FEATURE POST: Free, Anonymous, and Fast HIV Screening for AIDS Memorial & LGBT Pride

LoveYourself, Inc., the leading non-government organization on HIV awareness and testing in the country, will be holding its first free, anonymous, and fast HIV screening on May 29 at Victoria Court Malate in an effort to support the causes brought about by the Philippine International AIDS Candlelight Memorial 2016 and the LGBT Pride Month this May and June respectively.

Anchoring this HIV screening event on the military secrecy rule "What you see, what you hear, when you leave, leave it here," the organization named the event as LoveYourself Incognito to ensure utmost confidentiality and promptness of the procedure.

By being anonymous, LoveYourself will employ a system of client identification known as the Unique Identifier Code to distinguish a client without revealing its name, and to eliminate filling out of lengthy identification forms leading to reduced times and increased efficiency. Clients will then be subjected to “Rapid Test” which involves pricking a finger to get just two (2) drops of blood for screening. The entire procedure will not take more than 15 minutes inclusive of counseling on safer sex practices to lower the risk of HIV infection as well as an explanation on the results of the test.

As the event promises anonymity and speed, the organization earnestly calls all interested individuals to simply register at go.loveyourself.ph/incognito to avail of a slot. Then prospective clients will just need to arrive on the said screening date and venue between 10:00 a.m. -7:00 p.m.

“Through LoveYourself Incognito, we aim to encourage the untapped populations who are afraid to go out in the open and get screened,” said LoveYourself Executive Director Ronivinn G. Pagtakhan. He added that while the event focuses on the male population, the group also welcomes females and transgender friends to avail of the free HIV screening services.

The group also emphasizes its Tatak LoveYourself promise of service that is Iniingatan at Inaasikaso (being well-taken care of) by carefully considering the needs of individuals in affected populations who may be anxious or uncomfortable to avail of any sexually transmitted infections-related services.

Meanwhile, the group also assures the public of the same quality of services that they can avail in LoveYourself’s established testing clinics -LoveYourself Anglo along Shaw and LoveYourself Uni in Taft-Buendia.

LoveYourself Incognito is also in response to the alarming rise of HIV infections, in which the Department of Health reported 736 new cases in March 2016, wherein 97% of which were males. This is 10% higher than the 667 cases in the same period last year.

In the first quarter of 2016, an average of 25 Filipinos daily now get infected with the virus that when left untreated may severely weaken the immune system and lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS, a condition where the body is no longer able to fight off various diseases and infections.

For more details on Incognito and other LoveYourself’s services, individuals may visit the group’s official website at www.loveyourself.ph or follow and like its social media channels: Facebook- @loveyourself.ph, Twitter- @loveyourselfph, and Instagram- @loveyourself.ph.

Jon Snow

hold the door.

someone's coming back.

did anyone miss me?

;-)

PS: baka may magtanong lang... nope, i'm not a GoT fan. pasensya.

Hanggan[g]

ayoko sanang magpost tungkol dito, pero mukhang kailangan...

hanggang saan ang kaya pa? hanggang saan ang tama na? hanggang saan ang hanggan?

minsan yung alam mong pareho na lang kayong kumakapit at naghihintayan na lang kayo kung sino ang unang bibitaw, pero kapag may isa na sa inyo na nag-umpisang bumitaw, bigla naman kayong kakapit sa isa't isa, umaasa at aasa na magiging maayos pa kahit, mahirap man tanggapin, alam n'yong dalawa na mahirap na.

masakit na nakikita n'yo ang isa't isa na hindi masaya sa nangyayari. masakit na nakikita n'yo ang isa't isa na gusto ng pagbabago. pero mas masakit na nakikita n'yo ang isa't isa na hindi masaya sa piling ng isa't isa, pero alam n'yong hindi rin kayo masaya kapag hindi n'yo kapiling ang isa't isa.

hindi ako napanghihinaan ng loob. hindi nga ba? hindi ko rin alam.

patuloy pa rin akong umaasa na magiging maayos ang lahat. mahirap ibalik sa dati, pero kaya pang ayusin. kung gugustuhin, hindi lang ng isa, kundi ninyong dalawa.

sa ngayon, patuloy na lang muna akong kakapit. kakapit sa tiwalang magiging maayos pa ang lahat.

ayokong hintayin ang hangganan ng kaya pa. ayokong hintayin ang hangganan ng tama na. ayokong hintayin ang hangganan ng hanggan.

ayoko sana. pero mukhang kailangan...

FEATURE POST: Having the Time of Your Life in a Fukuoka Getaway

The new year is rolling in and there’s a lot to look forward to.  For starters, there are several long weekends to plan getaways for.   The long Holy Week break right down to the April 9 Araw ng Kagitingan holidays are just perfect for a Fukuoka Getaway.  That’s about the time when the Cherry Blossom Festivals are held in the southernmost part of Japan.  Since there’s a new Cebu Pacific route straight to Fukuoka, there’s no need to travel from another city.  This early, you can already start planning and booking your travel arrangements to avoid the hassles of the peak season.  Doing so also gives you more time to save up and prepare all your travel needs.

Here are some tips to ensure that you will have the time of your life in your Fukuoka getaway:

* Plan your itinerary and activities – there are various tours available for exploring Fukuoka’s attractions.  Several parks and historic sites are home to thousands of Cherry Blossom trees.  Interspersed with strolls and picnics amidst the trees with their blooms en masse are activities that allow tourists to immerse themselves in the city’s rich culture.

Aside from the Fukuoka Castle Sakura Festival, tourists can visit other parks and enjoy day-long Hanami picnics.  Among the top Hanami sites are the Atago Shrine, the Nishi Park, the Higashi Hirao Park, and the Kameoka Park in Nagasaki.  The historic Ogi Park is also a great place to visit with its shrines and koi carp lake.  It’s also wonderful to view the Sakura trees after nightfall at Kumamoto Castle.

No vacation will be complete without shopping and dining, of course.  There are plenty of yatais or open air food stalls in Fukuoka where you can taste the flavors of Japan.  A must-try is Fukuoka’s tonkotsu ramen and yakitori.   At the shopping district, Tenjin, another recommended treat are the kinako and matcha Japanese cakes.  This Fukuoka downtown area has several department stores, specialty shops, and other commercial establishments.    

* Pack right – you want to have all the necessities when you travel to Japan.  Especially if you are going to be out enjoying the Sakura trees, you want to pack comfortable clothes.  It is generally warm during this season, but the nights can get quite cold and breezy.  Pack warm clothes to wear during the day time and bring a jacket or a scarf that you can use to cover up and get warm towards the late afternoon and evening.  If you are planning to have day-long Hanami picnics, you might want to bring along things to keep you and your vacation group entertained.  You can perhaps bring one of those “travel-sized” versions of popular game boards.  Or you can opt to bring a new book that you can read while listening to your favourite relaxing music.

* Check flight and tour schedules – if you want to catch the Sakura Festival in Fukuoka, you have to go towards the end of March.  As airline tickets could get expensive during the peak season, you want to take advantage of the cheaper rates by booking early.  Check out the tour and festival schedules and book your flight accordingly.  The timing could get quite tricky as the exact period when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom cannot be predicted.  The Sakura Zensen forecasts from the Japanese Meteorogical Agency are fairly accurate.  Cebu Pacific’s flight schedules to Fukuoka are available at www.cebupacificair.com.