Look Back..

In very first days when we were in first year we got the PPD course module. In those days we thought that it would be very boring and useless. But day by day I changed my mind because I understood that PPD sessions can give us a good quality for our lives. We did so many activities which are very important through these two years. Some of the special activities we did among them as following;

First we are going to look for some PPD activities in first year

• Blind Polygon 
• Marshi Land
• Strew and Cotton
• SWOT analysis
• Peer review
• Flying egg
• Poster presentation
• Lava river
• E mail writing
• Foods and nutritions session
• Time management session

Then we move into some activities in second year

• Expert game
• Pen and thread game
• Barter Puzzle
• My dream trip
• The art of living
• CV Preparation 
• Latest Software Engineering Trends
• Outbound Training at Trincomalee
• Table Ethics

                                                          

                                   

We did we learn ?

• How to work as a team
• How to do a work creatively
• How to get a decision as a leader
• How to achieve our goals
• How to decrease our drawbacks
• How to think differently
• How to manage our time
• How to face for the interviews
• Sending a proper e mail 
• The art of living
• Table Ethics
• CV preparation

Actually the things that we got are priceless. My special thanks goes to Madam Sarasi for giving us unforgettable life experiences. Again Thank you very much.

Table Ethics....

      We were able to do many activities through the PPD course module. Actually we got many experiences from those sessions. In this time Madam Sarasi Planned to go to Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management for giving us another experience. We went there to learn Table Ethics. That is really important for our lives as the software engineering undergraduates because we have to face to the business world and the society in the future. So we have to practice before going to the society. Therefore we should learn about table ethics as a part of our qualifications. 

      

      Unfortunately I was unable to participate in that valuable event. So I collected more information from my colleagues. They had enjoyed that session well. As their memories there were two sessions that are organized by the team. 

First session

In this session there was a good explanation about the table ethics and some important social ethics.They had explained about how to wear properly for a special function, how to behave in such a place, how to match our suits properly, how these ethics can be differ from each culture and etc. That lecture was delivered by Mr.Dickson. Mainly he focused on the table ethics. Following are the major points he focused.

• How to use cutlery properly 
• How to behave properly while we are getting the meal

Second session

After doing theory parts they moved into a practical session on how to use those theories practically. They had arranged many delicious foods for us. Some of them as follows;

• Avocado juice with ice cream which is mounted on top as an appetizer.

• Bread with garlic butter

• Soup with beacon

• Roasted chicken with potato chips

• Coffee gateau 

After that hotel school session we got following good points for our lives

• We learned how to use different cutlery items for different kinds of foods
• How to behave in a place like we stayed for the session
• How to dress well according to the occasion..... and etc

Actually we are very thankful to Madam Sarasi for organizing such a event like this. 

Outbound training at Trincomalee....

   This time our PPD course module took a different turn as the second semester of the second year comes to the end. Madam Sarasi organized a very meaningful and effective session for us that will have us unforgettable memories. It is a 2-day outbound training at the Trincomalee Eastern Command Naval Base, Sri Lanka Navy. But unfortunately I was enable to join that wonderful event. But I collected all the feedbacks from my friends and I assumed that I was with my batch mates on those 2 days. So I used the word "we" instead of the word "they". Let's go through day by day.

Day 1

     We started our journey from our university on the 9th of December 2017 at 3 a.m in the morning. We reached to Trincomalee Naval Base around 10 o' clock in the morning. Each and every activity they had for us followed a very strict time schedule and were very well organized.

      When we stepped in to the Navy camp we felt a very warm hospitality and well organized nature of all the Navy Officers and Commanders that accompanied and trained us. Both level 1 and level 2 students joined for the session and we divided into teams to get the maximum output from each team activity and to interact well each other regardless of our level of study of University.

Some of the activities that we did as follows;

 High extension wire frame

       This is a group activity. Each team consisted of 8 members and they had to move through a square shaped wooden frame hung in mid-air without any contact with the frame. Touch the wire and you are dead and have to go to the back of the line again.

       This activity trained us to improve our patience and be focused on our surrounding. And also a proper communication is necessary on either side of the frame and with the member going through at that moment.

Passing a given glass ball from one end to the other through the tubes given

     Each team's task was make sure the glass ball reached the finishing line through the tubes provided but each successive tube should come into contact only after the ball has entered the tube of the one before. Once the ball goes in to the next tube, each member must join the end of the line and continue the process until the ball reaches the finishing line.

Tug-o-war

      This game was very familiar for us. We had to make sure the rope doesn't go away from our grip and pull. The boys and girls had separate tugging sessions.

Filling a tube with water 

    We had to fill water a tube with holes around it and they told us to fill the tube without using any other object. We faced so many difficulties while doing that game. We brought water from our mouth and using our palms. 

 At the evening we had a campfire and there was a variety show. We enjoyed a lot on that day.

Day 2

The Compass March

    We were given a Compass used by Navy Officers and a map of Trincomalee where our position was shown. We had to reach Elephant point which is about 2 and 1/2 km away through the thick forest before 10.30 a.m using the compass and the map. Ohh...It was very amazing event.

Visit to the Naval Museum

     It had a vast collection of ship equipments and parts, boats and  armour captured from the LTTE after deadly attacked in the sea, guns and bombs and so much more to witness.  There were some underground tunnels for us to visit too.

That is the activities for the Day 2.

     Every things was properly planned and was done to a set time schedule. We trained ourselves to manage time very well and how to maintain or focus. Another this was both level 1 and level 2 students worked together like brothers and sisters.

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Latest Software Engineering Trends...........

         When we talk about the latest trends in software engineering we can see that the mobile companies have grown today. It is very highlighted. So Madam Sarasi invited to h Senid Mobile company for a PPD session to get us more knowledge about the job industry. 

          h Senid Mobile is the pioneer for end-to-end platforms that connects Telcos to businesses. Their products are built on an innovative telco ecosystem that monetizes Telco resources enabling an inclusive developer community.They have gained global recognition in proving dynamic Telco grade platforms converging Telco APIs, Analytics and Sgnaling for Telecommunication Companies and Enterprise markets. Their extensive range of Software Platforms cover Telco Application Platforms, Loyalty Analysis Platforms, SMSC, LBS, USSD Gateway & SIGTRAN Signaling of the Mobile VAS & Service delivery sphere. 

             

                               

  The culture of h Senid Mobile

• Connection oriented
• Pattern of connection is evolving
• Load applications are managing is growing
• User experience matters
• Things to connect are changing 
• Areas which should connect the expanding

The trends of h Senid Mobile

• Enhanced programming patterns
• Distributed computing ( early 1960s' )
• Mobile devices ( early 2000s' )
• Responsive design ( Assume there is a web application. It should be very familiar to the computer )
• Machine language ( 1990s' )
• Internet of things ( Eg - Amazon )
• Block chain ( early 1990s' )

Reactive programming 

      It is an Asynchronous programming paradigm which is oriented around data streams. In data streams you can transfer your data according to your requirement.

What it's like to work with us

     They ensure to provide the necessary trainings and mentoring to all of us. We can know something new on each day which would contribute towards the upgrade of technology and their knowledge.

      I try my best to join with h Senid Mobile.

The art of living.....

         People who are living in the world have their own behaviors and different feelings in their lives. Lots of people try to achieve their goals and they try to fulfill their requirements. But there are some people who are cheating to others. That kind of people think about only their lives. So we can see that there is an art of living. We can identify the art of living by developing relationships with people.
        In the last lecture of PPD session there was a valuable lecture which is conducted by Dr. Ajith Rohana  Colonne who is a top level person in Sri Lanka. The main idea of his lecture is living is kind of an art.

For what do we live ?
         Do you think think about that question before I asked. I think your answer will be "No". Since our childhood we are living for many purposes. It changed while we were growing. In the present my purpose of living is not the purpose in the past. It is changing in these days as I think. So people will give different answers for my above question.
        As I identify we should live for following purposes.

• For being happy
• For being success
• For enjoying the things happen

What are the things for living happily ?
         Basically we should follow below mentioned points.

• We should love to the nature
• We should develop the positive thinking
• We should continue a meaningful bond with the family and the society.
• We should be healthy

Law of the third
        Role a dice or put a coin. It don't depend on the previous one. We can show the law of the third by following equation.

                                                           y = 1990 x + 0.2402

Ability to appreciate the nature
        We should have a habit of loving to the nature. Then nature will react. Let's think about a tree.

       We can learn many things from a tree. Our lives are like trees. It will grow up little by little. Like some vines trying  to attack to the tree people are waiting to attack us. So we should be strong to face those challenges. The things that we can learn from a tree.

• Strength
• Patience

Ability to think philosophically

•  Level of thinking and pattern of living are not correlated
• Try to refrain discussing on other people
• Exchange the ideas about problems
• When something happen don't react . That point is very important. Look at following story.

Story of cockroach - There was a party and people had wore nicely. Suddenly a woman started to shout because there was a cockroach in her saree. She ran here and there. Then cockroach flew and landed on another one's wear. That person also started to shout. While people were shouting a waiter came with six cups of wine glasses. The the cockroach landed to his arm. He saw that scene and he didn't react. Simply he caught it and put it to the out of the window. 

      That is the story. So you can get a better idea about what I am trying to say. There are many stories like above one.

• Those who are happy aren't people who haven't problems. But those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect.

Success

       Success is not following us. We should follow the success. Success doesn't depend on your name, school you attended, your parents or your lover. It should build by yourself. There is a big message for you. 

" Don't talk about your humble begging in public because some people can bit by them"

Positive thinking

        Positive thinking help you to be success in your life. Some people have become success due to their positive thinking. Bill Gates , Steve Jobs ' Dhammika Perera and Mark Zuckerberg are some examples.

         

          It we think about a cup that is filled a half of water we should look at it in a positive mind. That is we can think as "Oh.. there has a half of water. It is enough ". Likewise we should train to think positively.

Self confidence

         Another important point is self confidence. The best examples are follows.

• Bill Clinton - He was a former president in USA. When we look at her life he has come forward by using his self confidence. 

• Carl Lewis - He is one of the Olympic champion in the world. In his childhood one day his mother asked him "Son , how did you win all the sports running events in the sports meet ? ". His answer was " Mom when I am running I don't look at others. I run by looking forward".That is really good point to develop our lives.

Perseverance - The most important one that should improve in your lives is perseverance. Without the perseverance the can't satisfy about our life.When we fell down however we should stand up. It will increase your ability to face challenges.

Endurance - This is another attribute to be developed. We should always train to increase our endurance.

And also there have many attributes to improve in your lives. Above explained things are very important like following points.

• Strategic thinking
• Knowledge
• Spirituality and etc.

Finally I have to say that the art of living is like a kite which sent to the sky. We can manage and coordinate our living method in the society as we want.

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My dream trip....

          As a result of my performance at the working place my boss gave me a wonderful opportunity. That is I got thirty days to go on a trip with an unlimited budget. I confused when I heard that announcement. Now I can go anywhere in the world. Where can I go ? ...........Normally I like to go trips with my family. But our family members have no enough time to go trips. They are busy with many responsibilities. However I will bring my family to this trip because I have received an unlimited budget. So I try to enjoy it well.

Where will I go as my dream trip ?
        I can imagine so many places to go. But my dream trip is going to visit the Holy Land because it is a dream not only me but also a dream of my parents. The Holy Land is an area roughly located between  the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea that also include the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River. Traditionally it is synonymous with both the biblical Land of Israel and historical Palestine.
    The purpose of my trip is to worship all the places that Jesus Christ lived and getting the blessings of god.

With whom will I go to the Holy Land ?
          I will go there with my loving wife and my kids. And also I will bring my parents. I don't call my friends to join with me because visiting the Holy land is a kind of a pilgrimage.

How will I arrange my activities ?
         If I will go on a trip to the Holy Land I will not at the office. So I will assign my duties to my assistant to coordinate them. I will ask  for my wife whether she can get leaves for a month or not because she is a veterinary surgeon. My kids also have to go to school. I have to think about them again and again because my two daughters can't stay without their mother. So I decided to collect them at the middle of the trip. Then my kids can come to me with my wife.So I wish to stay twenty days in the Holy Land. After ten days I send my parents to Canada to visit my elder sister and her family.
         As my wife told she prefer to Bangkok for shopping. So I will go there with her and my kids. I wish to stay there for two days. After that I will go to Canada in the rest of the days  to join with my parents.
     That is my plan and I think that our journey will be success.

                                                                       

Where will I go to visit in the Holy Land ?
         My main target is going to the Holy Land. So I try to cover all the places that Jesus Christ lived.Following are the places that I wish to cover in the Holy Land.

• The Church of the Nativity                                                                                                                  The Church of the Nativity was built over a grotto where the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus.

• The Garden Tomb                                                                                                                                 The Garden Tomb is believed to be the place where Jesus was placed after he died on the cross.

• The Western or Wailing Wall                                                                                                                  The Western or Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is the last retaining wall supporting the Temple Mount and was also the closest that the Jews were allowed to be where the ancient Temple of Jerusalem once stood in the aftermath of the Second Temple (70 A.D.).
  

• Dome of the rock                                                                                                                                   The Dome of the Rock is where the Jews honor as the Temple Mount.

• Golgotha Hill                                                                                                                                
       Golgotha Hill or “the place of the skull,” is said to be the place where Jesus was crucified.
  

                                     

• Mount of Beatitudes                                                                                                                                Jesus said at the Mount of Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).”

• Mount Sinai                                                                                                                                            Mount Sinai (Egypt) is where Moses was given the 10 Commandments

• Garden of Gethsemane                                                                                                                             The Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus prayed the night before his crucifixion.

• Mount of Beatitudes                                                                                                                               The Mount of Beatitudes is where Jesus delivered His famous Sermon on the Mount.
  

• Mount of Olives                                                                                                                                       Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge running from north to south overlooking the old City of Jerusalem where Jesus wept after a prophetic vision of the city being destroyed. Jesus was later arrested at the lower ridge of the mountain.

• Church of St. John the Baptist                                                                                                                      The Church of St. John the Baptist is found in the Christian quarter of the ancient city of Jerusalem.

• Sea of Galilee                                                                                                                                           The Sea of Galilee is where Jesus calmed the waters and asked Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him

• The Basilica of the Annunciation                                                                                                          The angel Gabriel spoke to the Virgin Mary at the Basilica of Annunciation that she would conceive Jesus.

• River Jordan                                                                                                                                             Jesus was baptized here in the River Jordan by his cousin, John the Baptist.

 After visiting these places these places I will send my send parents to Canada where my elder sister is living.Then I will go to Bangkok with my wife and my loving kids. Following are the places that we wish to cover in Bangkok.

• Bangkok Shopping Malls                                                                                                                           This is a most famous shopping mall in the world. Wee can buy anything from there.

• Chatuchak Market                                                                                                                                  The market of all markets, Chatuchak Weekend Market is the ultimate. We  will be amazed by its sprawling size, but perhaps even more so by the unbelievable variety of wares. 

                                   

• Night Markets                                                                                                                                           In most cities nighttime means closing time. Not so, here in Bangkok. Come dusk, Khao San Road teems with unkempt travel wear. And Patpong Market’s tarpaulin covered stalls – each brimming with counterfeits or exotica - don’t even kick into life until the area’s office workers are tucked up in bed.

After visiting these places we will go to Edmonton,Canada to join with my parents.

Then well will come home after enjoying the trip. I wish to get another chance to go on a trip again with unlimited budget. So I will wok hard and try my best to achieve my goals.