Friday, February 23, 2018
7 TIPS ON PRACTICING ENGLISH LANGUAGE. HOW DO I COME ACROSS TO LIKE AND LOVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
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| by AliahMazli |
Slowly, you will soon fall in love with it".
How was your Friday?
Mine has been a hectic ones but trying to keep up with the pace of the long to-do-lists. I was preparing the lists of the topic on what I would like to write on my blog and suddenly this came to mind. English Language. I was thinking too hard without knowing that this topic would be really interesting to share. Something that is close to me. Something that I like and love--language.
I'm a pure Malay and of course my Malay Language is my mother tongue and I'm proud of it. But to be able to learn more than one language is such an opportunity for me. I always have this kind of respect to those who is bilingual and even more for the multilingual people. You people are smart you know! Learning the mother tongue is a hassle already but another language? Mannn! That's something!
So, how I first started to learn English? First it is a requirement at schools here in Malaysia to learn about English Language and it is in the syllabus, in exams and I can say most Malaysians speak English as the second language here. Anyhow, we are like "forced" to learn it at first but eventually it comes in handy though.
My father is the one who is responsible in opening the doors for me to English language. Why do I say so? Because he speaks English at home. I have always known that my father is a very good speaker, he attended school which use English as the main language back in the 70's. I have grown attached to seeing him speaks to his friends, enabling him to speak to strangers or anyone freely in English. You know? Like not for the sake of exams but to be able to speak the language because you CAN!.
From there, I always asked my parents to buy me English storybooks. I was introduced to Enid Blyton. I have more than 10 books of hers and I can say that they helped a lot in nurturing the love of English in me. Whenever I found new words, I searched for the meaning in the dictionary. Not to brag but I was the top 5 in my class in essay writing.
Heh heh heh. *astaghfirullah, hands down and head down.
What books do I like to read? Well, everything. But not the serial killer thingy or so. I don't really like it. Here's why. I am such a sensitive and emotional person which easily get attached to something and it takes a while to thrust the emotion after I finished my reading.
To me, once I have finished reading a book, it'll take me weeks or a month to fully detached myself from the characters and story of a book that I just read. Susah kan? I know, but that's me.
How do I practice English?
1. Speak - By just reading and not speaking, you will not move forward in mastering the language. Language itself is a skill and by speaking, you are training yourself to implement everything that you learned. Speaking is important because this is where you identify your errors in speaking. I speak with my father sometimes. I speak with my friends at school but not to all. Like when I was in primary school, I had my eyes on this one group of Chinese and Indian students and I took the challenge to introduce myself to them and there I was, speaking English like nobody's business! Ahhh! What a memory. I believe by speaking, I was able to really use the language to its fullest.
2. Write and Read - I love books. I read tonnes of English books. I read from any kinds of genres. Right after, I write. My daily routine is, I have to discipline myself to write everyday even just a few lines. So that, I will have my writing skills polished and I'm able to use new vocabs that I found. If I don't write, I feel empty.
3. To Think, Write, and Talk in English - This will always be my favourite advice from my father. He reminded me this when I told him it's too hard to master the language. Now, I'm able to do so. Just switch the codes (of Malay and English) from time to time and you're good to go.
4. Write a review or monologue - This is what I do up until today. Serious talk. I write anything in my journal, basically about any books, articles, stories that I have read or watched. I monologue to myself of what do I feel at the moment or any random things. It's like I'm talking to a friend but I'm not but anyhow, I know Allah is listening and that's why I like it even more :)
5. Watch movies with/without the subtitles - I started with the English subtitle first, then I removed it and watch again many times till I can easily understand the words and even the jokes! That's the highest achievement for me! To understand jokes in another language! Hihihihi.
6. Study the language - This is basically what I do from time to time. I bought several grammar books and do the exercises from time to time. True enough, you'll learn more, make less errors and be even better in that language.
7. Listen to English songs - This is my favourite. It is also the major influence after my father. I learned English basically from English songs. Enables me to learn new vocabulary, to learn the sentence structures, understand the story-line of a song and to be able to connect myself to it.
7. Listen to English songs - This is my favourite. It is also the major influence after my father. I learned English basically from English songs. Enables me to learn new vocabulary, to learn the sentence structures, understand the story-line of a song and to be able to connect myself to it.
I wanted to learn Arabic, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean and many more you know. Sighh.
I hope these tips will help you in nurturing any languages that you are learning at the moment.
Till then, I'll see you in my next post, inshaaAllah! Take care and I love you. You are the best!
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
EXPECTATON KILLS
Iبِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
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| by AliahMazli |
Because the dawn right before the sun rises is the darkest.
Even in the far future, never forget the you of right now.
Wherever you are right now, you're just taking a break.
Don't give up, you know.
(BTS - Tomorrow)
I always want things to go the way I wanted.
But it is hard to really get the result that I hoped for.
In the end, I'll be the one to face the heartbreaks and keep on hurting myself over and over again.
The thing is, expectation is not built in one night. Expectation happens when there were several events happened in your life that made you be that way of expecting lots of things from other people.
And when it doesn't go the way you want it to be, you'll get hurt. The humorous part is, no matter how hard you try to lower down your expectation, it will always go to the starting point that you have in your in heart in wanting people to do something according to what you expect them to be.
Sounds confusing right?
The bottom line is, don't expect anything from the humans. Why? Because we will only get hurt and we will hurt the people around us.
I know this is hard to do and easy to say--put your hopes solely to Allah. By doing so, you will face less heartbreaks or maybe it will feel less hurt than before.
Expectation is tiring you know?
Because--
you will feel tired, you will cry more, you will blame yourself for everything, you will not feel enough, you will hurt people around you unintentionally (or maybe sometimes intended).
I know it is hard, but TRY.
Try your best and never expect things to be the way you want, instead, do things in favour of seeking Allah's pleasure even though you will feel so much pain in your heart.
Time will heal, HE will heal your heart.
I hope your days are filled with smiles, laughter, and happiness.
I am one day late from my promised Mondays update and I'm sorry for that. I was a bit occupied with myself.
InshaaAllah I'll catch you in my next post!
Saturday, January 27, 2018
AWAY FROM SOCIAL MEDIA - DOESN'T HURT RIGHT?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
 |
| by AliahMazli |
Being away for a while doesn't hurt right?
What do you usually do when you wake up early in the morning? Nothing? Tell me no lies darlings. Almost like a habit that you do when you wake up rather than going straight to the bathroom getting ready for Fajr prayer, there is something that automatically leads you to it.
Your cellphone.
Checking messages, checking the social media updates, checking other things that somehow became a routine that is unbreakable. Why? Because we have set our mind to it. To do it and not to break it into a better habit. I have read about this somewhere that rather you unlock your cellphone early in the morning, go straight away to the bathroom and get ready for the Fajr prayer.
Why? To meet our Creator. The One who created you and me. The One who plans your day, either it will be a good or bad ones (of course depending on your effort and prayers too in hoping to have a bad or good day). Doesn't it feel refreshed to meet Allah above all than checking a gadget which is totally created by humans which we know are full with flaws?
That really opened my eyes on how I lead my life. I have been depending on the cellphone because of social media things all my life just because I want to be the first to know about something without knowing that I have been putting Allah behind it all. What a shameless act I have done all this while.
Don't you feel shy to HIM? Now to think about it, I do feel shy. Like A LOT till I feel like wanting to hide myself somewhere just because I'm so shy towards Allah.
But did HE ruin your day just because we didn't make HIM our first priority? No. Instead, HIM being the Ar-Rahman (The Most Merciful), will love us even more and gives us so much rezq and good things. MashaaAllah. I am feeling shy with HIM even more while typing this.
How ignorant I am to HIM all this while.
Being away for a while from this social media definitely won't hurt which it may directly or indirectly affect our hearts' condition may it be for jealousy, greed, unhappy for others, wanting to look good only in the eyes of the human, showing everything that we have in the name of sharing doesn't make you a better person. All this will not be a problem if we have a proper intention on creating the social media platforms in the first place. On other meaning, to have us to purify our intention/niyyah every single day and in every single thing that we do.
Try and have your days off from the social media world and find the goodness in your everyday life. Get engaged with people in real life more rather than the online world where you can't even feel the warmth of the person.
Get yourself away from:
*negativity
*uncertainty (no-factual news, no proof-based stories)
In other words, silent is better. If you have no other good things to show or say, better to keep silence as it will lead to more negativity than positivity.
There're several ayahs in the Quran in surah Al-Mu'minum (23:1, 23:2, 23:3) that say about turn away from ill speech:
English Translation:
The believers have indeed attained true success (1) Those who, in their Prayers, humble themselves (2) Who avoid whatever is vain and frivolous (3)
Malay Translation:
Sesungguhnya beruntunglah orang-orang yang beriman (1) (Iaitu) orang-orang yang khusyuk dalam solatnya (2) Dan orang-orang yang menjauhkan diri dari (perbuatan dan perkataan) yang tiada berguna (3)
I'm reminding myself first and foremost and please make duaa for me!
InshaaAllah I'll see you in my next post!
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Salam !
Writing is a way that I can express myself and be connected with other people. Thank you for taking some of your time here--my blog, my space. I hope you benefit something from it.
