Breaking the AIDS barrier (First of a series)
It’s World AIDS Day today.The United Nations reports an increasing HIV cases among young people in the Philippines. The number reportedly increased from 41 in 2007 to 110 in 2008. The age group belongs to 15 to 24 years old.
“Masarap magkwento”
By Miriam V. Torrecampo
The prudent or cynical would cast doubt on sex education for children, let alone the HIV virus and the disease it causes, AIDS.
“Bakit mo ituturo ang HIV/AIDS sa mga bata, tapos storytelling pa? Napakainosente nila, baka magkaroon ng malisya ang isip nila. Takot sila na baka hindi maintindihan ng mga bata,” comments one concerned parent.
But veteran storyteller Luisito “Kuya Bodjie” Pascua begs to disagree, saying storytelling is effective in educating children about the health and social issues concerning HIV/AIDS.
Kuya Bodjie should know, with his experience and as education advocate in the popular children’s television show Batibot.
“Ang maganda kasi dito, napapaabot namin sa paraan na nakakarelate ang bata, its not a typical classroom na nagle-lecture ang teacher about AIDS, about compassion, etc, pero nagawa namin in an entertaining way,” Pascua said.
The 54-year-old stage and TV actor had been involved in promoting reading, peace and telling stories to children with cancer for several years now.
Having brought numerous children’s stories to life with his effective use of voice characterization, sound effects and distinct facial expression, Pascua was tapped by the AIDS Society of the Philippines in August 2002 as story-teller and mentor for the its nationwide storytelling caravan.
The AIDS Society is a leading association of individuals working towards the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in the country.
The native of Nueva Ejica has practically toured key cities and provinces in the country, reaching out mostly to elementary students.
Pascua reads and animates stories of people living with AIDS, simplifying the words and situations of the characters affected by the virus, how the loved ones deal with the situation and the lessons learned from the stories.
A graduate of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama (Major in Acting) at the New York University, Pascua said that his primary mission is to make children and adults aware of HIV/AIDS and accept that those affected are ordinary individuals whose immune system has broken down.
This way, he said, the stigma and discrimination attached to the dreaded condition would somehow lessen.
When asked what inspire him to support the AIDS campaign, Pascua said: “The opportunity to enlighten ‘yung kaisipan ng mga kababayan lalo na ang mga kabataan sa pagtangkilik o pagtanggap na dapat sa mga hindi lang people with AIDS, but sa lahat ng tao na nasa gilid-gilid ng ating lipunan, kumbaga they need some tolerance, understanding, compassion for the less fortunate.
“It inspires me to go out of my way. In my own little way, however way I could lalo na kung ibabahagi ko ‘yung talent that I have.”
Pascua, who did about 200 plays since he began performing in 1978, admitted that he and a handful of story-tellers were a bit apprehensive when they initially read the story to children.
“Noong una takot kami na syempre ano ang mga posibleng pwedeng itanong ng mga bata. We as adults would be able to answer question about sexuality.
May isip na rin ang mga yan eh. Ako ba ay bukas ang puso at isipan na pagusapan ito na hindi madumi ang isip ko, na hindi ako mabo-bother o madidisturb.
“May magandang sagot na kaming inihanda, pero pagdating naman sa storytelling session wala naman palang problema. Most of the kids anyway ay napakabukas ng isipan about sex,” he recalled. (to be continued)
The red ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round and particularly around World AIDS Day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV and AIDS, and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment.
Invest in vintage jewelry
There is a growing demand for vintage jewelry in the US. Pieces of vintage style rings and vintage pendants sell like hotcake nowadays. Enthusiasts enjoy collecting them for their business and for accessory. If you are interested to own a vintage jewelry you should look for a period piece that fits your personality. It should be versatile and can go with business and casual outfit or something that you can wear everyday. If you have plans of venturing into jewelry business you should look for pieces that have a strong resale value. You should pick the classic style because they remain in fashion even after 20 years. The vintage rings you wear today will be the same pieces that your future granddaughter will want to keep. Trendy designs tend to go out of fashion over time. If you are really serious to trade vintage jewelry there are few things that you must remember: Local jeweler advised people to be aware of fake vintage jewelry. There are unscrupulous individuals who changed and replaced original stones with cheaper semi-precious stones. They better check out VintageYard.com for the elegant selection of original vintage engagement rings, estate jewelry, fine jewels and vintage brooches and pendants. I visit the site and saw this elegant Art Nouveau 19th Century Styled Gold and Diamond Ring for myself. Diamond is my birthstone so a ring with a simple design and diamond in it will make me very happy. So if you have plenty of time to plan about the business you want to put up, you will have more time to check out the entire Vintage jewelry collection from rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets and men’s jewelry. If I have the fund right now, I will invest in vintage jewelry for sure.
Pixel Bug: Shining Inheritance marathon
We spend our weekend watching the whole 28 episodes of Korean TV drama Shining Inheritance. It was worth watching and Pinoys can easily relate to the characters played by Go Eun Sung (Inna in the Tagalized version of GMA7) and Sun Woo Hwan (Juan). It is still being aired on GMA7 every night.
Aside from the love angle the series also give emphasis to the value of compassion. It says that you can always show sympathy to a poor man lying on the street but it’s rare that one will suffer with him literally (lay beside him on the cold pavement).
Here’s a brief description of the series:
This will be focusing on the love and trials of the 20 year old generation. Go Eun Sung’s life is similar to Cinderella’s. After her father died, her step-mother, Baek Sung Hee, took away all of her assets and her younger brother, Eun Woo, suddenly disappears without a trace. Eun Sung persevere and works really hard to become a chef at a food company. The grandson of the food company, Sun Woo Hwan, notices Eun Sung and falls in love with her.
You can watch all 28 video links here. http://www.mysoju.com/shining-inheritance/
This is how my family spend our weekend. How about you? Share your stories here at Sassymom’s Pixel Bug.
I wish for a digital camera this Christmas
And I can have one for free at Listia.com, an online auction site. Do you want to know how it works? If you have old DVDs, books or clothes at home that you no longer need you can have them auctioned at Listia.com to earn points. The more stuff you give away, the more credits you get and can be used to get new items that you really like. There are free baby stuff that you can bid on when you browse the baby categories for clothes and toys. Start earning points today by inviting friends when you connect to Facebook and Twitter. Sign up now and earn your first 100 free credits. I will start looking for my old books and clothes now to get this beautiful digital camera.
Litratong Pinoy is back
After almost a month break, Litratong Pinoy (Samahan ng mga Litratistang Pilipino) is back on line. I miss this meme a lot. Aside from the cool new website, LP is introducing its new team and ‘How to Join’ section.
LP was founded by Ms. Thess of thesserie.com in April 28 as her way of sharing photos and photography tips with some of her friends. The site gain tremendous popularity over time where both hobbyist and stay-at-home moms like me gather every Thursday (online) to participate in a weekly challenge.
You can also participate and share your photo based on a weekly theme and enjoy meeting new friends while bloghopping. You will also meet two new LP team members Lino and Ronnie who will be of help to us participants and incoming members.
This month LP has a complete list of theme or weekly challenge.
December 2009:
03 – Hudyat (Signal, Sign)
10 – Hiling (Wish)
17 – Paskong Pinoy (Christmas, Filipino way)
24 – Regalo (Gift)
31 – Pasasalamat (Gratitude, Thankfulness, Giving thanks)
WHO CAN JOIN?
- Bloggers/ photobloggers. Filipinos and non Filipinos are welcome to join!
- Facebook and Flickr users are welcome as well!
HOW TO PLAY?
For bloggers:
- Post a photo/s related to the weekly challenge (theme) on your blog. Leave your comment with your post link on weekly Litratong Pinoy posted on the main page. This will lead other participants to your blog.
- Use ‘Litratong Pinoy’ or ‘L.P.’ on your title post. Please do not mix LP post with other photo memes.
- Use YOUR OWN photos and not those taken from the internet.
- Tagalog post is preferred. Taglish (Tagalog- English) is permissible.
- Place a Litratong Pinoy button on each post. Also place a Litratong Pinoy button on your sidebar. This will help the group grow.
- Tag and/or categorize your Litratong Pinoy posts for easy browsing.
For Facebook and Flickr users:
- Simply post your entry on your FB wall or Flickr page linking it to the corresponding Litratong Pinoy weekly challenge post which can be found on this website every Thursday.
Attention Facebook users. You can also post your Litratong Pinoy weekly challenge here.
WHEN?
New Litratong Pinoy post will be posted every Thursday, 12 am Philippine time. The game starts at this time and it’s up to you to keep it rolling until the next challenge.
Girl’s Talk: Favorite gift
This is a very late post for Marce Niko’s Girl’s Talk so bear with me. The gift that I received recently is this bag from Mommy Clarissa. It’s my favorite now. And of course the make up that she gave. I’ll just try to learn how to put make up on.
How about you what is your favorite gift? Just click on the badge to learn more about it.
Have a cozy bed and breakfast in Paris
Do you have plans of visiting Paris this Holiday Season? It’s definitely one of the best places for tourism. You can check out bedandbreakfast.biz to look for information about Paris hotels. You will love the romantic ambiance of hotel Paris as much as you enjoy the beautiful places there. If you don’t want to miss the train going to Bordeaux you may want to spend the night at hotel gare montparnasse. I’m sure you’ll have a memorable immobilier de luxe. Enjoy your stay.
Photohunt: Technology
A quit smoking diary
It’s alarming that individuals as young as 13 to 15 years old are addicted to smoking due to curiosity and peer influence. I have two preteen kids and at this point I’m beginning to worry about their possible exposure to friends or schoolmates who smoke. If you know a friend or someone close to you who wants to stop smoking you can recommend them to read valuable information at myquitsmokingdiary.com. The site may be able to help them plan to prepare themselves to quit smoking. They are given options to available therapy products that will work for them. Smokers who are trying to quit may find interesting tips on how former smokers did it successfully. The biggest challenges faced by smokers attempting to quit are the withdrawal symptoms that can be both physical and psychological. The physical symptoms are manifested through tightness in the chest, insomnia, headaches, difficulty concentrating, sore throat and indigestion, constipation and nausea. On the hand, psychological symptoms include cravings and yearnings, depression and hunger and increased appetite. Your quit smoking diary offers resources to help you manage these symptoms properly. If you are a smoker and you are determined to quit, please consider it as a gift for your family. They love to see you healthy and strong. If your have queries related to your attempt to quit smoking, experts at myquitsmokingdiary.com are very much willing to offer their help.
Little Yami
Varicose veins solution
Did you know that varicose veins can now be treated in a vein clinic and that you have the option to choose the minimally invasive procedure? At Vein-Treatment.com they offer information about the most modern treatment for your vein problem. All you have to do is enter your zip code at the link provided at the site to be directed to the nearest vein doctor in your area.
NUJP statement on Maguindanao carnage
I’m reposting this from Shawarma Nights in support of NUJP’s call to stop the killing of journalists…and my way of echoing their sentiments over our fallen brothers in the profession. Shawarma Nights is maintained by former PJI editor Ares Gutierrez now based in Dubai. 
Maguindanao carnage strikes at the very foundations of democracy
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) demands justice for our colleagues and all the other victims of the November 23 carnage in Maguindanao province.
The Ampatuan massacre, which the military has confirmed was perpetrated by Shariff Aguak Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. and police Sr. Inspector Dicay, goes beyond the issue of freedom of the press and of expression and strikes at the very foundations of democracy.
Aside from the wife, relatives and supporters of Ismail Mangudadatu, who were on their way to file his certificate of candidacy to run as governor of Maguindanao, the slaughter also claimed the lives of at least 12 colleagues, according to reports from our chapters in Mindanao.
This incident not only erases all doubts about the Philippines being the most dangerous country for journalists in the world, outside of Iraq, it could very well place the country on the map as a candidate for a failed democracy.
Running for office and voting are as much exercises of free will and expression as covering and reporting the news.
We expect nothing less from this government than the swift apprehension and punishment of everyone involved in this gruesome assault on the national body politic, including the masterminds, regardless of who they might be.
Anything less would mean that the impunity that has emboldened those who would silence the press, staining this administration with the worst record of murdered journalists, has spread to embolden those who would subvert our democracy for their own selfish interests
Bike shed for us
I’ve told my online friend about my interest to go jogging with her one weekend. This is in connection with my ultimate goal to lose weight and be fit for my health. I have not started any program on dieting yet not even watching what I eat (sigh). Hence, I need an activity (aside from household chores) where I can burn calorie(s) to the hilt. ^^ How about biking? Hubby has been telling me to try biking. Why not? The only problem we have at the moment is that our bike, actually its hubby’s is too tall for me. I want a bike that is fit for me (or my weight) that can be used by my kids later. If we are going to have another bike we will need a bike shed to be placed just outside our house. Bike storage sheds are necessary to protect the motorbike from constant exposure to sun and rain. I’ve seen one that fits our need for bike sheds at asgardsss.co.uk. They have useful step by step instructions on how to assemble the metal shed.
A second course in MRI technology
Two of my former colleagues who studied nursing as their second course are now licensed nurses. They have plans to work abroad and are now training in local hospitals to gain experience. One of them is persuading me to study and even offer her textbooks for free. But I told her that instead of a nursing career, I’m intending to pursue MRI technology program (if time and budget will permit it). MRI is one the several core programs being offered at medacademy.org including vocational nursing, psychiatric technician, ultrasound technology and radiologic technology. Faculty members teaching these courses are active medical professionals from Europe, Asia, North America and South America to ensure that students will get the best possible education in medicine.
I blame it on my hormones
I’m not in a blogging mood lately. I haven’t responded to emails, comments and queries from dear friends since last week. I hope they understand me…I’m not sure what causes this gloomy feeling… I wish I could share them here…Can I blame my hormones for this? I’m pushing ** and some signs of hormone imbalance are already showing up. The prominent signs are fatigue, dizziness, anxiety, headaches, premenstrual syndrome or PMS, and weight gain. The last being my problem for the last two years is taking its toll on my overall health and my outlook in life. I’m not as confident when I was younger and slimmer. Appearance though is not the outright problem for me but by the way my weight is affecting my activities around the house. I get tired easily. I have the tendency to rest after doing a minor activity. I wish I have the conviction to exercise to get rid of the unnecessary pounds. If I’m fit and healthy I can better manage my stress and avoid this sulking mood for good. I hope to be back on my blogging activity in time.
