Armins blog: Getting creative with your days

24 hours in a day. 168 hours in a week. Average of 8 hours of sleep per day. 56 per week. How are you spending the rest of 112 hours?

It's not much, but enough to find time for studies, friends, and yourself. Although we are not allowed to leave home except for essential purposes, there are many ways to spend our time. Be creative with our 112 hours!

And let's be honest, all we really need are music, food, inspiration and animals. Explore my creative ways of experiencing these 4 essentials below.

Music

Do you know what is the longest-running annual international televised music competition? Of course, it's the Eurovision Song Contest (since 1956). As far as I know, not so popular in the UK, but a really huge deal in the rest of Europe. Artists like ABBA and Celine Dione have competed in Eurovision in the past, so it might be worth checking out. Besides, Netflix made a movie about it, starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams (they filmed a part of it in Scotland).

The competition was cancelled last year due to COVID-19, but this year, hopefully, it will be held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The best part about this, countries have already started to reveal their entries for this year. Head to the Eurovision Youtube channel to catch up on this or previous years.

Food

Who doesn't love food? Did you know there is a cheaper alternative to takeaways? It is called "cook it yourself". But for real, it's not so hard and, besides, we somehow have to spend these 112 hours. Open a recipe book, a website or TikTok; honestly, the picture you see here is a recipe we tried from TikTok. Personally, I spend a lot of time cooking.

Inspiration

Where to find motivation and inspiration for studies in the lockdown? Each of us has different and many approaches to this. One of my favourites is TEDx talks - you can find them literally about everything. Did you know TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design? In reality, it is much more than that; they are ideas worth spreading. We have our own TEDx events, organised by the TEDx University of Glasgow (explore: tedxuniversityofglasgow.com). This year's annual conference "DISTORTION" will take place on the 6th of March. Get your ticket, join from your living room, car, kitchen, park or wherever you are, and hear from speakers that have done extraordinary things.

Animals

Are you a dog or a cat person? The Big Question. But what if I'm a penguin person? Or a fish, a panda person? Even if you don't have it at home, there are places where you can see them; for example, live cameras in the wild or in the zoo. Check out Edinburgh's Zoo website to find out more.

These are just a few of the ideas about how to spend your time in lockdown - at least the ones I use. I hope it gave you an insight into my everyday life, and you can take something away. If you enjoy reading my blogs, you are more than welcome to Armins World. It is a blog about student life in Glasgow, Scotland, films, TV and travelling.

Hopefully, we will be able to return to university, shops and social life soon, but in the meantime, stay home and stay safe. Remember, if you want a chat, text me on Instagram or reach out in an email. See you soon on my next blog.