Neuro- i love it!

So now, it's finally the last few days of Neuro and Elderly Care medicine.

And like always, my clinical partner and I have been sent away again (for what, the fourth time? Not fair! ) and this time to Northampton General Hospital. Nothing much to complain really in here, I actually do like this hospital and the accomodation, what with the duvet provided and the ensuite accomodation, this one is the best accomodation so far!

Neurology was definitely fun, I was actually thinking a few weeks ago that I've found my true call in Medicine. OK, maybe that was NOT the first time I've said that, I think I've been thinking like that every time I've finished a rotation. Like for example, when we were doing Cardio, I could just imagine myself being that top consultant Cardiologist, ordering this and that tests for my Cardio patients. Oh, and doing cool procedures too like TAVI (keyhole valve replacement, for those who doesn't have a clue). And when I was doing the Gastro Rotation, I was thinking, that would be my place one day too.

Haha.

But this one is more for real I guess. I love reading Neuro, as I found it just truly amazing. I really, really do. This is where we learn more about the brain and its function. The higher mental functioning of the brain, the capacity of human to think and rationalise, and the network of nerves connecting the upper part of the human body to the rest of our system are just amazing. Imagine that you are able to read this, without being aware of the millions of tiny little cells called neurons working hard to make sure you can read word by word. And how your hands are able to move when the brain says move, even when you yourself do not even realise that it's the brain that was giving the order.

I could go on and on about all these, but maybe there would not be enough space in here to write. All of these abilities, to see different colours, to hear sounds from different amplitudes and tones, to talk (or sing!) in different pitches- they all need the neurons from the brain to be working fine. All of that and more.

So, isn't it time yet for us to think and reflect?

Of how Great the Creator is for creating us to the finest details. And who have perfection us making us who we are today. To give us so much nikmat that there is no way in the world that we are able to count them... as there are just too many of them!

Yet, we take these blessings for granted, and for some of us, it had never once came across the mind that it is the Mercy of Allah that has allowed us to have all these.

Yet, there are people out there who denies Him as the One true God and instead, take others as Ilah.

How very ungrateful these people are. And how very sorry they will be one day when the Day of Resurrection comes.

Just some reflections for the soul today....Hmm, just love how medicine never failed to remind me of the Greatness of Allah. There are indeed many reminders or tazkirah in this job, popping up here and there, if we are actually aware of it. Hopefully for the following more years to come, it will help me become closer to God, and be His excellent ' Abd insyaAllah.

Just pray to Allah to give me the strength to carry on, as you know.. how very interesting and amazing medicine is, it definitely is very challenging. One more year to go, just one more. Pray that I'll perservere!

Open our eyes

Sometimes, for reasons I don't know myself, I would put my fingers around the neck to feel the carotid pulse, and check if I'm still alive. And at other times, I would try to feel the apex beat (in layterm it is the area where your heart beats strongest on the left side of the chest) to see if my heart is still thumping (and of course it does). Err..Ok probably this is the influence of too much CardioRespi block these past few weeks ;p

Well, try it. When I usually do it, I would then feel a sense of gratefulness to be alive. Because sometimes we take our living in this world for granted, and we forgot to thank Allah for giving us this great nikmat. To still be able to inhale and exhale, to still be able to look around and see the different colours of the world, to still be able to listen to our friends' chattering away and so much more.

But some people are not so fortunate. Not as lucky as us. They wake up to the sound of explosives, of bombs flying away, they may even wake up realizing that their mom/dad is not there anymore by their side. And we're talking small children here, babies even.

That's what happened, and is happening, and will still continue to happen in Palestine at the moment. The civilians are wounded, physically and emotionally and are faced with cruelty and atrocities and other unbelievable inhumane acts.

I went to a talk by Ismail Patel recently (he's the founder of Friends of Al Aqsa, and based in Leicester) and according to him 85% of Palestinians are living in poverty. Hundreds of them are unable to get the proper health service and help and is in danger of dying, and supply of important medications are not enough for these people.

And imagine, when the war hit Palestine, the phosphorus bomb was used, and the doctors didn't know how to treat the wounded ones at first, as never had they encountered those kind of wounds before. And when the Power Plant was destroyed too, schools were not able to function, hospitals with its operating theatres, incubators for babies (just to name a few) can't function too.

This is just a message to everyone- do not ever forget the Palestinians and their immense sufferings- in our prayers, and in everything that we do. They are there fighting in this war against the taghut, it's their jihad, and it is actually ours too. For we are brothers and sisters; their sufferings are ours too.

Let us make people aware of the situation in Palestine/Gaza. Open our eyes and hearts and spread the words~

The Day I first Saw Someone Died in Front Of my Eyes. Part 1

This is just something that I've jotted down a few months ago while I was in A & E in Burton Hospital. Found it, and thought of sharing.

The Day I first Saw Someone Died in Front Of my Eyes.

As I was coming to the A&E department that night, I was not really sure of what to expect, and what I was going to experience tonight. Being in the 3rd block in the Jr Rotation, we have not been actually exposed to A & E before, and probably not until next year in Senior Rotation. ( I was just being a curious cat that night and wanted to know what it's like in A & E). Oh, well, probably there'll be some interesting acute abdomen or musculoskeletal cases tonight that I can see, I thought.

"There's a resuscitation going on in there," a doctor soon told me.

Oh, wow, this would be something interesting, I thought.

"Can I go and see?" Probably a very stupid question from a (then) timid medical student. "Of course you can." Yeay!

I've not seen a resuscitation before, well, maybe I have, but those that are being done on a manequin, a lifeless body who cannot feel the pain- not the real thing. And, so the scene that greeted me as I entered the door was definitely new, and in a way, unexpected.

-to be continued-

End of IPE

I was telling myself a few weeks ago, that I would be actively writing in the blog (again for the upteenth time!) after the exams (IPE) has finished. So, yes, hopefully this new term resolution will stay with me. Well, we'll see.

Alhamdulillah, now I'm a free girl!! IPE has just finished...although I can't say I'm too happy about it. Thought I could have done better. It was quite tough to be honest, with lots of vague questions (or maybe it's just me huhu.) The OSCE especially was totally out of my head,hmm.. the medic school sure knows how to grill and drill us all! And I'm not sure if I'm going to even pass!

I could go on and on about the exams just now, but I don't think I will. It's not good for the future generation,,err I mean, the adik2 who will be sitting for their exams next year. Or, maybe I could do, you know, just to make sure everyone gets prepared mentally even from the beginning.

Oh well, whatever happens, whatever the results may be, as long as I know that I've put my best effort preparing for it, then I'm OK. Leave everything else in Allah's hands, He knows what is best for me, insyaAllah.. So, for now, keep on praying...Tawakal to Allah..

Anyway, a few days before the exams, an ukhti dearest to the heart, surprised us all with a very personalised Good Luck Card, one for each of us, and posted to our homes! It was definitely a pleasant surprise, she had our photos printed in front of the card, and her own (plus her 2 kids) photo inside with some beautiful and inspiring wishes/reminders. Thank u kak!I mean, all the extra effort, to find the words and photos, to print it off in some photo shop etc etc. It's just amazing how thoughtful some people are.

And it's great to have other friends and sisters who were very supportive in this exam period. (Thank u for all the good luck wishes, and oh yeah, to some ppl, thanks for cooking food for us! hehe). I am soooo blessed to be around these great people here in Leicester Alhamdulillah.

OK, enough about the exam.
On a more cheerful note, I'm having days off for the next 5 days. Heehee.. Haven't actually planned anything in particular, but probably would spend it catching up on life (or work! ;p) that I've missed when I was so busy preparing for the exams.

And next week, I need to go outblock again. To Northampton this time round for Elderly Care Block. Heard of many good things about it, so hopefully it will be good. Although can't say that I'm too happy about going out of Leicester again, for the 4th time.

That's all for today..take care!

When it snows....

It is indeed most pleasant when it starts to snow. When you try to grasp the snowflakes with your hands, and then realize that they will just melt away as soon as they reach your hand. Or when you try to open your mouth wide, hoping to taste these beautiful snowflakes, and pretending to munch on them as if they are some sort of 'ais kacang' that you miss from home so much.

When it snows, it just lifts the spirit up; If you're feeling gloomy, all of a sudden you feel like you want to just smile and be cheerful all day long :-)
Sometimes you feel like dancing in the snow, and make snow angels, and just have fun in the snow..!

Alhamdulillah, isn't Allah Great? He has bestowed upon us many blessings and many 'nikmat's indeed. He has shown us how beautiful the earth can be when flakes of tiny drops of snow begin to fall from the sky, showering us as we walk on the path. He has made our spirits lift up, in delight just by looking at this magnificent view. Surely, there must be something to learn and gain from all of His creation, including the snow?

Let's look at our book of guidance, the Quran :

"We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them as a play and game for Us. "[Quran 21:16]

Everything is present in the world for a purpose, even the snow. It may well be for us to appreciate His creation even more, so that we will be closer to Him. Being a Muslim, even the littl-est, tiniest thing that we observe, especially from the nature around us, should bring us back to Allah, our Creator, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

It should remind us about His greatness, His Mercy upon us, that He has created everything for US so perfectly. Yes, everything- the sun, the flowers, the cute pets we have, the oxygen, the list goes on (too many to list down-in fact, it is IMPOSSIBLE to list all the things that He has given us!)-they are all there designed specifically for us, whom He loves so so much.

"It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; Moreover His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge." [Surah Baqarah 2:29]

He even decorated the sky with stars for us to enjoy looking at it!

"And We have, indeed, made mansions of stars in the heaven and have adorned it for beholders." : [Al-Hijr:16]

Let us take some time, to reflect and think, have we reciprocate our love to our Creator? Have we found the time in between our busy lives to be thankful to Him for all the things He has given us? Have we showed signs of appreciation by bowing our heads and prostrating to Him, alone, in the middle of the night, when everyone else is fast asleep?

It is for us to think and now, to act accordingly, insyaAllah. With the new year of Islam (Maal Hijrah), let us make our new year resolutions to become a better Muslim, a better 'Abd to Him, insyaAllah. And May He grant us the strength to be istiqamah in this path insyaAllah..

Thinking 'bout You

Special dedication to the most special person on earth :)
For lighting the way,
And for guiding us to the right path.


When I hold your hand,
I could fly a zillion miles with you.
When I see your grace,
I can see you're God's words come true.
Every little bird above the haze,
And fish beneath the waves,
Knows about you...
Wouldn't they do.

When I see your eyes,
I can see rainbows in the sky.
Being with you,
All who parted reunite.
Every little pearl drop in the clouds,
And stones beneath the ground,
Are waiting for you...
Wouldn't they do.

Whatever you say
Lightens up the burden of the day.
Whatever you do
Makes us ever want to follow you.

Whatever they say,
Whatever they do,
I'll always love you.

Every burning comet that zooms,
And angels too,
Think about you...
Wouldn't they do.

Thinkin' bout you,
I could climb a mountain in the dark.
Listenin' to you,
Flowers dance in the park.

Whatever they say,
Whatever they do,
We'll always love you.

The words that you say,
Lightens up the burdens of the day.
Whatever you do,
Makes us want to follow you.

Whatever they say,
Whatever they do,
I'll always love you.

Some thoughts, after a long silence

I have again, left this blog dusty.

In which case, I am truly sorry. To anyone who's reading this, and also to myself, for not being able to capture the great and not-so-great moments of my life in this blog. There has been many ups (and some minor downs) in life lately, many things to be learnt from, pointers and constant reminders, in which I am very thankful for.Thank you Allah for the never ending nikmat, for granting me this life. Alhamdulillah

It is almost the end of 2009. Looking back over the years, it seems like only yesterday the year was starting. A year ago, I was this third year medical student struggling to pass the Phase 1 exam, the most horrifying exams ever (well, after finals I suppose). And since then, 1 year has passed and believe it or not, I'm a grown person now [or at least I hope!].

Great events happening in this year are all good memories for me.Being a clinical medical student is an exciting journey indeed, it opened up my eyes to the real world and the real 'thing'. The patients here are very lovely, especially the elderly people. They just love to talk to medical students, knowing that we need to learn to be able to do well. Even here, in Boston, many of the elderly ladies patients whom I've talked to, just love to give me big hugs! hehehe [and one of them thought I was 15 y/o! ;p]

At times, when I look at all these lovely souls, who have been so kind, I can't help but hope that they will one day find the true meaning of life, and find the light of Islam. Because only with Islam, will one be able to find happiness now, and ever after. Only by submitting yourself to the One God, and trying your best to be his Abd, will one be saved from the torment in the afterlife.
And when we know why we are here in this world, only then will we able to manouvre our life better, to seek Allah's redha in everything that we do, so that we won't be led astray.

Insha Allah...
For now, let's show the best example of a Muslim to the people who might not have yet found Islam. Let's show them how beautiful is Islam. Let's be the ambassadors of Islam, by showing them the best example, as has been shown by our great prophet, Muhammad saw. Let's follow his akhlak, and spread Allah's words, and who knows, some hearts may be opened up to Islam by Allah's will...

Take care and have a good week :)