Don’t you agree that we are all responsible for painting the canvas of our own lives? What we choose to put on our life canvas is entirely up to us, and the choices we make all contribute to a constantly evolving picture.
So instead of walking around unaware or with a false sense of security that “HIV/AIDS will never happen to me”, why not make a stand to stay HIV-negative?
I care because I think it is consequential for more people to be well-informed about HIV/AIDS. This way, we can all make better decisions in life.
For a start, be proactively aware of this virus! Here are 5 Things You Should Know About HIV/AIDS and 10 Myths About HIV and AIDS which you probably think you know.
Although the majority in Singapore is not HIV-positive, it would make a difference if this group of people can make a stand to stay HIV-negative and take notice of things in life that they take for granted. Perhaps we can even go a step further and show support for people living with or affected by HIV.
(:
Instead of just talking about what I feel, here’s how I shall make my stand to stay HIV-negative:
- I joined the Twibbon campaign on Twitter and telling others about it: Get a Twibbon
- I dragged my fiancée to go for the HIV-test with me to set an example of how couples who are planning to get truly committed to each other should make a stand to be faithful partners in life. It was an enriching experience (:
- I will countdown to World AIDS Day, December 1 by embedding a special countdown clock on my blog! You see it? It’s a meaningful clock!
- I will also join the kind folks from Health Promotion Board (HPB) on Saturday, December 5, from 6-10pm at SupperClub Singapore for an exclusive World AIDS Day event of art, music and dance.
To support World AIDS Day, just drop a comment here telling me your views and feelings after watching August 29. Include your email if you want to be one of the selected 5 lucky peeps to join me at SupperClub. I have 5 pairs of free passes to giveaway!
OK August 29 is not another boring film.
August 29 is a thought-provoking short film created by HPB and a group of young people, to start people thinking about opening their hearts and fighting discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. It was first screened at HPB’s ”Open Your Heart” event last year.
Enjoy! psss. Lawrence is super cute in this video! Eye candy alert!
Oh special thanks Vic for the invite, free booklet and test!
slooooooow – tick
flashbacks – tick
romantic scenes with music playing like mtv – tick
cliche lines – tick
cute guy – tick
cute girl – tick
totally typical love story but touching nonetheless haha
lol yes. Poor James. Now he’s gonna be all alone. :S
If only she had been careful and practise safe sex.
More like…if only she had been faithful and practiced not screwing around.
Yes i agree. in fact everyone should practice safe sex. what are condoms for anyway..
oh..and the girl’s a lousy actress….the guy is much better…she’s so stiff…
Well when ppl are young they are fearless! they think nothing will ever happen to them. esp something like HIV. Need to raise their awareness.
yes Lawrence is a good actor. He’s very good-looking too! esp with the geeky specs! *faints*
Hmm maybe some are shy to buy condoms? Possible. Anyway if you have multiple sex partners, always practise safer sex by using condoms consistently and correctly. Even though condoms do not give 100% protection from HIV, they provide at least 90% protection. Find out more about AIDS here.
“actually…with aids…its not about education….its about overcoming temptation” – unknown -
omg and this is what the Bible says about temptation:
A person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin … brings forth death” (James 1:14-15 RSV).
can HIV spread through mosquito bites?
well, HIV is NOT spread through social contact such as hugging and touching. Neither can it be transmitted through contact with objects such as food or toilet seats, or by biting insects such as mosquitoes.
Hope this clears your doubt! Oh and thanks for dropping by!
Actually AIDS gets a lot more airtime compared to other STDs because it can cause death and it is incurable. However there are plenty other STDs out there which are also incurable, stay safe.
Yup. so stay safe which ever method u choose. Be it abstinence or condoms.
shit. now i am thinking twice if i should continue having unprotected sex!
Gosh…thks for the touching video..kudos for your effort too!!
after i watched this video, i felt touched..reli touchin..aids indeed incurable seriously a tragic as the victim. btw, if both oso clean n clear n hvg unprotected sex ll kena bo?
poor guy, after all tis mess finally he found his true love..well wat i can say is ht e existence of aids is bcz of human being irresponsible for thier sex life!!i min mostly la..cz mostly HIV spreads bcz of intercourse…
how to kena if both clean and clear? Nothing to pass on right? but beware the babies…..unless you’re ready to accept the responsibilities….which kinda applies to AIDS as well. If you’re ready to accept the fact that you might get HIV and most likely die a long and horrible death, by all means. It’s just like jumping off a plane…your life is dependant on the person who packed your parachute…and the manufacturer i guess…
@johnny no probs. rmb prevention is better than cure! Perhaps you can be faithful to your partner and being honest about your sexual history. If you are both unsure of your HIV status, consider going for HIV screening together. It’s really a simple and painless process.
@kitkat hey dearie I was touched too esp when James cried at her deathbed. as what CW said, it is fine if both partners are clean and clear. However, it would be good for both partners to make a stand to stay HIV-negative. They can go for a HIV test together and make it a point to stay faithful after that. Its great bonding for couples to do the HIV test together.
@jaiho eng I agree. Being irresponsible is definitely a reason why people engage in risky sexual behaviour ie. having multiple sex partners. Perhaps these people can practise safer sex by using condoms consistently and correctly. Even though condoms do not give 100% protection from HIV, they provide at least 90% protection.
@cw that’s a good analogy! thks for supporting World AIDS Day
dear cw,thx for clearing my doubt!keke
i’d think its quite selfish of the girl to look for the guy after knowing that she’s dying soon. isnt she afraid that she’ll pass it to him after she accidentally cut herself?
but then again, it is a relatively good way to start provoking people to think about check up and all.
Thanks for the post Eevon (got here from Prof Teo), definitely what you’re doing is important.
One thing I’d like to point out about CW’s post though. HIV/AIDS is not much like in them manner they described as dying a long and horrible death. With the kind of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs out there, it’s very possible to live a life with some semblance of normalcy, and it is not uncommon for people living with HIV/AIDS to live a good 10 years+ after infection.
And on the topic of condoms. Remember, no oil-based lubes (this include petroleum-based) with latext condoms!
And. erm. (im so preachy hurrr). yar. window period and all that. so get checked often.
(omg sorry, but the acting is fail)
Hi Eevon,
I think it’s meaningful that you’re doing this! It brings to mind the TV drama shown on Channel 8 quite a while ago about AIDS. But I also feel that apart from raising awareness, more can be done to reduce the social stigma associated with AIDS and HIV-positive individuals. Hopefully New Media like the internet can play a role in this as well. Thanks for sharing!
P.S. I care for World Aids Day also because it happens to be my birthday
Recently my gf and I went to have a check for HIV and both of us were tested negative! Now that we are going to get married soon, we will stay faithful and clean.
I hope all of us can do the same and keep HIV at bay.
Cheers
Thanks Eevon for the great post
@ivey she did hid from him after she cut herself. but then again, HIV-positive people need love too. agree?
@Joel Kang Thanks for dropping by! Must really thank Prof Teo for his kind support!
Yes anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs do help in providing people living with HIV/AIDS a normal life! Thanks for sharing! (eh the acting really that bad meh! haha)
@cheeks 10Q for supporting World AIDS Day! Are you from CNM too? Haha. and yes you’re right. There’s so much more we can do for AIDS and HIV-positive individuals via new media. Hopefully more people can share and engage others in conversations which see AIDS/HIV in different light. Thks for dropping by!
@hum peng AW that’s really cool. We did the test too and yes the feeling of walking out both HIV-negative with a common commitment to stay faithful is a bliss. Well, alot of youths are engaging in sexual activities at a young age. It’s time for them to understand what they are really doing.
one thing i didn’t understand. Where and when and how did the girl get AIDS? Strange that her boyfriend didn’t get it. That means, they didn’t have sex. Why didn’t the girl tell her boyfriend that she had already gotten AIDS at the beginning of their relationship? If she did, would the boy break up with her? I’m just curious.
Hi Eevon,
Thank you for sharing the film, I like it a lot for two reasons:
1st: The constrast of the tone before and after the fact that girl being HIV positive showed how AIDS can have a serious effect on family.
2nd: The guy kept showing his love and care for her despite knowing her being HIV positive, it shows the importances of the family support for ppls with AIDS.
Good one…
Joel : Exactly my point. You CAN live 10+ years after getting it…provided HIV does not turn into AIDS. But living a waking death is not exactly heaven isit? You know u got full-blown AIDS. You know that if you’re not careful (and even if you were…you’re still susceptible), even the tiniest bug/virus/germ/bacteria/watchamacallit will invade ur system and shut u down. U live knowing you could literally die anytime unlike the rest of us who live blissfully ignorant of the thousand-and-one dangers that surround our daily lives. And your final moments aren’t peacefull either. You cough till your lungs come out (sometimes literally), scabs and sores cover your body because your natural defense system is unable to battle any common bacteria and your organs start to shut down, you can’t eat or drink (because ur organ’s are shutting down), you can’t walk, move, clean up after yourself….etc etc… Once you get it, it’s like the grim reaper following your every step. Think of it like 2nd to 3rd stage cancer in your entire body. You might fight it for awhile with chemo and whatnot, but sooner or later…..you’re gonna die…and most likely it will be sooner.
Oh…and about getting tested together….
Mr X : So doctor. How ah?
Ms y : Yar how?
Dr : Mr X. Ms Y. I regret to tell you that the prognosis is not good. One of you has gotten it.
Mr X : Eh, doctor. Serious boh?
Ms Y : Yah. Doctor, you don’t play with us ok? We will heartattack wan you know?
Dotor : Serious.
Ms Y : So who has it, doctor?
*Mr X starts to sweat cold sweat. Ms Y holds Mr X’s hand to calm him.
-drumroll-
Dr : I’m sorry Ms Y. You have HIV.
Mr X : *Sigh of relief* Wah…heng ar. That night with Sally mei mie…No problem!!! Wahahaha….Ms Y, le tiok beh pio liaow!
Ms Y : You slept with Sally!!!?????? I’M BREAKING UP WITH YOU!!!
Dr : Wtf?
hi eevon, not sure whether u’d still remember me… haha… i’m the one who gabra at the briefing that nite… =p
anyway, to share a poem with you… hope u guys can understand…=p (but then given the intelligence of your readers, i think no problem one la)
—————————————–
Why do you see me through tinted glasses?
It breaks my heart into a million pieces.
The day I knew I was positive,
all people around me turned negative.
Some of you think that I deserve it,
and so in your society I no longer fit.
But just like you I did not know,
so now my tears abundantly flow.
I had faith in my lover,
that he loved me and none other.
But the truth was revealed;
that one mistake and my fate’s been sealed.
Please don’t look at me through tinted glasses,
support me as I pick up my life’s broken pieces.
Anonymous
Thks all for sharing!
HIV patience shouldn’t be outcast-ed like they are aliens or whatsoever. I’m glad that there are so many motions coming up to protect them and educate people about their sickness. *clapclaps!*
They deserve a HUG from everyone of us! (:
Exactly. Spread the love!
i believe nobody really cares about HIV whatsoever thinking they will never contract the disease. unfortunately i’m one of em. :*(
just like you said, we should all try to stay HIV negative and be aware of how to prevent it instead of saying “I should have……..” then weep and be depress for the rest of your remaining life time awaiting death. now that’s scary.
yeah ws you’re right. we only get a chance to live life once.