Abigail’s Blog

Only a few more hours ’till I leave for the airport for my flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica. The guys and I decided to hang out at the bar and have a few drinks before we hit the sack and get a few hours of zzz’s. "A few drinks" turned out to be quite more than what we planned. Now I’m still wide awake and can’t wait to head out for the airport.

I figured I could kill time by going online, checking a few emails, double-checking to make sure I’ve got everything packed (a minor case of OCD… lol), and if all else fails - read a book or turn on the tv.  Although, I should try to really get some sleep since the car service pick up is at 4:45 am (flight’s at 7:30 am).

In less than 12 hours, I will be in sunny Jamaica. Can’t wait to get out of this cold weather, even for just a week. I’m looking forward to some sun, fun  and relaxation (a little bit of partying won’t hurt either!).

I was just getting ready to see my friends for our Christmas dinner and Secret Santa exchange when I received the call that my grandfather has passed away. That was Friday afternoon….

When I received the news, my first thoughts were of my father. He was my Lolo’s favorite son, out of the ten boys - the closest one to him. When I spoke to him, he didn’t sound too upset except for the one brief moment where he cried. But that’s always like my Papa - the rock of the family, the one they all rely on (sometimes a little too much, in my opinion). It’s times like these that I wish I was there to comfort him. He’s always being strong for everyone else, who’s there to be strong for him?

Although my relationship with my grandfather wasn’t that great,  I still feel deeply saddened. Growing up, I always had that sense of resentment towards him. His relationship with my brother and I weren’t the same as that of our other cousins. Nevertheless, we were still always around him as kids and he is still my Lolo. I still remember playing house with the cousins at the "bahay-kubo" that was in front of our grandparents’ house, I still remember spending Christmas day at their house and meeting up with the rest of the Sanchez cousins. Inspite of the type of relationship I had with him, he is still my Lolo and my prayers are with him. Rest In Peace, Lo…..

Dec. 23, 2005 - last day at work for this year. Once I log off from work in a few hours, I’m officially on vacation for 2 weeks. Woohoo! My mindset isn’t even on work anymore. Thank god I’ve finished what I have to do in preparation for being off. Now I’m just killing time, and waiting ’till I can finally leave. Hopefully no major crisis will arise at work between now and then.

I have a Christmas Dinner tonight with my friends to look forward to. We get to exchange our Secret Santa gifts tonight. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day usually feels like one long day to me. I have Christmas Eve dinner with family and friends. I stay up all night with the family and wait ’till midnight to open the presents (still like a child huh?). Christmas Day is pretty much a continuation of the night before since I usually make my rounds with friends, dropping off presents.

At least, I still have a few days after Christmas to recuperate, pack and get ready for my trip to Jamaica where I will celebrate New Year’s Eve with my friends.

Merry Christmas everyone!

For so many years, Christmas Eve dinner has always been catered since I’m usually working that day, or the night before. This year, I’ve decided to cook Christmas Eve dinner. I figured, since it falls on a Saturday, I have the whole day to prepare and cook (granted I have a dinner and a party to attend the night before). Crazy as it may sound, I’m actually looking forward to preparing and cooking dinner – I have about 6 dishes and 2 desserts planned. You would think I’m feeding the whole neighborhood.

But what really moves me this time of year is the gift of giving. Every year, I give Christmas gifts to 3 of my mom’s patients (she’s a children’s Psychiatric Nurse in NY). Some of these kids have abused background, psych problems are drugs-related, etc. I also donate Christmas gifts to my company’s Cherub Foundation (mostly kids with degenerative diseases and are from an under-privileged family). As I mentioned in one of my earlier postings, I am planning to do a charity when I go back to Cebu for a visit. One of my co-workers just came back from Colombia and also did a charity. With his charity, he was able to feed 50 families in one of the poor towns of Baranquilla, Colombia. Because of this, I have been inspired to follow through with my charity plans for my visit in Cebu. Although I haven’t quite decided what the cause or who would benefit from the charity, I have a few options to choose from. I am so glad I have friends and family in Cebu who are helping me out with this, by checking things out for me.

Besides that, Christmas is just around the corner and I can’t wait. I’m such a little kid when it comes to celebrating Christmas. I love the holiday festivities – Christmas carols, overflow of gifts under the Christmas tree, opening of presents, Christmas parties, Christmas dinners, office Christmas gatherings…. I love them all. Hell, I even enjoy the shopping. Well, maybe not so much the shopping (Christmas mall crowds do get on my nerves, and don’t get me started on the parking!) But it’s all worth it on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. “Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light……”