Smiles Mentorship Organization -- A World We Dare to Imagine (Part 3)

Our main mission is to provide less fortunate children with some type of mentorship, that will come with nothing but hope and smiles. We will achieve this by providing volunteered mentors to children all around the world. Mentors will help all children achieve their goals and dreams in any way possible.

I feel passionate about this organization because I truly feel that some children just need guidance in their lives. Many, not knowing better, from all around the world never see the opportunity on the other side. Many of this is due to the lack of information and guidance, and by providing some sense of mentorship, children all around the world can achieve great things in life. Mentors will approach these children with smiles and great attitudes, shedding positive vibes onto them.

Our organization is unique in a way that mentors will stick with the individual throughout their whole lives or if need be. Not only do we provide mentors, but all mentors volunteer their time and effort to better someone else’s life. Mentors will approach all children with smiles and positive thoughts. Many organizations efforts are only seen once or a couple times, then they move on to the next place in need, however our organization will always be present in one’s life.

I believe that AMDP should support our organization because it will ultimately better the world. Showing children at young ages what they can achieve will in turn make the world a better place. We will have more children striving to do better and greater things all around the world through our mentorship programs.

Making the World a Better Place

All the hard work us students put in, all the education we get from such a great school would be useless unless you were to give back to the community. When we pass on as people, the only thing that would continue to be present would be work you have done for society and those that you have helped. For example, if someone only focused on themselves and how to better themselves, and never focus on helping others, when you die nothing would be left behind. If one took time out of their day to day activities to try and help the world become a better place, you can die knowing that something that you have done or created will continue to live on.

Personally, I want to be able to implement the incredible education I got from USC and, not only provide for my future family, but also take time to give back to my community. I want to travel around the world encouraging children who come from less fortunate families that anything is possible no matter what financial state someone may be in. I think providing everyone a decent education all around the world, while providing any place that suffers with food depletion a sufficient amount of food and water. I would offer motivational and mentorship programs to all children around the world.

Making smiles the form of currency worldwide would be another way to make the world a better place. This will provoke happiness to everyone and would eliminate poverty. People would trade and provide services just to see a smile on ones face and know that they are making someone happy and then would get something else in return (food/services) just for giving a smile. :)

2nd Blue Sweater Post

After attending Stanford Business School, she revisits the place where she had started. She saw all the progress that has taken place since her loan services in Africa. She is confronted yet again, this time by an African American man, saying that she can't help because she is white, and that she doesn't truly understand. What I like about Jacqueline is that regardless of all the criticism she gets, she keeps moving forward with helping the poor. Throughout this book, Jacqueline never stops learning. She discovers and learns new ways in which she can help the unfortunate. She starts a fund, called the Acumen fund, which is to give grants to organizations, ultimately helping thousands of people. She thought this was far more effective than the services she was providing in Africa, because in this way she was helping a number of people as opposed to helping the one person she gives a loan to.

Jacqueline had learned a lot through her voyage. One thing that she learned, which also stuck on me, is that you can't help the poor because you feel bad, however you have to help them through knowledge of how the markets work, hard work, and dedication. I have never viewed the less fortunate as I do now, after reading this book. Jacqueline, taking her knowledge she had in business and finance, used it in the best way possible, to help the poor people of this world, which I found fascinating.

First post for the Blue Sweater

The Blue Sweater
I grew fascinated really quickly at the start of reading this book. I liked how a banker, Jacqueline, took her knowledge and skills she had in lending from Chase to try and make a difference in the world. Being a business student, I can connect to this book a lot. As business students, we are taught how to think logically, increase profits/decrease costs, and to do what the most reasonable thing is. This book, has made me look at business in a different light.

I find the idea interesting of how Jacqueline has started a non-profit lending bank, lending to low income women. Reading at how Jacqueline is selling these women to the board, telling others that they will pay back and that they are good for the loans had made me rethink the whole loaning industry. I feel as if low income and poor people actually repay loans and pay their debts more so than wealthy individuals. You always hear about the wealthy filing for bankruptcy, however the poor never do. I feel as if they like to keep their integrity more so than the rich.

Jacquline has had a tough time through her transition from a well paying Chase banking job to a job she took, knowing very little about the people and the place it entails. She had to go through many obstacles, facing those ridiculing her on her goal of changing women's roles in Rwanda. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book.

Chung King Road - Art Opening

My girlfriend and I went down to Chung King Road to check out the two galleries that were up. I typically really enjoyed seeing the "bong" inspired pieces. I couldn't believe how expensive these were. Some of those pieces had a marking of $215,000!

About Anything Blog

In addition to being an avid coffee drinker, I am also a big tea drinker. My roommate and I drink tea on a daily bases, usually at nights after our long days. Chamomile is my preferred tea to drink at nights before going to bed, with a little honey added, as it relaxes me. My roommate, Daniel, loves trying out different types of teas. He'll bring teas over he stumbles across for us to try. One of my favorite tea blends will always have a hint of mint. Mint is something that I love to smell and eat/drink. In addition to all the different types of teas, we also enjoy a type of tea that our culture enjoys, Sadaf.

Sadaf tea is a black tea with high caffeine. I usually drink this type of tea when I need to be up late studying. In our culture, being Armenian, it is a tradition to serve this type of tea along with Armenian coffee to guests during a gathering or after a dinner. Traditional Armenians will drink this tea with a type of sugar called Nabat. Nabat is a hard candy-like sugar that people will put in their mouths instead of in the tea, while drinking Sadaf. The "professionals" are able to keep the Nabat lasting through their whole cup, which amazes me.

Expert Article

Bullet Through Your Day

Changing the Way You Drink Your Coffee

Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Peets – if these places ring a bell, you are amongst the majority of people who have nothing but bland coffee. You wake up in the morning, drive to your preferred coffee joint for your first cup of joe. As noon rolls around, you may be feeling weary begging for that second cup. If this sounds like your typical morning, you’ve been drinking coffee wrong this entire time.

What if I were to tell you that drinking one cup of coffee a day would supply you with enough energy – not for just a couple hours – for the whole day. Would you believe me? A special coffee, known as the Bulletproof can achieve this. In this article, I am going to share with you the benefits of drinking coffee, what a Bulletproof is and its benefits, and how to make it.

Benefits of drinking coffee

In general, coffee can improve energy and in some cases make you smarter. While drinking coffee, caffeine travels to the brain blocking receptors that make you feel tired. Blocking these receptors trigger other neurons that improve “memory, mood, vigilance, energy levels, and reaction times,” making someone feel more focused and smarter (Gunnars).

Those who drink coffee have a lower chance of getting Type 2 Diabetes by 23-50%. A large amount of studies has been done confirming the benefits of caffeine toward diabetes, which is a worldwide problem. Caffeine also protects you from other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (memory loss) and Parkinson’s disease (shaking of the hands) (Gunnars). Coffee has a tendency to protect your liver by preventing a disease called cirrhosis, mainly caused by alcohol consumption. Someone drinking four cups of coffee a day can prevent cirrhosis by 65% (Rapaport). Coffee can provide all these benefits because of the abundance of antioxidants and vitamins it contains (Gunnars). Imagine making this super drink into an even more beneficial beverage by turning it into a Bulletproof Coffee.

What exactly is a Bulletproof Coffee

The Bulletproof, becoming more and more popular, was founded by Dave Asprey in Tibet. After much research, he introduced three fundamental ingredients needed for a Bulletproof: highest quality beans, unsalted grass-fed butter, and Brain Octane Oil. With these ingredients improving energy, focus, and health, athletes and top executives have adopted Bulletproof coffee in their morning routines (Asprey).

The most important ingredient according to Asprey is quality beans. He created the lowest toxin, highest performance coffee bean that would provide you with the “energy you need to perform” your daily tasks. Asprey’s main focus was providing a bean that did not have any form of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are a form of mold contamination seen in a majority of beans sold in the U.S. (Asprey). Since coffee beans are essentially raw when picked, having these beans sit in large canisters before being roasted may result in mold. However, during harvesting of beans, very high temperatures will kill up to 90% of mycotoxins. In addition, caffeine is an inhibitor to mycotoxins, lowering chemical reactions that form these types of fungus (RoastyCoffee). So, it is not necessary to spend a fortune on Asprey’s special beans. In my opinion, you should not worry about what kind of high quality beans to use to make your Bulletproof Coffee, especially if the beans are high in caffeine.

Cream, on the other hand, is known to have harmful casein protein, hence the substitution for unsalted grass-fed butter. Grass-fed butter is also known to have all the same health benefits seen in milk fat. Therefore, supplying your body with healthy fats first thing in the morning is a great way to boost your day (Asprey). Using grass-fed butter will provide you with healthy omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, including antioxidants, which are not seen in commercial livestock (Fetters). This is why it is important to use grass-fed as opposed to non-grass-fed butter in your Bulletproof Coffee.

Brain Octane Oil is a “purified form of medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil.” In simple words, this is an oil extracted from coconut oil. MCT oil is seen to improve brain function, while providing a prolonged abundance of fast energy without a crash. MCT contains C-8 carbon trails, which are little molecules that fuel your brain quickly (Asprey). They require very little energy and enzymes to digest providing quick cognitive focus with a metabolism boost. With continuous use, Brain Octane Oil has also been tested to help with weight loss over time by replacing breakfast with it (Fetters).

With all this said, the special ingredient in a Bulletproof Coffee that provides prolonged energy throughout the day is the Brain Octane Oil. It is this oil that provides cognitive focus by its little energy needed for metabolism. Brain Octane Oil working along with healthy fats acquired through grass-fed butter will provide you with quick prolonged energy first thing in the morning without a crash throughout the day.

How to Make It

Now that you know how beneficial Coffee is as well as the benefits of a Bulletproof, let us learn how to transform your simple black coffee.

To make a Bulletproof Coffee you will need the following measurements of ingredients:

• 1 cup of freshly brewed coffee
• 1-2 tablespoons of unsalted grass-fed butter
• 1-2 tablespoons of Brain Octane Oil

Remember to use cold filtered water when brewing your coffee, and don’t forget to use high caffeinated, high quality beans to eliminate traces of mold contamination. After you have brewed your water through your beans, add 1-2 tablespoons of unsalted grass-fed butter. Don’t mistakenly buy salted butter at the store; a salted coffee will not taste too good. Also, remember to purchase a grass-fed butter to start your morning off with healthy fats that you won’t get from commercial cows fed with grain. Lastly, mix in the Brain Octane Oil, the vital ingredient to giving you prolonged energy throughout your day.

The morning after you’ve read this, I want you to give this a try. I promise, you will feel the most energized and focused in any morning you’ve had. Replace your hormone infested eggs, “carbed” bread, and bland, black coffee with this delicious, healthy fatted Bulletproof Coffee.

Works Cited

Asprey, Dave. “Recipe: How to Make Bulletproof Coffee … And Make Your Morning

Bulletproof.” Bulletproof. https://blog.bulletproof.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-

bulletproof-and-your-morning-too/. 27 September 2016.

Fetters, K. Aleisha. “Is Adding Butter to Your Coffee Actually Good For You?”

Women’sHealth. 24 January 2014. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/bulletproof-

coffee. 27 September 2016.

Gunnars, Kris. “13 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science.” AuthorityNutrition.

https://authoritynutrition.com/top-13-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coffee/. 27

September 2016.

Rapaport, Lisa. “Drinking more coffee may undo liver damage from booze.” Reuters.18

February 2016. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coffee-liver-cirrhosis-

idUSKCN0VR2JN. 27 September 2016.

RoastyCoffee. “The Truth About Mycotoxins in Coffee.” Roasty. http://www.roastycoffee.com/

the-truth-about-mycotoxins-in-coffee/. 27 September 2016.