No Title, You Suggest It- Random Verses

People there are- bitter and sweet,

Times there are, ugly and neat.

But remember my friend

Our stay on Earth is not long

Before the final end-

 Tap your feet, hum a song.

In times when you are down and out,
And all set to break and shout;
The ones you like,
Always in the mind, they strike.
With them, you wish to walk,
Or at least have a few minutes talk...
 

Blesseth you are, with a life,

Enjoy it, cherish it, respect it;

For it is not a game of dice,

Rest your negatives at bay,

For we live only once,

And yet die everyday

PS-1 (2009):
I'll continue and hopefully complete this some other day.

PS-2 (2011): And I'll yet again continue this some other day.

Different perspectives

Life is a race,

Travel it with gentle pace;
It is not about I'm First, I'm Last,
It doesn't really matter How fast!
Magic is already cast,

And beautiful it is- the Future, the Present and the Past! 

__________________________

  

Life is Crap,

A well designed, sweet trap,

In the end,

Everyone is gonna have an endless nap!

__________________________

PS
I completely agree that it sounds funny and insanely dumb. These dumb lines were written yesterday night with no intension of being posted. But I am very bored today and hence the result :)

Another Day without Electricity

All hell breaks loose when there is no electricity for an entire day in Summer. People get easily annoyed and shout/ fight over petty things. I do. Well, the unfriendly HEAT gets into the head, that is all. We, this year, are experiencing a lot of power-cuts and it is awful. There is this one advantage of having our classes canceled. The teachers oblige happily. But without electricity, what are we to do!

We guys play cricket in the scorching heat and we are the only ones in college doing so, presently. Ah, we have the entire playground to ourselves and yes, we are a little too crazy to actually play in that dreadful weather. With only a few days left in the last semester, what do you expect? After playing for a couple of hours, after the amusing fights we get into while playing, after having exhausted ourselves completely and getting all soaked in sweat, we have a long walk to the MUC(Madras University Canteen) only to hydrate ourselves with chilled water, chilled flavoured  soda/ pet bottles of pepsi/ miranda/ 7Up, a grape or an orange candy, whatsoever is available. Ah, BLISSFUL! It is not really easy to put it in words, that very moment when the chilled whatever rushes through your throat. It will be apt to say that it feels like drinking directly from the fountain of youth. It feels like being reincarnated! *laughs*

I have drifted again. Back to the topic! I had planned on watching a movie, downloading a few songs, reading a short story last friday. And when I reached home(after playing cricket), there wasn't any electricity- from five in the evening till ten in the night. Everything flopped. So, there are power-cuts. "They are saving something for the future." Errr.. This beats me.

You have a bar of chocolate with you. And I tell you it is that last one on Earth. What do you do? Eat it ? Preserve it? Eat half of it and then preserve it for the posterity? A dumb analogy, right. But power-cuts in the middle of a summer are even more dumber. Well, it is just that I had a terrible, terrible evening. If only they cut power in winter instead of summer!

I had to sit without electricity for a while even in the exam hall today!

PS
NO MORE POWER-CUTS in summer!!! PLEASE!!!

A day to remember

The last few months in college have been very exciting and entertaining. A semester that was much required, a semester that we guys deserved. A lot of Cricket, a lot of bantering and a couple of outings has made this last semester very special and remember-able. And I ended up making a few cool friends in these last few weeks. Glad that I did.

Mother's day has always been special. And today was no less. Only this time I wasn't at home, almost the whole day. Ending on a bad note the previous(Saturday) night, I went to bed to sleep it off. And Sunday morning was as horrible as always with mom waking me up while cleaning my room. Darn, seven in the morning is too early to get up on a Sunday morning. I did sleep again, woke up a little late, only to prepare my share of tea. I am easily the most awful person you'll come across when it comes to kitchen-work. Surprisingly, the tea tasted good. A good sign. That was the first high point of the day.

My mobile lay on the bed untouched, with a few text messages unread. The messages were comforting, perfect to start the day with. I saw Sherlock Holmes waiting to be read on the table and reading I did. Loved the short story I read! I wished mom and then we went out for a small walk and did some purchasing. While walking, I noticed that I have been endevouring to have a great weekend from a few weeks and I clearly wasn't having one. I decided to visit a friend nearby for lunch, hoping it would be fun. And it turned out to be more than that!

The terrace. Having played Cricket for very many years on the terrace at my place in Salem, I have always had a liking for it(the terrace). The friend's place, well, they have a lovely terrace- not too high, spacious, a mango tree to protect everyone from the heat, gentle and soothing breeze to again beat the heat and a splendid view of the lane nearby. We, the three of us, had a long conversation there- discussing college, movies, psychology, para-psychology, school, hostel life, etc.; no matter how many times these topics are touched upon, neither do they fade nor get tagged as being boring. A spectacular evening.

On reaching home, another friend arrived and we had a short chat on movies and music. I love it when this guy chills me off during semester exams. He came to collect movies and songs. CHEERS! Apparently, he is the only one who gives me hope during exams. Our standard exam preparation statement- "You are not alone, even I am yet to start! Who has the study materials for the subject? ". It is wonderful to have friends who are similar to you. He was keen to watch the movie V for Vendatta and left after a while. India did lose the match, but I am too glad to get saddened at their loss. The day has almost ended and I guess I'll read another short story of Doyle's before I find myself on bed.  May you all have an enjoyable month- May.

PS
It does sound like any other ordinary day. Perhaps, I should have titled this post  "A day with friends", but that title could hold hundreds of posts. I ll stick to the current title. Enjoy friends. Take care :)

To a friend on a Sunday morning

-->

You are a friend,

With whom I easily blend;

You are a friend,

To whom, messages I daily send;

You are a friend,

With whom, more time I want to spend;

I’ll be here, always here,

In case you wanna talk dear… 

Agatha Christie

Murder mysteries are readable and enjoyable when the plot spun by the author stays suspenseful with heavy yet credible twists here and there till the end. There are a few authors who never fail to disappoint. And one such writer is Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crimes, has written many novels featuring a Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, an elderly lady Miss Marple and other other novels with no particular prolific protagonist. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is undoubtedly considered the best when it comes to detectives, yet there are few who prefer the Belgian detective to the coveted, undisputed legend Sherlock Holmes.When it comes to WHO-DUNIT genre, Christie is simply at the top of the list(but Sherlock Holmes would remain my favorite detective).

Having read a lot of her work, I recommend three of my favourite novels by Christie. 

1)And then there were none was first written in the 1930s under the name Ten Nigger Boys- a nursery rhyme being the theme of the book. The book is not only intriguing but very carefully written with justified characterisation. As in most of her stories, this one too has a WHO DID IT element in it and leaves the reader spell-bound when the plot unfolds at the very end. If one reads this work of hers, he/ she is bound to read many more of Christie's. It has been made into a motion picture and  has also been remade in Bollywood. Now that's really something!

2)Murder on the Orient Express was my first suspense novel; and was it good! You bet it was. The revelation will have a magical effect on you. No matter how acute a reader you are, it is very unlikely that you will spot this mystery on account of it being an extremely well planned murder plot. Oops, I do not intend to spill any beans here!

3)Murder of Roger Ackroyd  left me thinking if anyone but her could have used the meaning of the word alibi in a better way. Though the book was a drag, it had an entirely surprising ending, unveiling in the most unconventional manner.

There are other novels of her's which are equally good. But these three stand out and occupy the top three spots in my list of Agatha's novels.

PS
This isn't a review. I am trying to spread the work of Agatha Christie, a very famous writer in crime fiction.

The End is Over

Hello friends,

It has been a month since I last wrote. A friend said a story and was it wonderful! I have no intention of sharing it now. The waiting for the end of the year 2009 is over and I thought of posting something on the 31st, in vain. First things first. My classmates aren't all that bad. All are humans, and they say things, hurting sometimes, intentional and unintentional, but they are, at the end of day, YOUNG. We had, what I'll call the best trip we have had in the last four years, a camp at Yercaud, Salem. And did we have a blast! Do not be alarmed, this is not a travelogue.

The month of December was a roller-coaster ride. The end of semester exams, the camping at Yercaud, the witnessing of a proposal(which did not have a happy ending, unfortunately), the attending of aptitude tests(placements) and facing the all-time feared Interview panel. As rightly said in the movie 3-Idiots, ALL IS WELL or rather ALL WENT WELL... Some moments should not be captured(in 2D picture), they ought to be remembered. The glow on the faces of friends, classmates when their names were either called out or put on the notice board said it all- A sense of accomplishment, a feeling of self-respect(esteem). It was that day, I saw them smile. Really smile :) It was the same smile that children get on receiving a candy for doing something good. Something very similar to that. Ah, it was fantastic. We still have friends who are due to give the good news. Hopefully, all will be well, and we'll get many more smiles in this month. Congrats to the 25 guys/gals in my class and congrats to all my friends in other departments. Waiting for the photos and videos of the Yercaud trip to write my first travelogue :D

PS

Happy new year.

22 minutes before the exam- A Thriller

"Exams are scary."
"Man, I did not sleep last night. I think I'll fall on my desk while writing today!"
"I hope dehydration does not stop my head from functioning!"
"No food for 16 hrs straight, I might flunk today."

People get the strangest of thoughts just seconds before the commencement of exams. I have had my share too. The top three situations where I literally panicked:

3) First Semester(2006). We had a paper on Chemistry. I was overconfident on easily passing the exam thanks to the internal marks of 45 on 50 and hence went out with family to the restaurants, shopping malls, etc., on the penultimate day of the semester exam only to land up with the chemistry book in my room at ten in the night. Feeling tired, I feel onto my book. I got up at five in the morning and BAM, triggered the panic button... On scanning the paper, my face went pale. No clue whatsoever on two 16-mark questions. Attended 55 marks, literally filled a page or two with answers completely irrelevant. I was sure of flunking for the first time ever. Fortunately, got a 'C'!

2) Second Semester(2007). I had a positive inclination towards Engineering Mechanics and Maths; these had sums and when you have three hours for a single paper, numerical problems keep the paper far from being boring. But, I was down with viral fever before the E.Mechanics exam and even thought of skipping the test on the belief that I'll take up the test after a few months. Mom said to give it a try. I could barely talk or walk! I attended 60 marks, of which 15 marks were mere attempt with the sole intention of clearing the paper! Got a 'B'! Luck do exist!

1) Final Exam(12th Standard, 2006) I remember wishing I were dead that day! I was so not ready to get into the examination hall. I wished for an earthquake! DOOMSDAY! CM's demise, ANYTHING MAN!! I was that unprepared. Well, it did not turn out well. This, I believe, is the best(and hopefully remain the best) panic attack I have ever had(I'll ever have). It was that bad!

As we grow, we learn. Or that is what is believed. Our fears fade and vanish. We had a semester exam today(23th Nov., Monday). The funniest part was that I started and completed a Hardy Boys novel the night before the exam. And again I slept with the false belief that I'll manage to wake up and read something pertaining to the subject- Cadastral Sureverying. IN VAIN. I got up at seven in the morning, all thanks to the phone call of Vignesh who, by the way, is the hero of this short, sweet thriller :)

Seven in the morning, with the sun rays energizing every cell in my body and the hot tea doing its magic, I went through the headlines. LOL. I did not believe it was yet time to hit the panic button. Shower. Breakfast. Friend on Bike. College. Vignesh was all geared up- book in one hand, cell phone in the other, smiling on our entry. Typical, caring IYER.

There we were, exchanging notes and thoughts on the chapters we learned. Co-operate to Dominate :) Everything was going well. Time-9:02 AM. We packed up the necessities and walked to the examination hall and BAM! A virtual hammer hit me real hard! All this time, while we were happily cooperating to dominate, listening to part-lessons, part-stories to be written in the answer paper, my HALL TICKET lay in my room at HOME!

Very many people in the world have the talent to screw things at the very last moment, and I too belong to that elite group! So, with 25 minutes in hand, Vignesh with no second thoughts agrees to accompany me in yet another thriller. We rush to the parking lot and race our way through the traffic! What a waste, we were stuck on the last place anyone would wish to get stuck- on the topmost portion of a bridge! Nevertheless, we raced and reached the examination room a little over time. 9:32. We were allowed to write; we would have been allowed even if we were 15 minutes late. But then, this was thrilling and strangely we did not, or rather I did not hit the PANIC BUTTON.

Thanks to Vignesh the day was saved. A treat awaits him. :)

The Two Facets

Life is really funny,

Sometimes Dark, sometimes Sunny;

The inner side of me,

Contradictory, they are, doubly do i see-

Life is both dark and sunny.

Nitin, inside the mind, always say

Neo is one of a kind,

Listen to Him not, you'll have to pay-

Pay, pay the price of being selfish,

Being careless, being peevish.

Am I two, or am I one,

Both of them are here to stay.

From Neo's eye, all I could see-

Me being beautified,

Me being personified,

Me with all this attention,

Eventually fall in self-detention.

Again I start to sway,

Again Nitin has something to say-

"Done with the heights of your attitude,

Oh, please stop measuring its magnitude."

Today, you are at the top of the world,

Tomorrow, you'll remain nothing but a dirt.

Neo never complains, he does things,

Nitin complains, he wants to do things;

So here i am, confused, scared,

Who is Neo, and where is Nitin,

Aren't they the same,

When things go wrong,

Whom am i to blame?

Sometimes gloomy,

Life is unsurprisingly funny,

Sometimes dark, sometimes sunny.

PS
Yes, I did have dilemma while posting it. Dealing with alter-ego is anything but fun :-|

The Misery of being anybody

Surrounded by No-bodys,

He strives to be a Somebody;

And when he enters the league of Somebody(s),

He desires to be the One big, cool daddy;

Eventually, his yearning is complete.

Now, he searches for the truth,

He misses being a Somebody,

Even misses being a Nobody.

Power is powerful,

It took over him.

Choking like a rabbit in a sack,

He knows there ain't turning back,

Helpless, he has no more power to gain.

Everything in vain.

He was a Somebody,

Who died like everybody.

Immortality ain't real;

It is a bloody myth, a lie,

Many things, many times, always end with a sigh.

 

PS

He never really was fully content, ever. Sad... So are many of us which is also, shall I say, sad...

Another Chapter coming to an End

Hello folks,

I am in my fourth year of college, as most of you know, the final year of my first programme in college. Life in college, I would say, is one of an explorer. We start by making acquaintances, friends and even more, and gradually move to the short journey in college trying out things we wished we tried earlier, and as time flies by, a few new ones get appended automatically. I had my share- dancing, cricket, new genres of music, writing, reading, video-games, watching movies- on the verge of completing my Classic list, trying out practical stuff in math, text-messaging, mailing, chatting and then there is blogging. Apart from learning all those damned courses prescribed by the so-called-faculty, playing with Ubuntu(a Linux based OS), PSP, etc., will be the chapters that I would look back to, a lot, in the following chapters of my life. Oh boy, I sound like a grown-up already! This paragraph I write in the memory of the line “The wilderness must be explored”-Movie UP

I doubt if I ll miss college, I have never missed school. I doubt if I ll miss my friends for there are too many people in this world and there is no shortage of good ones, unlike what they say in books and movies. If only we search…And when there is internet, how can we miss our buddies, they are always present. The different transition a person goes through during the different phases of life in the game of life is fascinating. Well, I have a strange habit of surprising myself and the transition part is indeed a statement for which I consider myself as being the experimental rat. College has thought me, apart from the curriculum, a lot of things. No wonder more than half the people I meet say college life is cool, college life is for enjoying, college life is this and college life is that. They miss the most important part. College life is a period of discovering oneself. Or is it after college life. Or is it a lifetime process. I disagree. It is that one moment of truth when you know that you love to do THIS and not THAT. People are clear on what they want to do and what they have to do right from 11^th standard. Rubbish. How could they? They are young, vulnerable and are capable of having depression hits often. So, in this lifelong learning process, college is a bridge to freedom. Freedom of free thinking, freedom to explore. This paragraph is in the awful memory of my days when I was down with Chickenpox, for it was then that i promised myself that I would write and share my thoughts if I were alive. Yeah, it was that painful.

I would love to have this freedom of thoughts, freedom to explore in my workplace. And I wish the chapters that aren’t yet written continue to come out nicely. This line is in the memory of that one book I read about the life of Sidney Sheldon- The Other Side of Me.    

PS

I longed to write something for the blog. Had to scribble something today. And yeah, tomorrow we are going to have our first, official placement talk. Give, send a lot of positive energy…my handwriting is breaking… smiles…

Ta Ta…

Yet Another Failure

Hello everybody,

Oops, there is a story (Young Tsang, The Dog and The Proposal) to complete. Sorry, I'll complete it next week. Two weeks back, my classmates(read as friends) were all excited to log everything that we experienced in college, every exciting moment in college, all the happy and not-so-happy moments, all the mocking, all the humours, all the crushes if there were any, almost everything with fine details. I was all so excited and recommended a Class Blog! A Class Diary, what an idea Sirji! All sounded really exciting, in vain. In less than three days, my classmates got busy with THINGS and forget the conversation we had. Only if I log the short, cute happenings in college as I remember(now), will I be in a position to refresh my memory very many years from now. But not all desire to share their memories, which leaves me to refrain myself from scribbling many, many posts pertaining to college life. No wonder the other blog, College Life, is dormant.

History has been one of my favourite subjects since school days. And blogging is such a wonderful idea to write down (in a virtual medium) our own story. Our experiences. Our problems. Our idea of the World! Yes, we may not wish to write all the incidents, all the details, and yet, sharing few memories might bring a smile to many a face. 

I got up from my slumber and had to post this before I changed my mind! May you be lucky enough to start your Class blog. :)

Happy time, writing...

Young Tsang, The Dog and The Proposal.

Once upon a time, in a far off island, lived a young lad. His clan, The Tsang, was happy and complete. The singing, the dancing, the telling of happy-ending stories never ceased. The young boy, confused and in need of a friend, wandered around the place in search of something fresh; something really new, like an explorer. The lad's name was Young Tsang, an uncommon name indeed. Young Tsang was a misfit. He was excited about things he did not understand, happy to find new trees and fruits, elated when his style of clothing was admired and so he was always on the look out for something or the other, a wanderer, a born explorer. Being the trend-setter in that vast island, he loved to travel on foot and strech his knowledge on land. Young Tsang and his clan were completely unaware of all the other means of travel. 




Not far from home, the lad's eye met with a dog. He was anything but repulsed. The lad smiled at the dog and the dog returned the favour. It is strange, he thought, that a dog is more friendly than most of the pretentious people in his clan, more loyal than anyone he had met and possibly the most reliable living creature he knew of. The dog followed him for an hour. Soon, they were friends; friends for forever. Young Tsang grew and was not that young anymore. Everyone knew that one day Tsang would go out for good in search of truth, in search of Heaven. Young Tsang, along with the dog, set on exploring the vast island.




A week passed. The lad felt happy to have experienced viewing some exotic places which he had never even dreamt of. The dog was ever faithful for having a loving master and friend. The next day it rained hard. The dog ran and ran to find proper shelter. It did find a warm place built ages back. A cave with scripts all over it. The lad and the dog rested there due to the inclement weather. The lad, with the help of the dog, made the unkempt place look green and neat. Tsang loved adventure and this very style of living was nothing short of an adventure.




One dull morning, the lad spotted a boat. Frightened by the massiveness of the hull of the boat, Tsang assumed it to be a mytical monster! He stood, a few meters away from the boat, petrified. A young girl with a angelic face was merrily singing near the boat. Tsang was love-stuck! Never ever had he seen a more angelic face than hers. Never ever had he seen anything/anybody so beautiful.




to be continued...

Stop shattering Windows!

PS

Don't worry guys. No more geeky posts after this one. At least not for a few months.

Why Linux?

Windows, no doubt, was the first OS we as kids were introduced to. The GUI of Windows made it the most popular OS in use. And it is still the most popular OS available in the market. But are we satisfied? After spending lavishly on Windows, and on the Anti-virus software; and on the various proprietary software, all that we as users wish for is an easy way to get our job done. Strangely, this does not happen. We get bogged down by various errors and viruses in Windows which in turn results in discontentment. I still remember the day when my teacher introduced me to the world of computers. The first thing he mentioned when the Windows screen appeared was The Three Finger Salute(CTRL+ALT+DEL). Haven't we used this legendary combination umpteen times! Why not try something different, something more flexible, something free of cost!

On technical grounds, the word Linux refers to a set of programs which is known as the kernel. But the vast public think of it as a complete OS. Nevertheless, this article will concentrate on How a new user can get used to Linux. As Ubuntu is the most preferred Linux-based OS, I recommend working on it. Firstly, any OS requires installation. Really? Well, it is possible to run Ubuntu through a live CD/DVD. It is similar to a test-drive wherein the user can check for both hardware compatibility and driver support. All this without installation, isn't that great folks! Ubuntu can even be installed within windows(Wubi installation). A clear, detailed and sophisticated installation procedure is given in http://www.ceglug.org/

It is after the installation that many users feel a little out-of-place. Most of us already have the misconception that Linux is complex and is only for the developers and advanced users. It is high time we fine-tune our thoughts if we are uncomfortable with Windows.

Certain steps after installation:

Explore!

When it comes to GUI, Windows and Ubuntu are similar. The flexibility though in the case of the latter is a big plus. You can start by exploring the default applications available. You'll find that there are alternatives for most of the common applications used in Windows. GIMP instead of Photoshop, Open office for Microsoft Office, Rhythmbox music player for Windows media player, Firefox web browser for IE, Pidgin Messenger which clubs most of the popular messengers, VLC media player, Transmission Bit-torrent client and many other such important and daily-used applications.

Add/Remove programs and Synaptic Package Manager

Add/Remove programs under Applications is an extremely useful tool. It allows you to add or remove applications at the click of a button. You'll be surprised to see the variety of applications available under each head. You can browse thorough the categories to find the required applications or search using the Search box available. However, for more advanced needs the synaptic manager is used.

Ubuntu Tweak

Ubuntu Tweak allows you to tweak your system settings, all in one place. You can install new applications, customize your desktop settings, configure your start-up applications, change the system file type association and many more tweaks in this single application. Image tools, video tools, emulators, file-sharing tools, instant messengers, FTP tools, CD/DVD tools and many more applications pertaining to our needs can be easily downloaded with the click of a button. It is fully user-interactive eliminating the use of command line. To install Ubuntu Tweak, use Terminal.

Applications → Accessories → Terminal. Enter the command:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-tweak

Then access it through Applications → System Tools → Ubuntu Tweak

Install applications like Compiz Fusion, Gnome Do.

System → Preferences→ CompizConfig Settings Manger

Explore the various options to make your desktop look envious! Desktop Cube, Rotate Cube, Expo, 3D Windows, Wobbly windows, Ring switcher are very impressive.

Getting connected to the Internet

It is not unusual to have a lot of doubts in the beginning. Internet is one of the best sources to access for information/clarifications. The recent versions of Ubuntu support all major Ethernet cards. Possibly, you'll get connected to the internet automatically if you are using plug-in-play modems. But in case you have the settings in a manner that you manually connect to the internet keying in username and password in Windows, then you'll have to configure once in Ubuntu.

Open terminal. Type

sudo pppoeconf

An interactive blue screen appears. It scans for the Ethernet cards available. Proceed to the screen wherein Username is asked. Specify your Username and Password. At the verge of completion, it asks if you would prefer the saved settings to run during boot time. Choose Yes. Internet is up and ready! Those interested in working with the terminal, can also try the following

sudo dhclient    (or)

sudo pppconfig (an interactive approach appears)

Also,

sudo pon dsl-provider for connecting to the internet

sudo poff dsl-provider for disconnecting from the internet.(Usually, it is not used. The cable is simply plugged out)

WiFi is automatically detected. And in the case of broadband, once connected, it is not necessary to type in the command line for getting connected to the internet again.

  

Getting used with the terminal:

Terminal is the command line. It is similar to the Command Prompt in Windows. Most of us are scared of using the command line. I was very reluctant to use the terminal in the beginning. The reason being obvious- the pointing and clicking of buttons with the mouse for very many years. Using the terminal can save ample amount of time! I'll give shoot one of my experiences- For downloading anything, for instance Firefox, I have to run a search engine and then perform 5-6 clicks whereas a single line would perform the same in the terminal.

sudo apt-get install firefox

Ubuntu Forums is of great help when it comes to using the terminal. The terminal can be used for configuring printers, cards, etc., almost everything is possible in the terminal, from editing, creating, moving, copying of files to the opening of applications by simply typing the name of the application.

Nautilus and Gnome Do

Nautilus is the official file manager for the Gnome desktop. It is similar to the Run application in Windows. The recent folders can easily be located thorough Nautilus. Alt+F2 is the combination for invoking Nautilus.

Gnome Do, an application launcher has the potential to amuse anyone! It is elegant, very stylish and the best thing is it can help us perform things as quickly as possible. Do away with the mouse and start Gnome Do! Gnome Do is readily available for installation in Ubuntu Tweak. Starting an application, opening a file, tweeting, chatting, searching for files, mounting drives, playing music , searching Google maps, opening an URL are some of the basic features possible using this addictive application launcher. With a vast variety of plug-ins, Gnome Do is simply irresistible.

Sytem → Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts is used to define user-defined short-cuts for the most-used applications. It is a good practice to have short cuts for invoking Terminal, Gnome Do, etc.  

Ubuntu(Linux) is fun. We have spent years and years on Windows and yet many of us are oblivious of the ways that Windows functions and the causes for so many errors. Let's try Ubuntu for a couple of days; maybe a week or two alongside Windows and feel the difference.

Note: If you are impressed and wish to give a shot at Ubuntu, be careful during the installation process. Don't land up clicking the wrong options and losing your Windows!

PS

I have included a few command lines for fun, with no intention of scaring anyone! :D

Happy Diwali to all you wonderful people...