01483: World AIDS Day is Today

First, today is World AIDS Day, a time set aside to reminding the world that our fight against HIV and AIDS is far from over. This is especially true in the Philippines, which sadly is one of the few countries where the AIDS infection rate continues to increase.

The strength of the lobby of the Catholic Church (or at least the CBCP) is ridiculous in this country. As we cling to the false notion that we're a "Catholic country," our politicians continue to fear endorsing the value of contraceptive measures like condoms with respect to the fight against the virus. Instead they simply dismiss it as the consequence of irresponsible sexual action in general - and don't get me started on the summary judgement against homosexual behavior as a whole.

But what my main reminders related to AIDS are these:
1. Gay sex does not cause AIDS - unprotected sex does
2. HIV / AIDS is not a death sentence in itself - not any more than asthma, diabetes and other conditions.
3. Getting tested should not be seen as something to be embarrassed about - instead we should think of it as a regular part of any medical check-up.
4. We're all going to die sooner or later. What is more important is how we choose to live our lives.

In other news, I'm so glad that this crazy work week is finally and truly over. It was quite the killer and I ended the week feeling pretty sore, and I know it's not because of extensive physical activity. This has more to do with the stress as a whole and how my body tends to respond to such stress on a physical level. And obviously it's not a good thing.

But all that is past and I'm going to make the most of this weekend to relax and de-stress as best as I can. I spent a little time cleaning up Megatron and Straxus over there and then tonight we have a gaming night scheduled with some friends.

And special, special thanks to Tobie for enduring my stressed out state as of late. I know I get extra cranky and more often than not I've slept straight through any time when we're both at the Sietch together. I'm really, really lucky to have him in my life.