Kisah Sel Darah Merah

Assalamualaikum,

Sekadar nak berkongsi cerita tentang ciptaan Allah yang menakjubkan. Terutamanya bagi yang tak pernah/lupa/tak minat Biology :P

Minggu ni, saya mula posting Haematology. Maka kenalah selak semula page-page awal dalam buku teks, nak ingatkan balik tentang perkara-perkara asas yang dah lupa. Bila baca balik, tiba-tiba terasa sangat kagum dengan ciptaan Allah yang bernama 'sel darah merah' (RBC).

Ok, short lecture tentang darah yang mengalir berterusan dalam badan kita. Kalau kita ambik blood tube berisi darah dan gunakan mesin centrifuge untuk putarkan tiub tu dengan sangat laju, darah yang kita nampak merah akan terpisah kepada 3 lapisan. Lapisan atas sekali ialah plasma yang mengandungi segala jenis protein, kemudian ada satu lapisan nipis dipanggil buffy coat yang mengandungi sel darah putih dan platelet, dan di bawah sekali ada lapisan merah yang mengandungi sel darah merah.

http://wiki.uiowa.edu/download/attachments/14222815/plasma.gif

Kali ini, kita cuba fokus pada RBC je.

Tugas utama RBC ni adalah untuk mengambil oxygen dari peparu, dan bawa oxygen ke seluruh bahagian tubuh badan kita. Sekarang saya nak korang semua cuba bayangkan:

Dalam setitik darah kita, ada berjuta-juta RBC. Maksudnya setiap RBC ni memang sangat-sangat lah kecil sampai kita memerlukan mikroskop untuk tengok dia. Dan untuk pengetahuan korang, setiap sel ni mempunyai struktur yang kompleks. Bukan simple-simple je

Cuba kita tengok pula pada struktur SATU sel darah merah. Setiap RBC yang normal berbentuk biconcave disk (dwicekung - seperti gambar di atas), dan sel-sel ini deformable (mudah ubah-bentuk/lentur) untuk memudahkan diorang masuk ke setiap ceruk saluran darah kat badan kita. Keupayaan ini terletak pada keunikan lapisan membran diorang.

http://flipper.diff.org/app/items/info/1197

Agak-agak kompleks tak? Lapisan ni dipanggil lipid bilayer dan yang biru-biru tu ialah protein-protein pelbagai fungsi. Kalau perasan, kat bawah lapisan tu ada cytoskeleton/filamentous protein yang dihubungkan kepada membrane dengan special linkage protein. Ini yang membantu sel ni melentur tanpa hilang bentuk asal dan pecah. Sedikit kerosakan pada protein tu akan menyebabkan masalah besar.

Tak cukup hebat lagi? Hehe. Sekarang kita tengok apa yang ada dalam RBC ni.

http://www.beltina.org/pics/hemoglobin.jpg

Satu RBC mengandungi lebih kurang 270 JUTA haemoglobin (Hb). Hb ialah molekul yang berperanan mengangkut oxygen. 270JUTA! Dalam satu RBC yang tak nampak pakai mata kasar. Dan tak cukup lagi, setiap Hb mengandungi 4 protein chains, dan setiap satunya ada satu haem group yang ada iron molecule untuk pegang molekul oxygen. Bila oxygen diikat pada haem, protein chains akan berubah bentuk untuk pastikan oxygen tidak terlepas.

Kawan-kawan, ni baru sel darah merah, yang TIADA NUKLEUS pun. Belum dikira sel-sel bernukleus yang sudah pasti jauh lebih kompleks daripada RBC. Tak awesome ke tu?

Jadi?

Pada saya, ini sangat cukup untuk membuktikan adanya Tuhan yang mengatur alam sedemikian rupa. Susah banyak (bukan sikit je) nak percaya molekul Hb tu boleh tersusun dengan sendirinya. Susah nak percaya yang lapisan membran tu boleh sebegitu efficient tanpa ada yang membuatnya sedemikian rupa.

Dan ini baru Haematology, belum sistem-sistem lain yang berlambak dalam badan kita. Dan ini baru manusia, belum kira segala macam binatang dan tumbuhan di muka bumi ni. Huuu~~Sebab tu kita selalu dinasihatkan untuk berjalan, tengok, dan fikir. :)

"Kami akan perlihatkan kepada mereka tanda-tanda kekuasaan Kami di merata-rata tempat (dalam alam yang terbentang luas ini) dan pada diri mereka sendiri, sehingga ternyata jelas kepada mereka bahawa Al-Quran adalah benar. Belumkah ternyata kepada mereka kebenaran itu dan belumkah cukup (bagi mereka) bahawa Tuhanmu mengetahui dan menyaksikan tiap-tiap sesuatu?"  Al-Quran (41:53)


Kesimpulannya, belajar medic memang best. Terutamanya apabila kita boleh pulangkan segala kekaguman kita pada Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. ^__^

My White Jacket

My White Jacket


I bought a new jacket during the autumn break. I bought it at Anfield Stadium, hence it has a Liverpool badge on it.

The jacket is white in colour, very white. With a few red strips running on each sleeve and a black collar. It didn't cost me much, as the Liverpool merchandise shop was having a clearance sale.

In front of Anfield. That is not the jacket though :P

Still, it was precious and meaningful to me.

Again, I repeat. The jacket was WHITE in colour. I was looking for a RED one, but they were sold out. And everyone know how difficult it is to look after a white jacket/shirt/trouser/shoe. They get dirty easily.

When I wear this jacket to go out, I became very cautious. Very very cautious. Trying my best to prevent anything from staining my WHITE jacket. Up to the point, that I became very selective. Choosing only suitable days for me to wear it. Days with the lowest risk for the jacket to get dirty.

I do realise, it will become dirty eventually. It is almost impossible to keep it clean amidst everything that happens around me. When that happen, I'll make sure that I'll wash my jacket clean. Clean from any stains.

As I know, if the stains are to be left, it will accumulate, and the jacket will not be the same. By then, it will lose its whiteness, its value, and I'll just treat it like any other jackets that I have.

But I am fully aware that I cannot keep it in the closet forever. I bought it so that I can wear it. To show others the team that I support. It will get dirty, and I will continue to try my best to clean them. All the time.

My Heart

I have a heart. I didn't buy it from anywhere. It was given to me. And it has been with me since I was born, might even be before that. When I first had it, it was pure and clean.

But now, I don't know. I am not sure if my heart was as clean as it used to be..

I have to admit, I was  not as cautious with my heart as I was with my WHITE jacket. I did not clean it properly after I expose it to the many challenges in this world. The many whispers of Satan, that led me to do things that stain my heart. Maybe I did clean it properly at times, but not so frequent.

Now, I don't want to ignore this heart. It's far more important than any of the white clothes that I have had. But keeping it away in the closet wouldn't do it any good, as I need it in exploring the beauty of this world and filtering the impurities.

Isn't it clear now? That I need to be very careful in handling it. And wash it thoroughly if it ever get stained.

Do not let the dirt accumulate, as I will eventually ignore it as it gets dirtier.

And once I start ignoring them, I start losing my life..

Abu Hurairah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) reported that Allah’s Messenger (salla’llahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said:

“When a person sins, he develops a black spot in his heart. If he repents, his heart is cleaned and purified. But if he continued sinning, then the black spot keeps on increasing. This is the rusting of heart mentioned in the Quran.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi & Ibn Majah)

And it was mentioned in the Quran:

But those will prosper who purify themselves, And glorify the name of their Guardian-Lord, and (lift their hearts) in prayer. (Qur’an 87:14-15)

^__^

Tested by Language

One fine afternoon in the clinic..

"I don't can..", "Don't can.."

What is this patient saying? That sentence is grammatically wrong!

Ah, now I remember! It's a slang word used in the Scottish Borders. People used to remind me about this.
"can" = "know", hence, "don't can" = "don't know". Very interesting indeed.

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The incident that happened while I was doing my Psychiatry attachment in Hawick reminded me of the many instances when I had difficulties communicating with the local people. The Scottish accent is difficult to understand initially, but after spending a year in Scotland, I'm starting to enjoy listening to it (mainly because I can understand them better now :p)

I never fail to smile whenever I recall my first week in Edinburgh. From the failed attempt to start a conversation with the airport taxi driver, to the scare of talking to cashiers in TESCO, fearing that we would not understand each other. There were also time when I was determined to imitate their accent but it ended up with me realising that it's more important for me to speak correctly and clearly rather than struggling to say "aye" and "wee". Don't get me wrong, I like to imitate accents, I think it's fun, but it would sound much better when it is grammatically correct as well.

"And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge."
(Chapter 30, verse 22)


In Scotland, you can listen to Scottish accent, and they differ in parts of Scotland. When you go down to England, you can listen to British accent, which in itself, again, varies according to the region that you're in. And when you go to different parts of the world, they all speak English differently. And that is only one language!! There are many other languages in the entire world, and each of them will usually have different slangs according to the localities. Fuh! ..Indeed, diversity of languages is a sign for us to ponder upon ^_^

Language as a Test

Living in a foreign country, it's interesting that we can speak our own language without the local people understanding any parts of it. And it becomes very tempting for us to start using our own language when we feel like discussing things that we don't want them to know. As a multiracial/multilingual country, this always happen in Malaysia itself.

I believe many of us have done this in the past. Sitting in the train with your friend, and start talking about the person sitting in front of you, good or bad things. Remember, this could be a test from Allah. When we are given the upper hand, the ability to converse in a different language, would we misuse it and start mocking them, or would we be able to refrain ourselves from this bad behaviour? May we look after our tongue as it is not only our source of good deeds insyaALLAH, but also sins when it's misused.

And lastly..

Do not forget to seek help from Allah, as He answers prayers, regardless of the languages they are recited in. ^__^

Changing Season, Changing Man

"Huaaarrghh~~"...

"What time is it?" ..Checking the time..

"Whoaa!! 6.00am, and IT'S ALREADY THIS BRIGHT!?"

Yup, this was before the Daylight Saving Time was on. Longer day, shorter night. A sign that spring is just around the corner, or it may have already made the turn and left winter behind.

Alhamdulillah, my morning these days are greeted by melodious chirping of the birds, and beautiful flowers in a small garden across the street from my house. Though I do miss the snow sometimes, but I'm looking forward to a more exciting and colourful Edinburgh :)

Come to think of it, having stayed in Edinburgh for the last 6 months, I have been blessed with the opportunity to witness the changes that happened in the environment whenever a new season begins. The trees, the plants, the insects, the birds, the pavements, the food, the temperature, the rain and even the people. The changes that occurred were simply fascinating!

I arrived at Edinburgh in late September 2010 and summer was almost over. I was greeted by a chilly wind (not anymore!) and temperature of around 15-17C. I still remember having my jackets on, all the time, and complaining of how cold it was when the temperature dipped, by even 2-3 degrees. However, the sun was still shining brightly then, making Edinburgh as beautiful as it could get. The leaves were still green and the birds were still out.

Then, autumn approached. The leaves slowly changed their colours. From green to either yellow or rusty brown or even red. MasyaALLAH. The view in Princes St Gardens, Meadows, basically everywhere, were simply amazing at that time. It reminded me of the popular Korean drama, 'Autumn in My Heart'. The wonderful sceneries, with leaves falling, and blown away by the wind. Epic. At the same time, temperature drop even further, averaging from 8 to 12 degrees.

After autumn, came winter. A season dreaded by those who have experienced it more than twice. Not me though. I was really excited at the idea of playing with real snow, and making real snowman. It was truly my childhood dream and Alhamdulillah, it was fulfilled. Edinburgh was blessed with plenty of snow this year(literally!), more than what most of the people here have ever seen. And it came much earlier too, in December instead of January or February.

The white blanket that covered the whole city gave it a whole new outlook. To see it rolled out in front of me, while I was at the Craig was truly a blessing from Allah. At the same time, temperature dropped to as low as -15 degrees. The birds were no more to be seen. Trees appeared dead and night became longer (imagine praying Maghrib at 3pm).

And now, as winter is slowly leaving us(reluctantly :P), spring is making its way here. Again, I was left dumb-founded, wondering how would these plants know it's spring. I know that there might be some biological explanations for this, yet to say that all these are happening without a Creator is just not right. Leaves and flower buds appearing from the seemingly dead trees. Temperature is slowly inclining and daytime has gotten longer, which also means Fajr prayer is earlier! Huhu. Not to forget, the birds are out from their hibernation.

Some trees have already blossomed, while others are still waiting. A bit shy perhaps. Yet, people have been telling how beautiful Meadow would be, and I shall wait for it patiently.

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Wonderful, aren't they?

The leaves changes colour, from green to brown; gone and reappear again.
The temperature changes, from 20+, to 13, to 8, 0 and went as low as -15 before making it way up again to 0, 8, 15, and the cycle continues.
The daytime also changes, with Maghrib at 10pm in summer, to as early as 3pm in winter, and back to 7pm in spring.

And these are the Sunnatullah (the law of Allah). This is how He had created the environment, formed and ordered to perfection without any waste.

[And] who created seven heavens in layers. You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency. So return [your] vision [to the sky]; do you see any breaks? Then return [your] vision twice again. [Your] vision will return to you humbled while it is fatigued (Al-Mulk, 67:3-4)

But, does the same principle apply to us human? Allah mentioned in the Quran:

For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah. Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron. (Chapter 13, verse 11)

For us to change, can we simply wait? Do nothing, and expect the changes to occur as how a leaf changes its colour.

Are we gonna get better at things, as how daytime gets longer from winter to summer?

According to the verse stated above, I believe the answer is NO.

We will not change for the better if we do not put in efforts. Yes, it would be great if we can easily transform ourselves to be a better person as time passed by, but that won't happen.

Why?

Because we are better than the environment. Because we are given the privilege to MAKE CHOICES IN OUR LIFE. To decide on which is best for us and what changes we want to make. None of the plants, birds or insects have this privilege, hence we have to make full use of it, AND USE IT WISELY. Orchestrate your life towards specific targets, and work hard to achieve them.

Nobody made it to the top without giving their all and putting in a lot of effort. Lionel Messi wouldn't be a great football player as he is today if he had not spent thousands of hours playing the game he loves.

Mozart wouldn't be a genius musician as he is known today, if he did not play the piano as much as he did. A student of knowledge wouldn't be knowledgeable if he did not spent hours reading books and discussing with his lecturers and friends.

We will not be a better student, son, friend, husband, wife, if we don't try to do so.

And we will not be a better Muslim if we do not put in effort practising Islam..

That is our main target isn't it? As the best of us is the one who is most righteous.

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. (Chapter 49, verse 13) 

Of course, nobody said it's easy to make changes in life. But trust yourself, and believe that God will help those who struggle in His Cause. Be it in the field of study, sport, relationship, or any other areas. And remember as well, that 'ROME WASN'T BUILD IN A DAY', so do changes. What's important is to MAKE IT CONSISTENT, BE IT SMALL OR BIG as that's how Allah loves it :)

InsyaALLAH [God willing]..

Edinburgh: Just Nice

"Karim, do you write?"

"Write? As in articles, or blogging?"

"Anything"

"Used to, but..."

It's been months since I last wrote anything, not because there's nothing to write about, neither am I too busy, rather..I just don't feel like writing. [What a reason huh? =)]

Having said that, after being in Edinburgh for more than 5 months, I now have more confident in whatever I'm going to write about, especially on the city itself, its people and its culture.

This post is meant to introduce Edinburgh to those who have never been here, or yet to be here. This post will depict a few places of interest, which can be said as 'a-must-go' if you ever came here. This post is neither sponsored by the Edinburgh council, nor by any tourist agency, but it's purely based on personal experience as a tour guide, bringing friends and travelers, to various spots all over the city.

Virtual Tour
[warning: If you prefer to see them with your own eyes, and would not want to know about it first, please stop reading ;P]


Usually, visitors to Edinburgh will either take bus or train to come here. If they take bus, they will end up in St. Andrew's bus station, and if they take train, they will stop at Edinburgh Waverley station. Hence, from there, my (and other Malaysian in Edinburgh =P) duty begins.

It will be very great if you're able to come in the morning as we can straight away start the tour. And the first place that we will go to is Calton Hill. Located at the east end of Princes Street, this is one of the most strategic places to view the whole city from the top. Just a few flight of stairs, and you will be mesmerised by the wonderful 360 degree landscape view that you can get there.

Besides that, on the hill are few monuments that were built a long time ago and one of them was actually built as an attempt to imitate the Pantheon in Rome, but it was not completed. Yet, this is a nice place to take many many pictures. =)

Next, from Calton Hill, we shall move on to the castle. We'll go through Princes Street, said to be the most decorated shopping street in United Kingdom, and one can definitely say why. If we walk from the hill site, on our left will be the beautiful Princes St Gardens (not during winter though =P) beautiful trees and little flowers here and there.

In addition, there's the Scott's Monument; a monument built in memory of Sir Walter Scott, one of the famous writers in Scotland. This building has a unique architecture and we can actually climb up it stairs to get a good view of the city. Meanwhile, on our right will be the New Town, with slightly modern buildings and all the shops.

From the West End of the street, there is a very good view of the majestic Edinburgh Castle. And the castle looks much more majestic when viewed up close. To get there, we will need to get to Royal Mile, a historical road with the castle at one end and the Queen's Palace at the other end. The castle is huge, but to enter it, we'll need to pay around 13 pounds. However, taking some pictures from the entrance will be good enough to proof that we were there.

Most of the time, when we reach the castle, we will already be tired from walking long distance and it's time to have some food. I usually bring visitors to Nicholson Street as they are many halal restaurants there (so I can join them :P) such as Kebab Mahal and Mosque Kitchen (seemed to be quite well known all over the world). To get there, we will pass through the National Library of Scotland, the National Museum of Scotland, the Elephant House (a coffee house where JK Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter novel), and McEwan Hall, the graduation hall for students of University of Edinburgh. Not to forget, we are very lucky to have Edinburgh Central Mosque which is close to Nicholson street, making it very easy to perform solat.

These are the places that visitors can go to if they would want to make a day trip to Edinburgh. If it's more than a day, there are many other interesting sites to go. We can go for a short hike up the Arthur's Seat or The Craig. We can visit the Portobello Beach and many other places that even I have yet to go. InsyaALLAH, if you are in UK, a trip to Edinburgh would not be a waste. =)

Thus, if anyone ask me how do I feel about Edinburgh, my answer would be..

Not too busy, not too quite..
Not too old, not too modern..
You can shop, you can do hiking, and you can take peaceful strolls in the parks..
You can perform jamaah prayers easily, and halal food are not too difficult to get..
The accent is neither too Scottish, nor too British..
Efficient public transport system, and security is good..
Unique architectures, and wonderful nature.,
And best of all..Friends that I've made here~

And that's how I view it; 'IT'S JUST NICE' ^__^