Spread Awareness, Not Prejudice

AIDS is arguably the most stigmatised disease in the human history. This is possibly why a country as rich and developed as Singapore is so reluctant to support its HIV-positive patients.

It is pretty amazing to know how many people have misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. In fact, with such advancement in the modern educational system, many people are still not as willing to learn about the disease, nevertheless to admit how wrong they can become. You have to know the right information and education before coming into any prejudgements over anything that could affect the lives of another person. If you are in their shoes, how would you think you will feel when people look at you like that?

The conference is truly an eye opener for me. It is really helpful.

Fighting for the rights for the AIDS patients is not something that can be done over a short period of time. And it is not an individual effort that can manage. Everyone has to come together, and be willing to stand up and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Will this ever be successful?

Pondering upon this question, it reminded me of someone -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quoting from one of his speeches:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be
made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."

His legacy has lived on.

His dream has come true.

Today, we have our first African American President of the United States.

Having the chance to come close to them this year as a volunteer, I can finally feel how precious life can be when death can be so close to you. I can understand what discrimination can really mean besides its definition in the dictionary.

It can be frustrating to see what prejudice is being done on them. Yet, it is truly this positive anger inside us that motivate us to do what we can do best for them.

Happening week of July!

Island Creamery @ Serene CentreThe long awaite birthday treat and ice-cream outing is finally here! =PUnique flavour of ice cream available @ Island Creamery

Wanna guess what I've got there? Mud pie & ice-cream: Puluo Hitam & Apple Pie flavours! =P

Dinner with the hall people...too bad our Timbre is fully booked for night......so we changed to a Jap restaurant @ Robertson Quay!A good jap restaurant is usually filled with the authentic Japanese customers......and we make the right choice! =D

Good price, good serving, good quality of Jap food! =))Drinks @ Wine Connection, Robertson Walk Cheers to good wine & good cheeze! Hehe...lol

First Hand Team Building @ Changi Airport

We were divided into different smaller groups and played photo hunt all round T2, T3 and Expo. We were given photo which show clues to where we should go to, and just take a photo of all the team members together with the place or item in our photos to finish!

Though our team didn't win the game but we had a great time spent too...yeah...lol

Lunch @ Shokudo + KTV afterwards

Hahaha...promised someone that I should not reveal too much about the KTV session part though...coz we had TOO much laughter and fun manz! =P

Mutton Satay

Yesterday was the first day I went to work again after more than 2 weeks of break. It feels so monday blues. And now it's the off-peak period...nothing much to do in the office can also be quite a torture...hahaha...lol

The one and only thing I look forward to on Monday is my ministry after work. First Hand. This will be my second session for the ward visitation. First session has been great and I really wish to serve again to the patients there.

Since I was still a newbie there, I was paired up with a senior and another newbie and the 3 of us first went to ward 71 to visit a female malay-chinese patient. Honestly I never really take notice of how thin she was (coz I was focusing on what she is saying as she speaks with a Malay accent that is not that easy to catch)...not until she told us her weight loss from 68kg to only 25kg now!

When the senior help her to do the leg message, her leg was really bony. She seems to enjoy the leg massage by us as we continue to watch the TV that her friend gave her in her ward. She can talk and joke around with us. Andy Shi came in half way to play songs for her with his guitar. He is super funny even though he forgets most of the lyrics. And the patient is very cooperative too that she will joke and try to make some fun out of the songs. It was a very wonderful time spending like that indeed. =)

Yet when we were about to leave the room to visit another patient, she held my hand and asked if we can do her a favour -- that is she wants to eat mutton satay. The way she asked of it looks really important, like she HAVE to eat it. Probably because she only has such a short time to live, she wants to eat the things she really desire before going. So I promise her I will try my best to bring it to her. I even want so much to bring it to her before next Monday comes. Well hope I can really go down to visit her again on Saturday as I am asking my seniors-in-charge now... Time can be pretty precious...

We went to the next patient at Ward 76. We spent time with one more patient who is a newly diagnosed. Wai Sam is there when we went into the room. She looks much healthier and was chatting with Wai Sam cheerfully. She was holding to her favourite PSP given by her husband and she told her she had like 3 PSPs! Wow...hahaha...lol

Most of our conversation surrounds the topic of her 2 children, 4 and 3 years old. Can tell she really love them and adores them much. Mother's love is really noble isn't it?

This is just my second session at CDC and the meaning of death suddenly hits me harder on my head and become so much more real to me now...how long more can anyone of us live and make the best out of our lives?

Life is really precious and you can live it only once...treasure it manz before you will regret it...

第一手接触

昨晚很特别，因为那是我第一次去 CDC 去探访那些病人。不知道怎么的，我好紧张。。。这一天终于到来了! 组长给了我们好长的 briefing，教我们正确的洗手方法 [很复杂的]，然后才让我们进去探访他们。

我跟一个 senior 和另一个新人被安排到 Ward 71 去。就像一般的医院，病人都被分配到不同的房间去，有的一个人一间房间，有的则两到三个人共用一间房间。

我们三个看到有一间还没有义工去探访，一致拿了我们的病人资料看了一遍，就进去了。

躺在那里的是一个五十来岁的老 uncle，眼睛一直瞪着天花板，只有当我们聊他聊天，他才会把视线转回来我们的身上。他很快就打开了话匣子，跟他聊天感觉非常轻松。

那 uncle 可也很会逗人，跟我们开了个冷笑话:

社：“Uncle, 你几时入院的? 你是不是刚进来而已？”
病： “我哪里是‘扛’进来的。我是被他们推进来的啦。”

好有趣的 uncle 唷！

最近我又开始忙起来了，不过那并不是我的工作，而是我天父的事工。再多六天我就去台湾了，好期待哦！

我是有点累了。。。不过再累也是值得的。。。=)