Red Mango - Why Its My Favorite Place For Frozen Yogurt

    On July 28, 2012 I had the privilege to meet one of the most prestigious CEOs in the food and restaurant business, Dan Kim. Dan Kim is the founder, CEO, and president of the frozen yogurt chain Red Mango. Red Mango is located all across the country and has even recently hit India. The reason why I love red mango is because its frozen yogurt is low in calories and leaves you with a light and refreshing taste.Whenever my friends and I hang out, the first place I tell them to take me is Red Mango, where we spend hours sharing laughs and indulging on delicious yogurt. When I heard about Dan Kim’s appearance at Hicksville’s Red Mango opening, I begged my sister to take me. I realized only I would be business nerdy enough to visit CEOs but it was so worth it! Not only was Dan Kim so down to earth and humble to all the customers, but he was even nice enough to hand out gift cards. He took pictures with anyone who asked and even signed an autograph for me.

    Not only was Dan Kim nice during the grand opening, but he always takes time out of his day to appreciate his supporters. He gives them as much importance as he can by retweeting and following his fans on twitter, and liking their posts on Facebook. Dan Kim has definitely made my list of favorite businessmen! I wish him and red mango the best of luck for the future!

Also Mr. Kim can you hire me as your dancing red mango cup mascot? I think it has become my life goal to have a job as enthusiastic and fun as that! =)

Is There Such Thing as a True Friend?

  Someone who was going through a rough time with friendships and who thought I had my stuff together once asked me if there is such thing as a true friend. I honestly didn’t have a proper answer to that because no matter how much faith you have in humanity, in the end nobody’s perfect. After some thought I tried to come up with how I felt you should deal with people. I told her; always forget anyone that doesn’t treat you the way you should be treated. And by not treating you the way you should be treated I don’t mean forgot to text you or call you because those are little things you have to learn to look over. Fighting over stuff like that isn’t worth it because your friends will drop like flies if you do. I’m talking legit backstabbing which I’ve been through many times mostly in school which is why I tried to not get involved with peoples stuff too much. But that’s when you really have to step back and see how much you’re worth it and start to either confront people or distance yourself from them if you feel like they aren’t the kind of people that won’t change even with confronting. But in general don’t be too close to people that you feel don’t seem right. I talk to many people all around but the amount of friends that I can trust with my life can be counted on one hand. It’s really important to not burn too many bridges though, just distance. I’m not saying be fake but there’s nothing wrong with talking and laughing with someone but not telling them every detail of your life. A lot of people may think they know me but they really don’t AT ALL and that’s the way I like it because not too many people have information that can one day come back to haunt me. So the key facts in this paragraph are distance yourself from people who don’t treat you right without burning too many bridges. Always have fun with the people that are around you and ignore the haters. If someone really hates then it’s always good to confront with a stern face and dead eyes. Learn how to laugh everything else off and have a great time. You’re not the only one with this problem I feel the same way you do too. Surround yourself with love and support and show love and support. Respect everyone always. When someone disrespects you, show them even more respect. Because he or she is the person that needs to learn what respect is the most. Always stay classy.

Remember that Not Everything Can Be Explained

            This is the first time I’ve ever wished for a fight, because in that case I would’ve had an explanation. I’ve lost friends before, close ones and a few that were acquaintances. But this wasn’t any ordinary loss of a friend. This was the most avoidable one, because there was no reason behind it.

            There wasn’t a day when we didn’t speak to each other since the day we met. I had a good morning text every day, occasionally with the word beautiful at the end of it. Even though I was sort of used to seeing his name on my phone, the butterflies never ceased to jump around inside me. There were many disappointments, failures, and mistakes inflicted with his name, but it didn’t take more than one positive feature that made him worthy to be my best friend. I never gave up on him because even though there were reasons too, he never gave me a reason big enough. The potential of what he could accomplish was enormous and I was determined to get him to fully reach it even if it meant to bring mine down for a bit. He appreciated it, I know he did. It’s just sad that he gave up on me.

            I wish I could explain what happened, but honestly I don’t even know. The time we spent seeing each other’s face whether it was in person or through a tiny camera in my computer could never be returned. The stories and laughs we shared could never be untold. The moments we sat and felt each other’s pain could never be unfelt. But there could be a time when there wouldn't be any more moments lived together, stories told, laughs shared, and feelings felt. The phone calls stopped, the texts stopped, the video chats stopped, the friendship ended. As fast and unexpectedly it takes for a bomb to explode. It was as if he randomly dumped me on a stranded island with no form of transportation or communication towards him. Of course I still could get in contact with him if I wanted to, but it made no sense for me to make all the effort. The responses just stopped and I asked for an explanation once. One simple question that would give me inner peace even if it wasn’t something I wanted to hear, just because I would know why. But I didn’t get a response to that either. That was the last thing I ever said to him.

            I don’t know what his intentions were with everything. They could’ve been great as if he felt he was pulling me down and he wanted to stop before I gave up any serious opportunities, and giving an explanation would just lead to me defending him. They could’ve been as simple and awful as him getting bored and thinking that I didn’t deserve an explanation. But no matter how much I wonder, I will be as clueless as I started off as. 

You Don't Need Anybody That Doesn't Need You

A few years back when I was young and stupid (not that I’m any different now) I had a friend that I depended on 24/7. My mood depended on his mood. A certain thought of losing him would catch my mind every once in a while and I would receive a flow of shudders. It was an impossible thought.


We were in the middle of a conversation one day when I confronted him on the idea of him ever leaving. He found it no big deal and a possibility of the future while I sat there with adrenalin shooting from his reaction to my simple question. I told him I wouldn’t be able to handle him ever leaving and to wipe that idea from his mind. He gave me a puzzled look to that response and asked me what I meant.


I repeated, "If you ever left me as a friend I wouldn't be able to handle it."


He asked me, "Really? How would you handle it then?"


"I wouldn't be able to, duh," I confidently responded.


"Say I stopped talking to you tomorrow, what would you do?" He asked.


"Id call you."


"And if I didn't pick up?"


"I would call you again."


"Say I didn't pick up no matter how many times you called."


"I'd find a way to contact you and ask you what happened."


"And I didn't respond, I was gone forever."


"I would cry."


"And?"


"I would be upset."


"And?"


"I would wonder what happened."


"And?"


"And that's it! What else could I do?"


"Would you drop out of school?"


"No!"


"Would you stop talking to all of your friends?"


"Absolutely not."


"So that's it right? You'd be upset for a while and would cry a bit."


"Yeah I guess."


"Well there you go. You don't need me. You don't need anybody specific in your life. When someone leaves your life, let them. It only means there's someone better. Never beg anyone to stay in your life, because anybody you need is already there."

  As small as that conversation was. It opened my eyes. It made me realize if I could lose the person that meant the most to me at the time (which I eventually did) and still have breathe inside me, then I could lose anyone and it would eventually turn out okay. When you feel like you need someone in your life, take a step back and understand what real difference it would make. What do they provide you that you can't provide yourself? "When someone gives you more grief, than happiness...drop him/her. You're better without that person bringing you down, trust me." You need to receive the best in your life. Someone who seems like the best may not actually be the best. Don't be around a person just because you're not use to not being around them. Life is too short. Surround yourself with love, and share your love. Respect all and you'll eventually find the right group of people that deserve to be around you and that you can share your life with.

The Meaning of the Word 'Failure.'

A person can never be a failure. Failure is an adjective used 
to describe an event, never a person. Just like the word 
success. And we all have events that turn out to be failures 
in life. And those failures guide you to success. You can 
never have a success without your failures.

 "Success is not 
final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that 
counts." - Winston Churchill