How I Spend 30 Minutes in 10 Ways

It's Monday again... a new week full of promises ahead.

If there's one common thing all of us have, it would be time. Regardless of our social status, all of us are given 24 hours to spend, but of course the difference is that we spend it differently. That's the thing that makes us unique to each and everyone, don't you think? This week on Monday Listicles, we are asked to list down 10 Ways to Spend 30 Minutes, and of course, we do have our ways of spending it, and here are just 10 of the possible many more ways I spend 30 Minutes.

i am thankful i have a long zoom camera to capture bird pictures without disturbing it.

1) Tend the Garden.
My mom loves having lots of plants, but because she doesn't have enough time (during the weekdays) to check on her plants, it is my responsibility to take care of the plants and make sure the summer heat won't kill them. It is a responsibility I love to do, because whenever I see some flowers, or see some of the plants / trees bear fruits, or see butterflies (which is very rare) or moths or any kind of insects - crawling or flying... it gives me happiness. Of course, photographing the critters, fruits, and flowers ups the happiness level.

2) E-Mail Family and Friends.
We still don't have a router in the house, so us three siblings share the Internet cable, giving me less time to go to Yahoo! Messenger to chat with my friends. The only sure way of communicating with the people dear to me is through E-Mails, and surely, 30 minutes is more than enough to read and reply to several E-Mails.

as odd at it seems, i own two mary higgins clark book of the same title.

3) Read a Book.
Even then, I have longed to own an Android phone (I didn't really dreamt of owning an iPhone as I would rather use the money buying any Android phone plus a laptop or another camera than buy an iPhone) so I can start reading eBooks. Since I purchased my Android phone, I downloaded and installed an eBook reader and since then, I used my time to read books. I still do read the real books, but because the ones I borrowed from my uncle were all hardcovers, which can be difficult to carry because of its size and weight, having an eBook reader surely comes in handy. 30 minutes isn't enough to read one book (unless it's really short or unless you're Dr. Spencer Reid), but 30 minutes is enough for me to read a few chapters.

4) Tidy the Room.
I really, really hate to clean the room, and I am such a lazy person to do that... so the best way to ensure I won't spend the whole day cleaning the room because it already looks a freakin' jungle, I have to tidy up every now and then (though not everyday, haha). A little sweeping here, a little dusting and organizing there... and I'm done! :)


5) Exercise.
Yes, I do several exercises during the day, but most were video workouts under 30 minutes. I personally think it doesn't matter how long or how hard you exercise, as long as you do it. Just like how some people say, "It's better than doing nothing." Which reminds me... today I have to pick myself up again as I wasn't able to exercise last week. I already did one of the video workouts, I only have to do just one more.

6) Scribble Thoughts.
Despite having numerous blogs and other ways to share thoughts (twitter, instagram, facebook), I still have the good old fashioned notebook where I scribble thoughts and some things I am thankful for. These scribbles also include some quotable quotes I heard from a TV Show or Movie I just watched, or a book I am currently reading. Sure is nice to look back to the things I've written... seeing my own handwriting - no matter how horrible it was. :)

seaside burger with mayo-caper sauce

7) Prepare a Meal.
I can't whip up a feast in 30 minutes, but sometimes, it is enough for me to prepare something. I guess maximizing the time is the key to it - like for this meal, I had the fish fillet frying while I prepare the vegetables and the mayo-caper sauce, then frying the fries while assembling the sandwich. Let's eat!

8) Play Games.
On my phone, I have the "Fruit Ninja" and on Facebook I play "Candy Crush Saga." Both games don't require a lot of time to be played, as after a few minutes of playing "Fruit Ninja" can be enough, and "Candy Crush Saga" can only go for 5 lives, and since I am stuck at this level for a month now, I can use up the lives in just 5 minutes. :( Anyway, playing games can be a nice distraction, provided it doesn't eat your entire time.

picture from the archives - circa 2011

9) Paint the Nails.
I still am not a full-blown addict, but I admit having a mild case of nail polish addiction. I simply just love painting my nails! I guess painting my nails for more than a year has allowed me to learn how to do one full manicure in 30 minutes. Doing nail art requires more time than that, though... but because I am not that skillful yet, most I can do is to paint my nails in single color. Sometimes, I also paint my mom's and my sister's nails - giving me a time to talk to them, share thoughts, share some hearty laughs.

10) Have a "Me" Time.
We play several roles - a woman can be: a grandmother, a mother, an aunt, a cousin, a niece, a child, a worker, a friend.... the list goes on. It can overwhelm us, so we truly do need to have a time for ourselves - contemplate about things, even if it means sitting in the toilet and stare at the tiles (I have a friend in college who does that - she calls the bathroom her haven), or okay, under the shower or in the tub. As for me, my usual "me" time is upon waking up or while I eat my breakfast. It doesn't mean we should do something lavish to spend our own time, sometimes we just have to have that time to sit and relax, as what I heard in the movie "Eat, Pray, Love"... we can go for Dolce far Niente - delicious idleness, or the sweetness of doing nothing.

30 Minutes... 1800 Seconds. A lot can be done is such a short amount of time, and if you're good in multitasking, you can actually do more - like, while painting the nails you can have the TV on and watch something (while waiting for a coat of polish to dry)... or read a few pages off a book while you're simmering your dinner... or walk around the neighborhood listening to some tunes in your iPod or your cell phone.