Author: Sunandhini R

Yes, you can have peace with Gmail. One of the tedious tasks amongst all work is handling the Gmail inbox. There is no escape room, even during vacations. Lots of hacks are out on the net. I will write about a few things that have worked for me.

#Extension

Though there are a lot of themes out yet, nothing can beat the dark theme. The extension I use is Dark Reader, and if you’re not comfortable with extensions, you can try a dark theme in Gmail (Settings-Theme-View all-Dark-Save).

#Keyboard shortcuts

If you find it hard to navigate each message through touch or mouse, then keyboard shortcuts might help you. (Settings-See all settings-General-Scroll down-Enable keyboard shortcuts). There is an option for customized keyboard shortcuts as well.

#Unsubscribe

One of the best ways to decrease the count of receiving mail is by unsubscribing. Whenever we visit a website or e-commerce, our inbox will be flooded with promotions. Just unsubscribe. If you already have those types of emails, type the specific name, for example, Amazon, and select all and delete it (after unsubscribing). As an alternative to that, you can use separate mail just for shopping alone.

#Labels

Segregating emails with different labels will help you to find the emails when you need them the most. Create the labels based on the needs and give them a specific color. Spotting the colored labeled mail is easier than labeled mail. (Click on the three dots next to the label name – label name color –  add the required color)

#Undo send

Sending out a long message might have errors (spelling mistakes, grammar, files missing, etc.). It would be nice to have “Delete for Everyone” (lol), but there is one thing that can be done. Unsend the mail as soon as you notice an error, but the maximum time limit is only 30 seconds (Settings-See all settings-General-Undo Send-Change it to 30 sec-Save).

#Inbox type

If there are 10x emails to be read, try the unread theme first. Use the keyboard key ” [ ” to read through the messages, and as you read through, change the labels with “L”. If it’s unwanted, then unsubscribe from it.

#Large-sized mail

Some of the mail might have attached files and could occupy a larger space. Clearing them out is the best way. Depending on the size of the mail, you can type “Larger: 15MB” in the search box and delete the unwanted.

#Signature

Typing the robotic phrases (Thanks for your time, Have a nice day, Have a great week ahead) might be harder when you have to do it for every message. Add all the robotic end phrases in the signature with enough space in between them (Settings-See all settings-General-Signature-Save changes).

#Separate mails

Lately, I have subscribed to a few newsletters that require more focus and attention. It was difficult to clear the inbox and spend a few minutes reading. I set up a separate email for newsletters so that I can spend less time worrying about unread mail. 

#Tasks

This might be very helpful when you have frequent meetings and deadlines to be completed. When you receive a particular message regarding the deadline or a task to be completed on a future date, open the calendar on the side panel, and it automatically types the title and saves it for a reminder.

All these might look harder to follow, but once you get used to the keyboard shortcuts, clearing out the unread emails becomes easier. I personally follow them to avoid anxiety when I see unread emails.

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

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It’s not about the album released by Bolt Upright. This is more of like an illness/illusion that we develop as we grow.

“The Red Carpet Syndrome is the sense of entitlement that comes not from wealth or lineage, but of merit. Yes, even merit can lead to entitlement”.

– Einat Wilf

While growing up, one common thing we heard was “get good grades, get into a good college, and life will be sorted”. The biggest scam ever.

Generally, there is a saying that people who do well in school/college struggle with the rules of life. I am not sure whether it’s real or a myth. Based on my perceptions, let me try to differentiate them because both seem like different games.

#Rules and Regulations

The schools and colleges have definite rules and set of instructions to abide by. These rules are hard to break and might end up getting punishment (maximum of suspension and spotlight). Whereas, life has no specified rules. If you live by certain rules set by society, fellow humans, your boss, etc, you might live life with regrets. Breaking the rules and stereotypes might lead to creativity and living the life to fullest.

Disclaimer: Don’t break the Laws.

#Time Table

Time is the most precious commodity. We might have fixed time schedules for the class, exams, semester, webinar, presentation, and date for the results. After entering the roller coaster (so-called life), there are no such timings. If you want to go to the GYM, you need to push yourself. Waking up early, working on your side hustle, taking a course, etc., all have to be scheduled by you. There is no one to tell you what to do. That’s where we end up binge-watching on Netflix, (lol).

#Strategies & outcome

Everyone has different strategies when it comes to getting A in their assignments and exams. Some might have got a good memory, some are good at mnemonics, some understand the concepts well, and some at creating stories. There are possibilities for knowing the question patterns or which questions might appear on the exam. Life after that is exactly the opposite. No clue what life will lead to or the purpose of life. It’s just the abyss. You need to iterate on different things and see what works for you and try to see some light at the end of the tunnel. The results of any work that you do aren’t like instant noodles. They take a hell of a lot of time and there is no fixed duration as such.

#Setbacks

Setbacks and failures are not that common in school or college. You will be popular either way (Topper, good-looking, sports person, etc). We usually have this assumption right that If we do well in school and college by getting a good score, staying disciplined, good feedback, and not falling for bad-mouthing, we are winners in real life. But the latter part has more setbacks, humiliations, betrayal, failures, heartbreaks, and downs and it’s all uncertain. Success and happiness are part of them. There has to be space to build up resilience in us to handle them.

#Conclusion

Right after leaving school or college, we want to get into our dream job (cracking the MNCs interviews without rejections at the placement or clearing the competitive exams) without much hustle. No one is going to come and lay out that beautiful red carpet and ask us to walk on it. The world isn’t that fair. It doesn’t serve with a plate of our all desires. We end up hoping for that plate to be served at our table.

Never. Don’t fall for that trap. Break that thought and don’t get carried away by Heaven’s Reward Fallacy.

Some of Einat Wilf‘s words and a video.

Carry your dreams with you as you go out into the world, and let them be your guiding lights. Take risks, fail at least once, and get used to the feeling, because you might fail again. Be ambitious but patient, and above all, don’t give up. Life issues no invitations. So go ahead, crash the party.

Cheers! Fighting!

Thank you for reading ♡!

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Idhuvum kadanthu pogum. This phrase reminds me of a story that I read in a weekly Tamil magazine long ago. I believe I can transcribe without altering the theme of the story.

Once upon a time, there lived a king, (lol, I was trying to be a real storyteller). The king had wide territory under him, enough wealth, many wives, powerful soldiers, etc., yet something was disturbing him and he was not at peace. So he called out for his cabinet poets and the members to assemble.

The king began, “I know, you must have created vast numbers of literature and read too. I want you’ll to come up with a solution that will help me in any kind solution to peace or to feel at ease. He also announced that whoever comes up with a solution, will be honored with sovereigns.

All the crew members were trying very hard to come up with a phrase and are on the verge of giving up. Meanwhile, an age-old servant at the palace stood forward to help him out. The king was quite shocked as the well-known poets were struggling hard to bring out a solution and questioned him.

The servant said “I have been working here since from father time, your highness. During that time, many renowned poets visited the palace and stayed here for a few days. I was instructed to look after their needs. One of the poets was satiated and offered me the palm leaves with some writings on them. The poet said, “Open them when you face turmoil”. The servant continued, Your Highness, you have been taking care of me so well and I haven’t faced any such situations so far that leads me to unfold them. I would like you to have them, Your highness. Please accept these palm leaves.

The king accepted and kept the folded palm leaves in his ring. Days and months passed, and his territory was captured by his enemies. His palace was captured and the army was killed. The King had to flee to the mountains as he was chased. He was scatterbrained and realized that his legacy came to end and to be assassinated in a few hours. Then he remembers saying to his old servant. He looks at the folded palm leaves in the ring and unfolds them. King notices the only three words and wonders how that will help in the current situation. He reads them aloud.

 "idhuvum kadandhu pogum" (This too shall pass)

The King was confused and sat down on a rock. He began to chant those words. Sun began to set and the day came to end. The opponents couldn’t find him in the dense mountain and they left.

He understood that they had left. The king camouflaged among the tribal people and begins to prepare his troops for months. The king along with his prepared troops attacks the opponent and recaptures his Kingdom again.

The coronation ceremony was about to begin, and all the members of the palace were rejoicing about the king’s arrival.

The old servant approached the king and said, Your highness, I am sorry and I forgot to mention one more thing said by the poet. The king was on cloud nine, as that phrase helped him out in those difficulties and he was happy to hear what the servant was going to say.

The servant continued, “Use them even when you’re blissed out” your highness, and left. The king was again perplexed and realized that he was overjoyed for his victory. He takes out the folded palm leaves and reads them aloud again.

"idhuvum kadandhu pogum" (This too shall pass)

This time, the phrase which helped him during the bad times blew a cold breeze on his face. The king understood the real meaning of the phrase and gifted the sovereigns to that servant.

There is no such thing as bad life or good life. Every period stays for some time and that will eventually pass. We are all in different phases of our life. Some might be content with what they do, some might be looking for a change, praying for good health, getting funds for their startup, moving on after a breakup, waiting for a yes from their BF/GF, to enter into a good college, to get placed in good company, etc.

Hold on tight, This too shall pass!

I believe this phrase will help us during the lows to lift us and also stay humble during our victories.

Cheers, Have a blast on the weekends!

PS: There is a poem on Even this will pass away – Theodore Tilton

When I first had the idea of writing, apart from the diary, I wished to write in public and I had no clue about platforms. I use to document all-day activities in notion but I wasn’t sure of any as such. I started surfing about blogging in the open-source university (Google and YouTube) and nothing could have been possible without it. I watched a few videos and read a few pages about blogging.

Initially, It all seemed like humans talking in a different language and I am not a techie expert here. I remember solving some C++ programs in UG (I don’t remember any of the syntaxes now) for days and dates to appear in the output. Now, everything looked complex, with all jargon, n number of options, and features provided at different levels in each platform (Basic, Premium, Business, and E-commerce). I knew nothing about it and my source of information was only Google and YouTube. Watched some more videos, and read many articles yet I was not fine with anything nor clarity.

I also started to explore other platforms (LinkedIn, Quora, Medium, Substack, Reuve, etc.). I registered almost on all platforms and checked the features. I intended to have my website and it was one of the things that stopped me from writing on these. It might sound cringe or egoistic but I wanted to write whatever liked writing without worrying about likes validation or followers.

I follow a personal blog of a coder and he developed his static website through Flash. The repository is there on his GitHub too. I had thought of making use of the codes and learning it from YouTube, and working things out but wasn’t sure of the long term. What if I had to add or alter something? I might get tired of searching for codes and that would not work right.

Getting back, Godaddy, Namecheap (It was comparatively cheaper among all), Google domains, WordPress, Ghost, and Wix are common in India as far as I know. I recall buying the domain and looking for cheaper platforms. Then, I decided to cancel the domain and received a refund. I couldn’t find any that were both affordable and had adequate features.

My second last hit was WIX, I was convinced at working with Wix and its features like click and drag to change any blocks or to design a page. The issue that I had with Wix was not customizable for the basic plan with the personalized domain name.

It’s not as same as shopping on Amazon, Flipkart, or E-bay. You can buy it and if it doesn’t fit you, return it and get a refund. All of these have the least subscriptions of a year and rates are cheaper as you chose the longer duration. Transferability kicks off when you want to switch all the content to the next platform.

Considering all the above, I found WordPress to be more suitable for my demands.

#No coding

You can still write without the knowledge of coding but, TBH coders have the edge.

#Customizable

You have to learn to navigate through WordPress and everything becomes handy once you master it. The internet has everything accessible.

# Easy to use

The interface is not that complicated here. I wasn’t sure about having a domain name in one source and hosting on the other and the cost seemed lesser when I purchased both here.

#Features

The availability of features depends on the plans that you choose. If anyone wants to have all the plugins, advanced SEO, etc. opt for the Business plan. For beginners, Basic or premium would do.

#Cost

This is a subjective point that is determined by your desires and investment level. Set your brackets, do your research, and see what falls into your basket. Good Luck!

Cheers!

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Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago, and life forms like microscopic organisms appeared 3.7 billion years ago. Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes came into the picture. Various scientists classified them based on their similarities and difference. Lol, I am an armature and not writing a research article here. Recently started reading about the evolution of living organisms.

All these living creatures have got a connection with the water whether it’s plants or animals. According to the evolution of nature, aquatic organisms colonized the land over the years. Similarly from mosses to mango trees, and sponges to humans. Simplicity and simple are the words preferred by everyone, as it sounds simple but it’s not how nature works. These primitive simple organisms were differentiated into complex ones like humans! This is how I believed until I came across this tweet.

Whales evolved from a bizarre, vaguely whale-looking land animal called the Pakicetus that lived in Pakistan 50 million years ago. pic.twitter.com/AwAgQSGOj3

— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) July 22, 2022

I kept wondering how an aquatic animal could evolve from a terrestrial creature. TBH, I was so dumb to believe that whales and dolphins belong to Pisces. I knew something like they give birth to young ones and don’t lay eggs but I didn’t know they belonged to mammals.

Curiosity arouse about how these land animals (Pakicetus) evolved into the “cetacean“? Curiosity stays until a distraction comes right? As usual, I got distracted by some Instagram reels after shallow surfing on google.

I happened to visit one of my senior’s places for some personal work. While chilling, she played a series and storyline focused on a lawyer who suffered from autism. So, it’s a court-seen drama. The main lead adores whales, and whenever she encounters a problem, she refers to the whales to solve it.

I know it’s dramatic but I loved the concept of bringing whales and their unique characters. Curiosity to know more about whales grew stronger and took a few hours to research and write about it too!

Here we go!

The best and most free university that we have now is YouTube and Google.

As I began, It was amazing and surprising to see nature’s mystery. Pakicetus has four limbs, fingers/toes a nostril (Nose to breathe near the mouth), which looks like a wolf or fox, and a tail. They started moving towards the water surface to catch the fish to eat. After some years, there comes an intermediate who can walk and swim, and then came whales.

The whales didn’t have four limbs instead have two flippers to swim. The nostrils went above the head and are called blowholes, and some whales had baleen. It still amazes me! They are magnificent and weigh up to 150 tons (Blue whales).

What is so important for one’s survival?

Okay, oxygen comes before money! We breathe atmospheric oxygen but these aquatic organisms make use of the dissolved oxygen in the water. Their respiratory system is way more efficient than humans. They come to the surface to get oxygen and can survive up to 2 hours in the deep ocean without breathing. Fascinating, isn’t it?

Whales live in communities and the male whales sing to attract their mate. I wonder what lyrics were written in those songs. Do the females conduct singing competitions? Lol, Nature only knows. These songs are helping to do focused work. Give it a try!

Female whales allow only perfect male whales to proceed further. Despite their preferences, they are the best mothers in the ocean. They don’t leave their calf, even lose their weight to feed the younger ones.

They are very passionate and adorable. It gives warmth and felt a little closer to them!

Here are some! Enjoy!

Cheers!

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