Welcome to the jungle!
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meet the predator
call me jenie
born on 02/20/83 after my Dad & Mom drank beer and ate balut 9 months before
lives in Singapore, but always a Pinoy at heart
works as an advertising copywriter, but hates proofreading her blog entries
loves true friends, fake DVD's, alternative music, alcohol, sarcasm, boxing, hatha yoga, and House (the TV series,not the music genre)
loathes indifference, power trippers, narcissists, giant egos and bad breath
tries to live by the quote "Postpone death by living, by suffering, by error, by risking, by giving, by losing." by Anais Nin
my first AIDS test
Freaky title isn't it? But yes, I had my first ever HIV test during my medical exam here in Singapore, and I didn't even know about it!
The doctor just had took a sample of my precious blood and a week later, I get a test result saying, HIV Test - Non reactive. So much for transparency. And so much for abstaining from 'green leaves' for almost 6 months!
Anyway, I realy didn't care about that til I realized how freaky it sounds to have yourself tested - for AIDS. Never in my life did I imagine myself going to a clinic to get myself tested. What got my blood (no pun intended) boiling more is the fact that only women take the test. Melvin, my fellow newbie in SG, just had to check on the boxes saying he doesn't have HIV and Tuberculosis. Wow. I need to keep telling myself that I'm in a country where women are still discriminated against. I also found out that only Filipinos have to get an Exit Pass from the Embassy when they leave SG. But that's another story.
Days ago, I was trying to get an answer from them why only women have to take the medical exam. As it turns out, they're more paranoid about women entering the country because of the possibility of pregnancy. Before my results arrived, my boss kept asking and teasing me if I were pregnant, and I kept shouting back with a big 'No!' of course. According to him, he needs to get a new copywriter and I'd have to fly back If ever I was carrying life inside me. Apparently, no woman holding an Employment Pass can get pregnant here. Well, not until she's a Permanent Resident. It's obviously part of their population control scheme. So, note to self. Don't get pregnant here, and anywhere else for that matter. I really don't have to worry about that now unless of course an immaculate conception is possible in this day and age.
Aside from that, I discovered that most working women are HIGHLY encouraged to stop working and stay at home once they bear and rear children. Our recently promoted account supervisor, a married woman, wanted to get a puppy instead because for her, being pregnant meant losing her job. In a way, I understand her side. It just annoys me that they discourage 'working mothers' here in one way or another. But then again, what if that was the path that all women should take? I really wouldn't know. All I ask is they test people from any race or gender, for HIV. Period.
So that's another one of my OFW stories. Things like this really stir up the feminist side of me. Stay tuned for more rants and raves from your new Singapoh correspondent. This is Jenie Gabriel, signing off.
Advanced Happy Woman's Day! :P
3:52 PM
Thursday, March 08, 2007
