Tested... negative...

Earlier this evening, I made my way to Farrer Park towards the north east instead of heading to the west to go back.

To be specific, I headed to 31 Kelantan Lane, which is where the Action for AIDS Anonymous Testing Service holds office thrice a week. (On regular work days, it is where the DSC Clinic is.)

I've been meaning to get tested. The main reason I want to know my status is because I intend to think of some long-term plans. My status will have some impact on my planning, so it is mandatory that I know my status. Also, I think it's being responsible to go for the test. I'm not active in that department, but there have been certain moments when the struggle for purity and chastity were a failure, so to speak. Haha!

It's my first time to get tested at the AFA ATS. The last time I went for the test was at Raffles Hospital, as a requirement for the application for my employment pass as a foreign worker.

The AFA ATS clinic is very good, I must say. The process was efficient and clear. The staff were very professional and cheerful. (I think a few of them are actually volunteers.) The waiting time could be more than 30 minutes but that was because it was a busy night. To a certain extent, I thought it was great that many individuals (male, female, young and old) are getting themselves tested.

The counselor who attended to me was a nice, good looking guy named Clement. The one who took my blood sample was a very cheerful lady named Nur (I think). After the test, I wondered if she was being too cheerful as a way to get the patient to relax. Whatever the reason, she (as well as Clement) is awesome!

The cost for the test was $40, depending on the window period. It could be as low as $30.

I was very hungry by the time I left the clinic. I was tempted to go for a nice meal to celebrate the negative results. Hehe. Instead, I settled for a wrap and a cookie at Subway. Lol.

Action for AIDS Singapore | ATS : Anonymous Testing Service
Operating Hours: Tuesdays & Wednesdays 6.30pm to 8.30pm; Saturday 1.30pm to 3.15pm
Address: 31 Kelantan Lane #1-16 S200031

More details here.

Getting to Zero... Must get to zero...

I was lucky enough to have been able to attend the 8th Singapore AIDS Conference yesterday.

Thanks to the group I'm volunteering with, I was able to get a ticket to the one-day event.

It's my first time to attend an AIDS conference. As I have expected though, it would be a day full of learning.

Fellow volunteer Jane and I agreed to meet up at Scape at a very early 715 to get breakkie before heading to Mandarin Orchard for the event.

The event began a little after 9 when Minister of State for Health Dr. Amy Khor arrived. Afterwards, Action for AIDS President Prof. Roy Chan kickstarted the day with his speech.

The theme of this year's conference was Getting to Zero: Zero New Infections. Zero Stigma. Zero Deaths.

Very ambitious, yes, but everyone is aware of this.

As Prof. Chan said, "Though lofty, zero is the ultimate goal."

Following him were keynote speakers Dr. K. H. Wong who shared about the experiences of Hong Kong and fellow FIlipino Laurindo Garcia who talked about his work in the Philippine setting.

I was so damn proud listening to Laurindo's speech.

Afterwards, the concurrent sessions began. Prior to the start of the conference, I already went through the program to choose which topics I want to listen to. There were quite a number of interesting topics.

I thought I would get sleepy at some point, but I managed to stay awake thanks to the very informative presentations.

To me, one of the highlights of the event was Avin Tan coming out about his HIV status. He's the second Singaporean to public reveal that he's HIV positive. The last one was about 15 years ago. Really proud of him for his courageous act.

My takeaway from the event?

The issues are pretty much the same. Awareness about the disease is needed. Stigma needs to be removed so that more people will take the test. We must be alarmed that some of those who are infected are just in their early teens. We all must aim for zero.

December 1 is World AIDS Day...

The fight against HIV/AIDS continues.

If you're in Singapore, visit www.afa.org.sg for more info about the disease, voluntary testing and how to get involved.