007: The Chronicles of the Late Kid during the #REDx Party

I was always a bit hesitant to meet fellow pozzies even after I was diagnosed with HIV-1, from the SET that I attended last April, to casual meet-ups between poz people. Which is why I was unsure if I wanted to go to the #REDx Christmas Party last December 14. I was pretty sure that a lot of people will be present at the event, considering the number of tweets that I have been reading weeks before the party. But being the impulsive kid that I am, I confirmed my attendance to the party. Great.

Daddy @dvocateHIV texted me about carpool assignments and stuff, and I was assigned to join @R13cga’s group. One huge problem that I had was that my best friend’s wedding was set on December 13, and I’ve been working non-stop with last minute tasks that need to be done for the wedding. Needless to say I was friggin’ tired when I slept. And here comes the fun part: I woke up at seven in the morning. Carlo called me up and asked about my whereabouts, they were waiting for me for an hour now. I told him to go to Laguna since I can ask for directions going to the venue but he insisted to wait for me. Enter cab driver who misunderstood my directions and went to LRT Edsa-Taft Station instead of MRT Buendia Station. Bummer. The endpoint is, I was able to meet up with Carlo and the gang around nine in the morning.

I know that most of the people, if not everyone, were pissed off with my tardiness. And for that, I sincerely apologize. Hehe. Anyway, we arrived at the venue by eleven, and what’s more embarrassing than being late is knowing that the guys who arrived there earlier than us (or me, whichever is more fitting) waited for us before they began the event. Aww thanks. Nakakahiya talaga.

It was a tiring yet super fun day for everyone, especially when the organizers assigned us to different teams or districts. I was assigned to District 2, along with @fauxpositive, @sonic39k, @keeper_jasper, @Mate0Diaz, @fighivter, and @C3DD13. I realized meeting other pozzies in a big event is fun, I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling at their antics. We were asked to put our blindfolds and look for our districtmates while we make our distinct sounds. What’s funny is that our district settled for the deep “HUY” sound as our signal. We seriously sounded like straight guys. Wow.

There was one game which I will never ever forget - that frigging egg-catching game. @keeper_jasper threw the egg and I wasn’t able to catch it on the first try. So much for hand-eye coordination.

Kudos to @C3DD13 who answered the tie-breaker question during the quizbee, and saving our butt while most of us were either sleepy, or “high” due to their medications. Haha. Seriously, the questions were really difficult. Oh, and congratulations to @fighivter for winning the Twitter Idol contest. You were awesome!

The food prepared by @ChefPos was sumptuous! And no matter how hard I try to resist eating that Chicken Wrap due to my allergies, I just gave in to my craving. Hahahaha. It’s a good thing I brought antihistamine tablets with me.

Evening came and it was time for Mr. and Ms. #REDx. It was time for our tributes @Mate0Diaz and @C3DD13 to rock the pageant. With @fighivter as the Mamasang… er, Fashion Consultant, we were able to come up with a Gothic/Futuristic theme which was superb! Our tributes won the Resorts Wear Competition, looking like Victoria’s Secret models. @blazinghot2492 and @plusitiveguy won as Mr. and Ms. #REDx respectively. District 5 also won as overall champions for the event, with our District not far behind, lacking five points. Seriously, if I only were able to properly catch those friggin’ eggs, we could’ve won. Haha. But congratulations to District 5. =)

Later that night, an awarding ceremony was held for certain individuals, and a silent moment of prayer was offered to @chiefniko04 as well as other fellow soldiers who passed away. Although I didn’t know @chiefniko04 personally, seeing fellow pozzies cry and become emotional made me feel melancholic too. I realized life is really short, so we must always try to live each day as if it’s our last. We must always feel blessed for waking up each morning, and never forget to show our loved ones that we care for them for we will never know where this journey ends.

Alcoholic drinks poured after the event, and as much as I want to go on an epic drinking binge, I was too exhausted that I decided to go to sleep after several bottles. Well, more than several bottles to be honest. Haha. A big shoutout to @VickyBeki for offering Red Horse when I was about to throw up because I didn’t like San Mig Light. Arte.

Attending the #REDx Christmas Party made me really happy because I was able to gain new friends and catch up with guys I already met before. Through #REDx, I will always be reminded that I am not and will never be alone in this battle. That I have friends to count on everytime I feel down, and share happy and precious memories with them. We just have to keep marching on and own the scars that life gives us. Blood brothers, no matter what.

Geez, now I can’t wait for #REDxSummer. Haha. And oh, when I was going home, that’s when I realized I never took a dip in the pool. So much for a pool party for me. Haha =)