The Train

While browsing the Merriam Webster portal today, I checked that they have few interesting quizzes, word of the day section, puzzles like daily sudoku and interesting articles. Having checked the word of the day for the day and past week, found that I have a better score than the average score for my age in a vocabulary quiz and having played a game of sudoku in under five minutes, I turned to the interesting and informative articles! For someone like me - who loves to read, who loves to learn, who loves to learn new languages and who wants to improve their proficiency in the English language, these articles are interesting and informative. Very simply to understanding and containing small bits of wisdom that make us build a well-informed and more understanding outlook of the world, these articles are found in all dictionary (or learning English) websites. Through small anecdotes, they will leave us with facts and information that we will never forget.

Today I found multiple articles on the above mentioned website. The first one to catch my sight was an article titled "Why Do We Call It a 'Train'?" Since I watched a Big Bang Theory marathon yesterday, my first thoughts towards this title were - 'Let us find out what interests Sheldon', 'Let us find out what Sheldon probably already knows.' (And Jim Parson's famous Sheldon Cooper voice echoes in my head saying - 'Really? Is it possible that Sheldon doesnt know this?').
I open the article and Sheldon Cooper is driven out of my mind in an instant. The image staring back at me (the one accompanying the article) was none other than HOGWARTS EXPRESS. I shook my head and thought I was hallucinating having not seen the moves for a couple of weeks now - but no!! It was there!! I shook my head, blinked my eyes but the image did not change. Curious... very curious! (In Ollivander's Voice, please)

 I held my breath, not wanting to jump to any conclusions, I decided to do some research. The obvious place to begin was - Google. I searched 'Train', 'A Train', 'The Train', 'Why we call it Train' and some other combinations. Surprisingly, all the above searches gave me images of trains that were NOT the Hogwarts Express. There was the image from the article which came for 'Why we call it Train' (as expected) from merriam webster search result [and you dont want to google 'The Train' unless you want to see images of Emraan Hashmi]. So, it was not a coincidence that while publishing this article, the image of the Hogwarts Express was taken by mistake.

Thus, I feel it considerably safe to declare that whoever penned and published the article, is a Harry Potter fan.
Such incidences never fail to amaze me. I am astounded how some ink and paper can create a magic so deep and so wide-spread. Even when I am not looking, I know it exists. Harry Potter, dear friends, is NOT a person and definitely not a book. It's a world - a world filled with magic and not just the wand kind. It is magic that holds people together and makes them believe. It is a magic that makes us see the best in each other and in turn in ourselves. It is a magic not just to create wonders but to support them as well.
Seeing the image, even after a long dull day at work, I feel like I can go for a Harry Potter movie marathon as soon as I get home ;)

PS : Train means something that is dragging behind. It was initially used to denote the part of gowns that trailed behind. [This is all that I read of the article.]
Hope you read the article and enjoy it!https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-history-of-the-word-train
Do let me know if you too know that its the Hogwarts Express!

January 01, 2015 #365

There is nothing better in life than to talk your heart out to a friend. I did that... for more than an hour. A friend who is far away but someone who will always be in the heart.

Okay, wait... let me rewind a little...

I had a good time today. We had a small treat at office and I sang in front of so many people. Good thing was -
a) I can sing again
b) I was happy
c) I sang in front of so many people

And then on the journey back...
I dialed to a friend. I met him 4 months back and we spent 3 months together (away from both our homes) in a totally stranger city. The thing is, this friend, that I would fondly call 'Shelly', after the great legendary - Sheldon Cooper of Big Bang Theory, as this friend is also that witty, is equally addictive. Once you know him, it is impossible to not like him and want to be near him. He is nearly infectious. Lolz.

Anyways, so I called him as he had called in the morning to wish for New Years and I couldn't speak to him. So, I called him and I spoke to him.

It was magical.

I spoke like we had never parted for different cities. He spoke like he is still here... catching me on my small - small habits, like lying :P, hating his flat-mate :P and the bike.

You knows, some people are not there in your life for any reason but just to make you realize how beautiful your life is. Their simplicity reflects your own joys that you had hidden deep within you and forgotten about. Shelly, is one such friend.

He is simple and very funny. He can make you laugh off bad with a fall of a pin. And at the same time he is very sincere and hard-working. And at the same time he knows how to really have fun. This is such a rare combination. In many people you will not even find one... very few are blessed to have two but someone with three and I know him, I am blessed!

When I spoke to him, it was a wonderful feeling. I am really glad that I spoke to him on the first day of the year. It was an 'awesome' beginning.

I feel that I started writing on the first page of the notebook with 365 blank pages, with a good quill, I hope the rest of the story is equally 'awesome' :D