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;

5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

Guide my paths, Lord…because I have no idea where I am going. I just know You have put a dream to go to business school in my heart. Show me where You want me to go.

6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.

Lord, please don’t even remember the foolishness and rebellion I’ve been showing the past few weeks. I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. Lord, please look on me with love…not because I deserve it, but because You are good. Have mercy on me during my exam.

. . .

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.

18 Look upon my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.

19 See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!

The past few months seem to have increased my troubles and my stress. But even during times when I do feel alone and afflicted, I do know that You see me.

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.

My hope is in You, alone, Daddy. I can’t do this on my own, but You have equipped me with what I need to succeed. Have mercy on my tomorrow, and protect me from any harm that my come my way. Amen!

Time to sleep! Good night! FIGHTING! And please pray that I kill these GMATs!!! Thanks!

Even if there wasn't a penguin on my head, sleep is probably a good idea...

What Was *That*?

I was walking to work today, when I heard a strange sound.

It was louder than an ambulance siren and it resembled the sound a rushing waterfall or really intense static noise.

I have absolutely no idea what it was or where it came from. No one did.

But I am insanely curious.

Do you know what it could have been?

Bubbles (D-3)

Work has been pretty stressful lately…

Pile on top of that, the fact that I’ve been studying every night past midnight for my GMATs and you’ve got yourself one burnt out girl.

(On an additional note, lately I’ve completely lost my appetite…even coffee doesn’t appeal to me, anymore! Not eating may be great for dieting, but it’s really bad for your health.)

On my way home from jogging, I stopped by the local Rite Aid to grab some cereal. As I made my way to the checkout, a bright pink bottle caught my eye.

Aw, snap. It was Mr. Bubble.

Sure, there were nicer, more aromatic brands of bubbles baths out there, but when I unscrewed the cap and tool a whiff, I had a Calgon-Take-Me-Away-Moment as childhood memories came flooding in.

Naturally, I bought the thing (and ignored the look I got from the cashier who saw my random combo of Honey Bunches of Oats and Mr. Bubble (Original scented, of course)).

Whoops. Didn't see you there.

::Sniffs arm:: And now I smell like Mr. Bubble. Which makes me super happy.

Time to hit the books again. Wish me luck!