graphic top; pair with tattered denim shorts from Cotton On. Booties, Aldo
There are 86,400 seconds, 1,440 minutes and 24 hours in a day. Quite a lot, don’t you think? But how much of those precious moments do we dedicate to ourselves—our “me” time?
We lead crazy, busy lives, full of demanding commitments. There is always something to be done, some place to be and someone to see. We often feel compelled to measure our success by the quantity and not the quality of things, spreading ourselves too thin and leaving us with barely any time for “me” time.
“Me” time is an escape to our own little islands, where we can recharge and refocus. It’s nothing more than putting our responsibilities aside for a while and treating ourselves to simple joys. We should never feel guilty about taking a breather; it’s something we genuinely deserve.
Javier Manlongat, LA Aguinaldo, Katrice Kierulf, Steph Ayson and Kara Gozali are student achievers. Their schedules are filled to the brim with schoolwork, extracurricular activities, social gatherings and many more.
But, even if they are swamped with commitments, they stay motivated to work harder because they manage to squeeze in a few rare moments for themselves.
“I usually surf the web and stay connected,” Enderun Colleges student Javier Manlongat says. “I get to relax and check updates on my family and friends.”
Breaking a sweat
“During my ‘me’ time, I spend it in the gym to break a sweat,” ultimate Frisbee player and De La Salle fresh graduate LA Aguinaldo says. “I also try to catch up with friends and family through social media.” With the ease of technology, he is never out of the loop.
University of Asia and the Pacific cheerleader Katrice Kierulf finds time for a relaxing massage when she’s not working out or training with her team. But apart from that, she enjoys
baking and spending time in the kitchen. “I really enjoy experimenting with recipes and designing brownies and cupcakes. But I find it more fun eating them,” Katrice says with a laugh.
“Perfect ‘me’ time is spent at home, relaxed on my bed, reading anything fashion-related from a magazine or off the Internet,” dancer and Ateneo student leader Steph Ayson says. An uninterrupted viewing of her favorite TV series “Grey’s Anatomy” or any of the Harry Potter films would also be an ideal way to take a break. “But it wouldn’t be complete ‘me’ time without a bunch of sweets,” Steph adds.
For model and University of Santo Tomas medical school student Kara Gozali, technology is a huge part of her life. “School requires an amount of research that needs to be accomplished in the fastest and most convenient way,” she says.
But also, technology fills up her ‘me’ time. “Whenever I have some extra minutes to spare, I take a breather by going online and checking out all my social networks,” Kara adds. When she’s in shoots, she uses her Instagram a lot and shares behind-the-scenes happenings, “Med school life can be really stressful,” she points out, “and going to shoots is like a welcome breather to me.” She even shows the staff a video on how they dissect a heart!