new vocabs and new aspirations

I learnt a few new words today as I was struggling through my exam notes. These are my new words for today:

intrigue
–verb (used with object)
1. to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities; appeal strongly to; captivate: The plan intrigues me, but I wonder if it will work.
2. to achieve or earn by appealing to another's curiosity, fancy, or interest: to intrigue one's way into another's notice.
3. to draw or capture: Her interest was intrigued by the strange symbol.
4. to accomplish or force by crafty plotting or underhand machinations.
5. Obsolete. to entangle.
6. Obsolete. to trick or cheat.
–verb (used without object)
7. to plot craftily or underhandedly.
8. to carry on a secret or illicit love affair.
–noun
9. the use of underhand machinations or deceitful stratagems.
10. such a machination or stratagem or a series of them; a plot or crafty dealing: political intrigues.
11. a secret or illicit love affair.
12. the series of complications forming the plot of a play.


insatiable
not satiable; incapable of being satisfied or appeased: insatiable hunger for knowledge.

—Synonyms voracious, unquenchable, bottomless.


perplexed
–adjective
1. bewildered; puzzled: a perplexed state of mind.
2. complicated; involved; entangled.


esoteric
–adjective
1. understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite: poetry full of esoteric allusions.
2. belonging to the select few.
3. private; secret; confidential.
4. (of a philosophical doctrine or the like) intended to be revealed only to the initiates of a group: the esoteric doctrines of Pythagoras.

viable
–adjective
1. capable of living.
2. Physiology.
a. physically fitted to live.
b. (of a fetus) having reached such a stage of development as to be capable of living, under normal conditions, outside the uterus.
3. Botany. able to live and grow.
4. vivid; real; stimulating, as to the intellect, imagination, or senses: a period of history that few teachers can make viable for students.
5. practicable; workable: a viable alternative.
6. having the ability to grow, expand, develop, etc.: a new and viable country.

Looking up the meanings of these words in an online dictionary reminded me of the old days back in high school. There was this time when my principal had this great idea in helping students to build their vocabulary. One day in a week, we would have to find a new English word, together with the meaning and an example of usage in a sentence, and all that was to be put in a name tag, and everyone had to where it. During English class, students will take turn to present their words to the whole class. Though at that time nearly everyone including myself hated the whole idea (and would only bother to look up a new word on the very morning of the assembly), the outcome was great. Like it or not, I found myself knowing a whole lot of new English words. Unfortunately for the whole school, the principal had to move elsewhere, thus the whole newly-introduced-tradition was left to moulder. I remember how everyone was more than happy to say goodbye to the vocab thingy. But today, how I really regret that the weekly vocab thing was not made a tradition. My vocab today, is not much different to my vocab the past ten years, I'd say. I've stopped reading a long long time ago (novels, that is), since I stop collecting new Enid Blyton books (get the idea how long that has been?). And I've never been bothered to look up for the meanings of words in a dictionary (how arrogant is that?). So where on earth could I ever build up my vocabulary? And today, I really wish a knew a lot more. (Am I even doing anything about it??)

But I guess, that is also how life is. You expect the best out of it, but you refuse to go through all the hardship that is required. But that will never work (unless Allah allows it too), but according to sunnah, no, it won't work.

Hurm.. humans aih?

Anyway...

I've been reading through a few posts in a few blogs while I was taking a rest from my studies, and I learnt (or should I say, was reminded?) a few important stuffs. And I came to decide that starting from today, I will always try to


Smile. =)

Because that is one thing that prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h asked us to do. Even a smile is considered as a sadaqah, so there must be something in it. Who cares what is going on within me, to make people around me happy should be my first priority. I am a dai'e, and I wouldn't want people to run away from me, right?

I also read of a very great individu, the wife of As-Syahid Imam Hasan al-Banna. She's a great women, and has been set by Allah to be the companion of a great man. I want to be a great person too, because I am a muslim. Because I am servant of Allah, and Allah has given me a lot in this life. So, I have to be


Strong.

Physically (can't be weak or lazy or always falling sick) and emotionally (can't be moody or angry or stubborn). Because I have a lot of work to do, and my workload is more than the time I have.

I have been shown the light, and I have been given the power. And with great power comes great responsibilities.

May Allah give me the strength to change myself in becoming a better person, for the sake of the ummah. Insya-Allah.

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