TGIF (8): Those Things I Do

TGIF at GReads is a feature by the fabulous Ginger, who asks us a fun question to answer every week. It's always a joy to be a part of this, and I think everyone certainly should try it out!

What occupies your time when your nose isn't stuck in a book?

I love participating in TGIF, hosted by Ginger, because I love answering the question she poses.  This one's a particularly good one and I can't wait to read everyone's answers, as I'm sure they'll be tailor fit to each individual's personality.

Anyway, when I'm not reading (which is very rare, considering I usually carry a book, my iPad or my Kindle around with me everywhere), I can be found doing one of the following things:

Working

I work as a production assistant for a company that manufactures children's accessories.  The office is located in mid-Manhattan, which means that, apart from the hours in the office, I spend a couple of hours commuting between New Jersey and New York everyday.

Traveling

One of my greatest passions in life is traveling. I love exploring new places or revisiting old familiar ones.  This year, I've been given the chance to do a lot of both - I revisited Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia and Orlando and I went to Miami with my friends.  My travel plans in the near future include Ohio for Christmas and the Philippines sometime next year.

Blogging

I don't just blog over here about bookish things.  I also keep a personal blog called With Love, Alexa where I blog about what's happening in my life to keep my loved ones updated.  I also have Twix and Oreos, a Tumblr site dedicated to things that inspire me, and Love Letters, a Tumblr site that I made for things I post for my boyfriend.  I also have plans in the works for a couple more sites in the near future.

Writing

I've been making attempts to be more regular when it comes to writing. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.  Either way,  I still find writing to be a therapeutic, necessary activity for me.

Eating

I love eating.  I discovered some time last year that I enjoy food - and it's been fun for me hitting up different places to try out their food. Some of my favorite haunts are Serendipity, the Plaza, Dallas BBQ and, a fairly recent addition, Cafe Un Deux Trois.

Spending quality time with friends and family

I love spending time with the people I love.  This can mean anything from a lazy day in my pajamas with the dog, running errands with the family, exploring the City with my best friends, Skype conversations with people I miss dearly in the Philippines or attending special events.  This takes up a lot of my time.

Spending quality time with God

I like sitting down to journal or to pray.  It's always refreshing for me to be able to spend some time with Him and dialogue.  It brings me a lot of serenity and calm; I always feel empowered afterwards.

There are a few more things that I can be found doing on occasion, like watching movies, listening to music, shopping, watching Broadway shows and organizing my room.  But since those are activities that happen only every so often, I didn't see the need to highlight them.

What about you - what do you do when you're not reading?

Reviews:
The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett (an official stop on the Geek Girl Blog Tour!)
The Season by Sarah MacLean

Features:
Words from Books (9): The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
Top Ten Tuesday (9): Authors I'd Invite to Thanksgiving Dinner
Happy Thanksgiving: A Gratitude Post