So… What is in this “Best Amulet 王牌保身灵” Ang Pao? Watch the video to find the answer…

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Yup. Each Ang Pao contains a condom.

It’s not the fear of death, it’s the fear of getting HIV because it’s the social stigma they cannot withstand.

Due to social stigma, a lot of people with high-risk sexual behaviour do not want to get tested. Did you know that more than 90% of people living with HIV in Singapore are adults in the prime working ages of 21 to 59 years? It is not possible to know if someone has HIV/AIDS by looking at him or her.

Regular HIV testing can help an infected person to be diagnosed at an earlier stage of infection. Early diagnosis can afford a person earlier access to care and treatment, and also allow the person to receive counselling on how to protect their partners from infection. The person can still contribute to society and work and lead a normal life.

“Pixelated” by Jack & Rai is a song dedicated to World AIDS Day 2009. Through this song, we hope that everyone should not look at HIV/AIDS through pixelated eyes. Learn more about HIV/AIDS to protect yourself and your love ones and show your care and concern for people living with HIV.

Here’s how you can win the tickets:

Make a guess of the content in this Ang Pao (Red Packet) and fill in your answer in the entry form.

Meanings of the Chinese characters on the Ang Pao:

• 王牌保身灵 – Best Amulet
  
• 出入平安 – Safe passage

Contest is now closed

The contest will close on 30 Nov 09, 2359 hrs, one day before World AIDS Day. Hope you can join me and the other bloggers at the event!

*Please note that this is a smoke-free and alcohol-free event.

Was happy to see DK, Hisham, Jayden, Mus, Diana and Eevon at our event and glad to meet William for the first time! Friends like Claudia, Nadia, Jacelyn and Lawrence did not managed to make it for our event due to personal commitments and Nicole was not feeling well that day.

Kicking off the event was Jack & Rai singing the unplugged version of “Pixelated”, a song in commemoration of World AIDS Day 2009, live at the blogger event and followed by a screening of August 29, a short film produced by HPB and a group of youths.

[Part 1 of August 29]

[Part 2 of August 29]

Starring Lawrence and Evelyn Maria, August 29 is a heart-wrenching love story about a girl who is dying of AIDS and how she chooses to spend her last days with her ex-boyfriend, a photographer.

My colleague, Janice then shared the objective of the blogger engagement event and programme lined up to commemorate World AIDS Day 2009. This might sound cliché to you but we really hope to create more awareness about HIV/AIDS through the power of our blogger friends.

Did you see the countdown timer on the right column? It will be counting down to December 1, a day when many people around the world can often be seen wearing the red ribbon that has now become a familiar symbol of:

• CARE and CONCERN for people living with HIV and those who have died from AIDS;
• HOPE in the search for a vaccine and care; and
• SUPPORT for people living with or affected by HIV

Did you know that…

• condoms can provide protection against HIV when used correctly and consistently?
• when you are tested negative, it does not mean you are HIV negative for life?
• you will not get HIV by sharing food and drinks with someone who has the virus?
• a lot of people still do not know about the above-mentioned after so many years of public education since the discovery of the virus in 1981?
• and you can find out more about HIV/AIDS at HPB Online?

“Your life, your canvas” is the theme for World AIDS Day 2009 and is inspired by the notion that we are all responsible for painting the canvas of our own lives. What we choose to put on that canvas is entirely up to us, and the choices we make all contribute to a constantly evolving picture.

We will be having the finals of the Graffiti Art Competition at Scape Park on 21 Nov 09 and will also be hosting an exclusive World AIDS Day event of art, music and dance, featuring guest appearances by Jack & Rai on 5 Dec 09 at SupperClub Singapore.

To stand a chance to win one of the 100 pairs of tickets to this special event, all you need to do is answer 3 simple questions on Breathe.sg.

To increase your chances of winning the tickets, do keep an eye on my blog as I will also be giving out 5 pairs of tickets to 5 lucky readers in this 2 weeks! Some of our blogger friends will also be holding a ticket giveaway in their blogs so do keep a lookout on Breathe.sg!

Show your support!

I sincerely hope that you can also show your support for the World AIDS Day 2009 by joining our Twibbon campaign on Twitter and Facebook to create awareness on HIV/AIDS.

If you blog too, you can also show your support by embedding this countdown widget on your blog.

To participate, copy and paste the following codes to your blog: