Donate Blood - Give Life

For many people, blood donation could be scary thing to do, but for others it is a life saving act. After one donation the scary part vanishes and all the myths around blood donation disappears. You are actually saving lives by donating blood and this donation part is going to take just 45 minutes or less.

It was when I was studying engineering 2nd or 3rd yr in Bharath Engg College, a volunteer blood donation camp was conducted by Hindu Mission Hospital, Tambaram. Many students were eagerly joining to donate blood. Though i haven't donated blood earlier, wanted to do this time and joined. In the hospital, while check up they had inquired about my  blood and I mentioned O+ve which i was thinking as my blood group for years. After the blood donation, the doctor again asked my blood group and I replied O+ve. He then said that my blood group is O-ve and since it is a rare group of blood, he advised me to donate blood whenever there is a necessity. After that, again I donated blood only after my graduation, when i started registering my name in few blood donation related websites. In the last nine years i had donated blood for almost 10 times (only) in the following hospitals.

Hindu Mission Hospital, Tambaram - 1
Apollo Hospital, Mount Road - 1
Apollo Hospital, Greams Road - 1
Railway Hospital, Perambur - 1
Danvanthri Blood Bank, T.Nagar - 1
Vijaya Hospital, Vadapalani - 1
K G Hospital - 1

Update on Mar-2019:
Never updated this post for more than 8 years. Till 2015 I managed to donate blood for 12 times in my life. Didn't get right chance to continue this for over 3 years. Again during mid of 2018 got an opportunity to donate blood for 13th time after a gap of 3 years. Donated blood for the 14th time this month in ESI hospital, Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore.

About Blood Donation
There is a myth that donating blood will create giddiness and tiredness. Even few had asked me whether I feel like tired after donating blood. I had never felt such giddiness ever, in fact I feel more energetic after that, may be because of some satisfaction I'm getting for trying to save someone.

Friends, if you are interested to save someone's life by donating blood, please register your name in websites available for blood donation. Few such websites are
http://friendstosupport.org
http://indianblooddonors.com

Few facts regarding blood donation:

Basic Requirements
Be in generally good health and feeling well.
Be at least 17 years of age; upper age 60.
Weigh at least 110 pounds (45 kg).
Pulse: 80 to 100 beats/min and regular.
Temperature: Should not exceed 99.5 (37.5c).
Blood Pressure: acceptable range is 160/90 to 110/60.
Skin: the venipuncture site should be free of any lesion or scar of needle pricks indicative of addiction to narcotics or frequent Blood donation (as in the case of professional Blood donors).

Donation Frequency
Whole Blood donors may donate every 56 days.
Plasma donors may donate twice a week (max. every 48 hours.)
Platelet donors may donate a maximum of 24 times per year.
Other specialized donations are subject to other rules.


A single donation could save the life of three people. The blood can be given as whole blood or separated into three different components- red blood cells, plasma and platelets, which can help different types of patients.

“Doctor, can't we just buy the blood.” “I am scared to donate blood.” “I will fall sick if I donate.” These are common repartees encountered when individuals are faced with a situation when they are in fact in a position to save a life. How real are these fears?

Myth: Being a vegetarian, means that the blood does not have enough iron and cannot be donated.
Fact: Vegetarians can donate blood. The iron needed is taken from body stores and once a balanced diet is maintained is replaced after donation. This usually normally takes a month or so.

Myth: Giving blood hurts.
Fact: The pain experienced is no more than a needle prick. The slight soreness that maybe where the needle was is just a reminder of the good deed done.

Myth: HIV or other infections can be contracted from donating blood.
Fact: A clear procedure exists for taking blood from each donor. Sterility is maintained at all steps. A sterile, new needle is used for each donation and is then properly discarded. Use of sterile equipment and technique limits the chance of infection.

Myth: Giving blood is time consuming
Fact: The time taken for a single donation session is normally not more than an hour or so.

Myth: There is limited blood in the body and it is unhealthy to give some away.
Fact: Only about 470 ml of blood is taken during a donation session. There is enough blood in the body to donate it without experiencing any ill effects. The body makes new blood after donation.

Myth: Age is a deterrent to blood donation.
Fact: Anyone up to the age of 60 who is fit and healthy can give blood.

Myth: Heavy people are healthier and have more blood to give.
Fact: Being overweight makes people less healthy. Overweight people do not have more blood. Normally human will be having six liters of blood irrespective of their weight.

Myth: Health deteriorates after donating blood.
Fact: If you are healthy prior to donation, your recovery is complete in a day or two. It is advised to rest a while after donating. Drinking enough liquids replaces the lost fluid within a couple of hours. The body produces new cells faster after a donation. All the RBCs are replaced within 3-4 days and WBCs within 3 weeks.

Myth: You cannot take part in sports or other physical activities after donating blood.
Fact: Giving blood does not interfere with ability to perform physically. Advice to avoid heavy lifting or strenuous workouts for the rest of the day is given after the donation. You can get back on track the next day.

Myth: Taking medication means that one cannot be a blood donor.
Fact: Depending on the medication being taken, it may halt donation for a period, though in many cases it won't prevent a donation. The person in charge or the nursing staff should be informed before donating.

Myth: When there is a requirement, blood can be manufactured.
Fact: Blood is not something that can be manufactured. It can only come from healthy human beings.

Myth: Being of mixed race precludes blood from being helpful.
Fact: Race and caste have no bearing on eligibility for being a blood donor. It is the blood type and group that is of importance.

Myth: Blood donation can tell if one is HIV positive.
Fact: HIV antibodies can take months to develop after infection with the virus. Those recently infected may have a negative test result and yet be able to infect others. It is better not to donate blood if at risk of getting HIV or other infections.


About Blood Types

There are four blood types; “A”, “B”, “AB”, and “O”. These types are the names that identify the protein antigen or “coat” that surrounds the red blood cells. The antigen coat not only identifies the blood type, but also identifies the antibodies that are produced by the individual. An individual's blood types antigens determine the blood type antibodies that attack foreign blood.

Type A blood is so named because the individual with this type blood has the “A” antigen coat on his or her red blood cells. This means that this individual's body produces the antibody for the “B” antigen. What this means is that if a person that has type “B” blood attempts to donate blood to a type A person, the antibodies of that person’s blood will react violently. The individual reaction that of the type A receiver of this unacceptable type B blood donation is often deadly. This is because the type A antibodies attack the B coated red blood cells in a reaction that not only destroys the B cells, but also breaks down the individual circulatory system. The pattern of antibody-antigen for the other blood types is as follows:

Type B blood carries the “B” antigen and the A antibodies.

Type AB blood carries both A and B antigen coats, but no antibodies.

While Type O blood has no antigen coat, and both A and B antibodies.

This breakdown was often described as “blood poisoning” when the technique of blood transfusion was first used before it was fully understood. Though practiced in the 18th century with varying success due to the lack of understanding, blood donation transfusions were known to be a risky proposition. The discovery of the relationships of types, antigens, and antibodies made blood donation a science. The ability to donate or receive blood is dependent of the relationship of antibodies and antigens.

Type O blood has no antigen coat and can be given to all blood types. This is because it has no antigen to trigger an antibody response. Type O blood is known as the universal donor. At the same time because it has both A and B antibodies, individuals with Type O blood can only receive blood from other Type O donors.

Type A blood can be donated to individuals with Type A and Type AB blood. This is because Type A blood will not trigger an antibody reaction in either of these types. Type A can receive blood from Type A or Type O.

Type B blood can be donated to individuals with Type B and Type AB blood. This is because Type B blood will not trigger an antibody reaction in individuals these individuals. Type B individuals can receive blood form Type B and Type O.

Type AB blood can be donated to individuals with Type AB blood only. Due to the dual antigen coat of Type AB blood, it causes an antibody response in all other blood types. Type AB blood on the other hand is known as the “universal acceptor” because individuals with this blood type have no antibodies that react to the presence of either the A or B blood antigen coat.

In review; A person with Type A blood carries the “A” antigen and the B antibodies; Individuals with Type B blood carry the “B” antigen and the A antibodies. Type AB blood carries both A and B antigen coats, but no antibodies, therefore are known as “universal acceptors”. While individuals with Type O blood have no antigen coats, therefore are “universal donors”, and have both A and B antibodies making them only able to accept their own type.

In addition, a negative type blood can be donated to a positive type blood but a positive type blood cannot be donated to a negative type blood.

Power of Human Mind

Take a look at this paragraph. Can you read what it says? All the letters have been jumbled (mixed). Only the first and last letter of each word is in the right place:

"I cnduo't bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whoutit a pboerlm. Tihs is bucseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Aaznmig, huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghhuot slelinpg was ipmorantt!"

[For those who can't able to read this paragraph, check at the ending for original paragraph]

I hope most people would be able to read this paragraph. Are you amazed about the reading power of human mind. The fact is our mind is capable of doing more powerful reading than this. It is just a proof to define what it can do.

One such example is Swami Vivekananda's unusual capacity of intense mental concentration, which made him learn and remember essential subject matter in the books in very short period of time, and that too by just reading once!

Once Swami Vivekananda was reading the volumes of 'Encyclopedia Britannica'. His disciple associate (Sharatchandra Chakravarti), seeing those twenty-four volumes, remarked, "It is difficult to master the contents of so many volumes in one life." He did not know at the time that the Swami had already finished ten volumes and was reading the eleventh. "What do you mean?" said Swamiji. "Ask me whatever you like from those ten volumes and I can tell you all about it." The disciple, out of curiosity, brought down the books and asked Swamiji many questions on difficult and varied topics/subjects, selecting one or two from different volumes. Swami Vivekananda not only replied each correctly, but in many instances he quoted the very language of the books!

At other time, Swami Vivekananda happened to turn the pages of a book in quick succession just by looking at them once. The disciple asked as to what Swamiji was doing. Swami Vivekananda replied, "Why, I am reading the book." The fellow was utterly surprised to see such an odd method of reading the book! Then Swami Vivekananda explained: Just as a child reads every letter of a word, most of adults read a cluster of words or a full sentence, similarly ‘I can read paragraph to paragraph’. Thus, three glances and the whole page used to be read! Later he greatly emphasized to cultivate power of mind in the form of purity and concentration for spiritual gains, so also perfection in many arts and studies in science and other branches of education.

If you notice the initial paragraph, we can able to read the words even with letters ordered incorrectly. It is because our mind is trained to read a word as a whole. Similarly through an high level of concentration it is possible to read a line as a whole.


Original Paragraph

I couldn't believe that I could actually understand what I was reading. Using the incredible power of the human brain, according to research at Cambridge University, it doesn't matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total, mess and you can read it without a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole. Amazing, huh? Yeah and I always thought spelling was important!

My Drawings

I was very interested in drawings while studying 11th and 12th grades in school. I used to draw many pencil arts. The interest suddenly caught me and suddenly left me or i didn't mind to continue it. Here are few of my drawings done during my 12th grade. I am not mentioning the name of the person/celebrity in the drawings and leaving it to your guesses.

Dreams - Revisualization

Dreams are a succession of images, sounds or emotions that pass through the mind during sleep.The content and purpose of dreams are not fully understood, though they have been a topic of speculation and interest throughout recorded history. The scientific study of dreams is known as oneirology. For more information about dreams please visit this Wikipedia page about dream.

Many (almost all) would experience dream. Dreams are visual sequence of related or unrelated events which are recently or deeply stored in our brain. Normally people who are in dream can be identified with the REM (Rapid Eye Movement), that occurs in sleep. Some will take it serious and analyze it's cause and effect while some will leave it. I sometimes do write the events that happen in my dream.

Dream 1:

Note: I had this dream on 24th Sept 2006 early morning. I can now make a slow run after my bike accident on 8th Jul 2006. I also got a new friend but haven't met her yet.
Visual Events:
I am visiting my dad's friend's new house which is still under construction. He is an astrologer. Looks like am not alone there. I am getting out a car on the road side. The car continues to the new house while I take some short route to the same place (not sure why I got down and started running when the car too going to same place?). A few yards of running on the road, then over a steep and down the steep now I am reaching the house. There she comes to introduce me her friend's new house that is being constructed. I have a feeling that I already visited this place earlier and used the same short route which I used now (is it a different dream I had earlier or a projection of same dream?). She is lean, slim and dressed in black. She is about to say that this is her friend's house and before she does I am saying to her that this is my dad's friend's house and also I said that his daughter is my friend. She turns looking at me and quickly running off to the place next to the house. I am following her the way she ran and reaching a room (may be her home?). I see her crying in the next room which is directly straight to me and the entrance I came by is left to me. She sees me and started shouting at me to get out off her and leave that place. There is someone in the room apart from us. I am with a smile leaving the place.

Dream 2: Exam fear
This dream I don't remember exact date and time, but the year may be 2008. It goes like this. I am preparing for my 12th exam but finds difficult to study or having some hindrance in writing the exam. I am too worried about the exam. I didn't write the exam well or I didn't attend the exam, I don't remember exactly which one. Then am thinking that let it be if I don't write exam as I already wrote the exam and passed so no need to worry for now.

I had this kind of dream a couple of times. My friend/colleague Anand also had discussed with me that he is too having the same kind of dreams very frequently. This exam fever is chasing many of us in dreams even after completing the graduation and while in Job. Sad!

Dream 3: Assorted
This dream contains different unrelated events, though I had this dream in a continuous sleep on 1st of Feb, 2007.
Note: The Ripon building which I had in the dream is few meters walk from my home where I was residing. Also few days before I with my brother Vignesh visted an orphanage in Velachery, Chennai organised by a group of people called Chennai Social Workers (CSW). The previous day I saw few logo designs for CSW in my PC and asked my brother whether I can design one. He said they already assigned the work to some person, so not required.

Visual Event 1:
I am standing next to the medical shop near Ripon building signal, Chennai. The sky looks like it is an early morning or evening, neither dark nor bright. There is some war going against India by some country. The place I am standing is going to be bombed. There are many people standing with me (not sure whether they are my relatives and family) and all are aware about the attack that is going to happen. In a few while I see the war flights coming in some distance. When nearing my place, the flights have released 4 or 5 atomic bombs.The bombs quickly hit the ground few hundred meters from where I stand. I am facing towards the medical shop and watching the flights leaving that place. A sudden explosion happened from the bombs that hit the ground and the buildings around started collapsing. All are running around me, trying to escape from that place.

Visual Event 2:
I am at my home with my brother Vignesh near me, though the room we are standing does not belong to my real home. In that room there is a big hole or box which is covered with many small boxes and other materials. My brother saying to me that there is some evil or zombie inside there and if you remove those small boxes and you can see it. I am carefully removing those small boxes one by one. After few boxes removed, I heard that voice something like a zombie. I don't remember what happened there but a couple of conversations happened.

Visual Event 3:
My brother Vignesh's friends from Chennai Social Workers (CSW) coming to my home. There is about 6 to 7 people total out of which 2 girls, where none of there faces recognised as people from actual CSW. One or two in the group seems to be Vignesh's school friends. They are coming to create some designs for the group CSW. They all seated near the PC and designing something like a banner of logo (I don't remember exactly). I am going near them and thinking whether I should do that design. Then they are having a few conversations and me too in the group. A girl from the actual CSW also there at this time. She is saying about the conversation they were having. I am not sure whether I participated in the conversation.

More dreams to follow...

Da Vinci Code

After mentioning Angels and Demons in one of my previous posts, I could not stop writing about the Dan Brown, author of the best selling novels. Da Vince Code is the first novel I read of all Dan Brown's novels.

Initially I started reading the novel with what my friend had said earlier about the novel in my mind that the book deals with secrets of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings. The reading initiated slowly but soon it geared up speed with the speed of the novel and with the secrets of the novel getting revealed one by one. The way the script written, controversial storyline, revealing of the secrets one by one slowly, the facts and information described and the plot twists, surely the novel impressed me a lot. Inspired by the novel Da Vinci Code, I started searching about the works of Dan Brown and started reading his other novels Angels and Demons, Deception Point and then Digital Fortress.

How I got introduced with the Da Vinci Code is interesting. It was few years before, after my college, I with my friends was on a trip. While we are discussing about so many things, my friend John started about the novel knowing well that I am very much interested in the field of science. "You should try the book Da Vinci Code. It deals with secrets and hidden messages in the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci" said John. He didn't mention it was a novel and so I thought it is some book explaining historical artworks. Few months later, one day I went to landmark with my friend where I saw this book in the novel section. This time I thought of giving a try and bought the book. Initial my slow reading of the novel geared up with the speed of the novel. I must say the movie Da Vinci Code is missing something from the novel.

Ambigram

An ambigram is a word written in such a way that it is legible both rightside-up and upside-down. Ambigrams are a kind of ancient artform using words.

Ambi means "both"
Gram means "word"

First i've came to know about ambigrams is when reading Angels and Demons, bestselling mystery-thriller novel written by Dan Brown. The novel contains several ambigrams created by real-life typographer John Langdon. I liked all the ambigrams in the novel and visited the creator's website. The site contains so many ambigrams including his name (john langdon) itself. The website (http://www.johnlangdon.net) is worth a visit for the one who is interested in word art.

After seeing and inspired by those ambigrams, i decided to create one myself for my name. I tried a few times and succeeded in creating an ambigram for my name. Bad thing is i haven't tried to create anymore ambigrams after this. Now I am thinking to re-initiate the interest again.