04 May 2012

BE POSITIVE!

Sponsored post


So WHAZZ UP?! A beautiful rainbow colour hot air balloon paper fan to start the post.

As you can see in the picture above, if you are extra inquisitive and anxious and don't wanna wait for me to reveal in a bit "what exactly is up" you go ahead ba. Lol. I even put up the link for you liao http://sowhazzup.com -- There you go! ^.^

But if you wanna stay here to find out more, you're more than welcome to! And thank you for choosing to stay on this happy blog lolol. Yes i just called my blog a "happy blog". Hahaha! Eh eh eh, a lot of people tell me my blog makes them happy. Not i ownself say one! Lolol.

Anyway~ Doesn't it feel great when you see vibrant, bright and cheerful colours put together?

Like rainbow ^.^ And rainbow is something so beautiful, anyone would be happy to see.

Do you know why?! =DDD I do! Okay not really. But i can think about what are the possible reasons. I think everyone loves to see rainbow cox it means something to them. Some of us could simply think of it as something beautiful, one of the rarer beautiful things we see in life. We'd be lucky to see it!

To some of us, it's hope, faith and belief that something beautiful always comes up after everything else. That's why there's a saying, "Rainbow after rain", in Chinese it's 雨过天晴后的彩虹. Haha.

I link that with positivity! That spirit we always try to keep with us, through all sort of situations. The belief that no matter what happens in life, we can always face it with much love, and pull through.

POSITIVITY. Let's talk about being positive today!

I joined the volunteers behind SO WHAZZ UP for one day!
All packed and arranged nicely. One brochure, one paper fan. One brochure, one paper fan. Lolol.
And OFF WE GO~

Wait. Where to?! To do what?! To raise awareness, knowledge and positivity!!!

About HIV!

What do you know about HIV? How do you look at people living with HIV? Give it some thought.

I am ashamed to say that before i got in touch with this awareness campaign, i have misconception of HIV. I thought HIV = AIDS. And i thought since HIV = AIDS = End of live for person with HIV.

And i realise i cannot be more wrongly informed than that.

For those who have no idea yet, HIV is not the same as AIDS. HIV is an abbreviation for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which is the virus that causes the immune system to break down.

Even though there hasn’t been a cure developed for the virus as of yet, advances in medication have allowed people who have tested positive for HIV, to continue leading an enriching life.

While HIV is transmissible, it does not spread like air-borne viruses. The virus is primarily transmitted through the exchange of infected blood products, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. It cannot be passed on through hugging, sharing of food, utensils or working in the same room.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the last stage of the HIV infection, it develops as a result of this break down of the immunity system. While HIV is the underlying cause of AIDS, not all HIV-positive individuals have AIDS, as HIV can remain in a latent state for many years.

When we say "many years" we're talking about up to even 20 years with proper healthcare support.

Oh and, nobody passes on AIDS to another person. Only HIV is transmitable through the ways stated above. For more detailed info on how HIV could be spread visit here.

So we set off dressed in red and white to grab some attention on a weekend at Orchard Road ^.^
"YAY LET'S DO THIS THING!" Lolol.
Young adults, young couple, middle age couple, handsome guys, cute school girls, pretty young ladies, all also i try to reach out to! Lolol. Like literally.

They don't want to take my brochure also very hard!!! I'd stretch out my arms and block their way for like 3 second lol. To pass, they have to take my brochure. Lolol. Thank you for teaching me well, masters standing by Sim Lim Sqaure escalator. Hahaha.

Eh hello! For your own good!

Currently, the number of people testing positive for the HIV has been increasing steadily over the last ten years. At the end of 2010, 441 people were tested positive. Out of which 55 percent were in the late stage of the infection.

Don't be ignorant and live with the stigma towards HIV and HIV testing, then turn to regret IF you're down with it at the last stage of infection. With proper healthcare, you can keep HIV in check and live a fulfilling life for a much longer time! So you want the power of knowing!!!

According to a research done by Tan Tock Seng Hospital, young adults aged between 18-29 displayed low levels of knowledge and harbored myths and misconceptions towards HIV/AIDS. The high level of stigma attached to HIV/AIDS is also a barrier to normalizing HIV testing and this is demonstrated by the overwhelming opt-out rate of HIV test.

Now let's see the checklist to consider if you need to go for a test

(  ) The condom broke during sex
(  ) You did not use a condom during sex
(  ) You have multiple sex partners concurrently or over a period of time
(  ) You had sex but never tested before

If you're asking yourself IF you could have a chance of contracting HIV, then you know you need to take the test already! Why leave it up to chance! Take control, be informed, and then do something if you need to. You can still lead a very enriching life ahead! Start your own family even! =D

Get yourself tested if you feel you’re at risk. Do it at the Anonymous Test Site by Action For AIDS. It is completely anonymous as there is no need to provide your identity. Apart from taking the test at S$30, the facility provides trained counselling for their clients.

Be positive! With your family and friends, your partners, along with trained professionals at AFA to keep you motivated to live a life with positive outlook, you just have to keep going no matter what happens, right? =D Good or bad times, you have to have a little faith in people! =)

They will pull you through like how you would for them! =))

For more information on anonymous testing, head over to www.afa.org.sg/anonymous.php
You can even head to the AfA YouTube Page at www.youtube.com/afaspore to watch some of their informative videos. They will be reintroducing their HIV test walk-through video by the second week of May. What I hear is that it would be personal, informative as well as interactive; so perhaps you’d like to check it out by then too!

A picture on my 23rd birthday on a yacht, with my family.

They've been through a lot with me. Good times, bad times. We always stick together. And i have absolute faith in them that if anything happens to me, they'd be there to render support and care, no matter how inconvenient it might be, no matter how tiring it will be for them. And with that, how can i (or anyone with people who love you) abuse that and leave my health to chances?

My sisters =) They always stand by me and for that i cannot be thankful enough.

My bestfriends Mich and Zhen ^.^ This was taken when we were 18.

So i think about the people i love, and i gave it some thoughts. Even if i am not keen to know, not willing to know, not motivated to know, i owe it to them for needing to know. And needing to live for as long as i can =) For all you know, IT'S NOTHING ONE LAH!!! Lolol.

You're perfectly healthy, that'd be great news worth celebrating for! WHY NOT?! =DDD

So we keep on going! Walking around going "So WHAZZ UP~!!!" to everyone on the road.


"Your friend take already, you have to take it too" Haha.
Turns out they are my readers and I AM SO HAPPY!!! I trust them to give me some face and at least read the brochure *stare* Lolol. Anyone we can reach out to, is one more person aware!
"Got big crowd approaching, chiong ah~!!!!"
Wish i have a more valid reason to put this picture up than "My profile looks nice here". Haha!
And a "WHAZZ UP!!!" shout out from all of us!!! ^.^
We don't do this alone~!!! Look at these helpful and enthusiastic boys lolol.

With all these positive people among us, life really does seem a lot better! So don't risk life, don't leave it to chances, any moment longer you're granted, take it.

There are various reasons to why people choose to take a HIV test.

For some people, they take the test simply for a peace of mind, to know that they are healthy. And this is also to show their partner that they care about their partners' health as well. And that if they are thinking of starting a family, that's one worry down! =D

For some of us, we take the the test to be in control. Simple step to tackle an issue and instead of letting it (if existing) take over your life, you take control of it =) And looking at how advance medical field has become, even if we caught something, we can still keep it in check.

Of course we might run into difficulties, face some rejections, while stepping up to face our issues, POSITIVITY will keep us going!!! =DDD So keep walking!!!
On the hunt for people who won't reject me and my brochure. Lolol.
They say "seek and you shall find" Lol. And i did! Haha!
My set was running out and this deserve another shout out! "WHAZZ UP!!!!"
"Quick hunt for people in group! One take, one look, everyone discuss, one stone kill many birds" Lol. Yes i am VERY enthusiastic about approaching people on the road one. Last time in school got flag-selling day i swear my dong-gong is always full to the brim and heavy one.
Random happy shot Jayne caught of me. Thanks Jayne by the way!!! For all the pictures!!!

Patrick had problem asking people to take his brochure. Like people would say no to him, then walk towards me i ask again, and they take mine. So i give him tips, you have to do a slight bow and lower your head and lean towards them. HAHAHA. Real one! You see the picture below!

Someone please give me the "Most Professional Brochure-Giver" award!!!

There we were, our day almost over! The volunteers are all really nice and friendly! Was really quite an interesting day for me! Learnt a few interesting knowledge about HIV.

Share some of the HIV myths with you! You can find more information on the Actions for AIDS site.

"I'm HIV-positive -- my life is over"
In the early years of the disease epidemic, the death rate from AIDS was extremely high. Although there isn’t a cure for HIV, treatment is so advanced that it is no longer considered a death sentence. People diagnosed with HIV today can have a near-normal life expectancy and live healthy and active lives. Early diagnosis is particularly important as the longer HIV goes undiagnosed the more damage it can do to the body.

"My partner and I are both HIV positive -- there's no reason for us to practice safer sex"
Practicing safer sex -- wearing condoms or using dental dams -- can protect you both from becoming exposed to other (potentially drug resistant) strains of HIV.

"You can get HIV by having a fish pedicure"
It was recently reported that fish pedicures posed a risk of HIV transmission. This is inaccurate and there is no risk of HIV transmission from visiting a fish pedicure spa.

"You can't have a baby if you or your partner is HIV positive"
If someone living with HIV decides to have a baby, there are options available and steps they can take to ensure HIV is not passed on to their partner during conception (if the partner is HIV negative) or to their child. In the UK today there is less than a 1% chance of an HIV positive mother passing HIV on to her child if the right steps are taken.

Sharing my thoughts on the event.
Thanks to all the people who did it together with me! =D I'm sure our effort will be paid off!
What's up? EVERYTHING!!! Everything is "UP" when our moods are high, spirits are up. When we're positive, nothing can hold us down. RIGHT NOT!
So get ready.. For one more..

"WHAZZ UP?!?!?!?!" ^.^

You can stand a chance to get a free test as well as a chance to win an iPad, head to the
AFA Be Positive facebook page www.facebook.com/BePositive

The anonymous testing clinic is located at
31 Kelantan Lane #01-15
Tel : 6254 0212
Operating Hours
Tue and Wed 6:30pm-8:15pm
Sat 1:30pm - 3:15pm

Be informed, be in control. Be positive!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi QiuQiu, thanks for sharing this post on HIV! U have helped me clarify my doubts regarding the transmission of HIV through fish spa. I always heard that from my friends and I actually believed it. Oh gosh. :) And not forgetting positive u mention to us here!! Thanks for encouraging us to be positive, it really helps me alot because I tend to see things negative. And it really brought a smile to me as I read this post esp your smile that makes me happy too, since smiling is contagious hehehe. Thanks alot QiuQiu! ^^ And for your WONDERFUL post!

Anonymous said...

its true reading your blog seriously makes me happy!!!!!!
happy blog it is!!!!!!

deliaz said...

you are extra pretty in this blog post. idk its the hair. good job with the work too.

Loma said...

Omg, what an amazing volunteer work! I loved the pics and how enthusiastic you were for sharing the campaign! The world needs more positive and sharing ppl like you! <3

QiuQiu said...

Thanks guys!!! ^.^

Deliaz, thank you!!

Loma, YEAH I THINK I'D MAKE A GREAT VOLUNTEER! Hahaha! I joined my sister once for some community center welfare work. Like we visit old folks at their houses and pass out food and all to them. It was really fun!!!

Unknown said...

I think you are so good in this stuff! Like dragging attention and make people to listen to you :) ! Like now you make me read all this post really!
That's a good thing to do!
The more we know the less we are scared and can treat ill people with respect not to abandon or exile them. there are lots of people who were nowhere near the risk group but still got ill. we must to overcome our fear and even disgust to be kind to them.

daphiexn™ said...

Not sure if it's me, or you look extra-ly pretty in the pictures here! Extra love the picture of you and your family on the yatch! :D

Anonymous said...

Hi QQ, can I know which brand and shade of eyebrow pencil are you using? Its really beautiful!!