FLASH BACK

when this course personal development studies started to me it was just like a waste of time. Because everything looked pretty obvious. But regardless of that still I attended the class. with time I was pleasantly surprised how the things I had deemed so obvious turned to be so challenging to handle.

Communicating with others was a very big problem for me, added to the fact that I was from a different country made the situation worse.Working in groups  was another burden I had to bear but
eventually things took a U turn and everything started to transform for the better good.

 My mind gradually started changing and at last I had a totally different perspective about  this particular course.
The course had various activities of which at the end of the day they had different lessons to pass through to the class at times the activities were of moral type in other  times the lessons learnt were skills we were supposed acquire that would be part and parcel of us when we finally join the job industry, such included negotiation skills,leadership skills strategic planning, management of scarce resources,critical thinking and so many other skills that would see us at per with other graduants from other universities locally an globally.

Through the various blogs we were asked to write I believe most of us our English improved significantly and the strict nature of our lecture on ensuring everyone spoke in English also contributed to our English vocabulary
Apart from the moral lessons and soft skills we acquired from the ppd, the course opened up an opportunity for us as a class to bond up. i practically used to speak to no one but currently my progress has been good. Infact that's an understatement.

 Through the various blogs we were asked to write I believe most of us our English improved significantly and the strict nature of our lecture on ensuring everyone spoke in English also contributed to our English vocabulary. i would also say that ppd became an enjoyable subject because of our lecture who was behind it.She was so committed and passionate not because it was her duty to deliver but it was something more than just the duty.I suppose the love for her students.

If someone could ask me today about this course i would say its more important than the rest of other courses we took this year.Something I couldn't say when we were starting the course that shows how positively it has transformed me.Having said that I come to a conclusion of my short post. 

TRIP TO TRINCO

Our letcurer had organised an outbound training for the first years and second years in a navy camp.Everyone was excited about it and I was glad I would join but my excitement was short-lived when I was informed I could not join my classmates because I was a foreigner and I was not allowed to go there due to issues of national security.Well I understood the issue and took it gladly however some of my classmates were so concerned because previously I had missed on the social night because one senior tried to force me with girl partner,something i did not take gladly. so they thought I was feeling bad about it but actually on the same note I was relieved because now I could go out with my fellow international friends.I had to cancel going  out with them due to the Trinco trip and now since i was going to Trinco anymore I gladly joined them out to dutch hospital and the night was epic.

However I did not go for the outbound training our lecturer asked me to write on other peoples expirience. so I had to wait until they all posted their blogs so I could pick on what to write from there.Of all the blogs I read most of them had to mention how sweet the food
was,they also observed how clean the place was and the strict nature of keeping time.When they arrived they were guided to places they would spend the night while at the camp.They then changed and went to the beach were they had some fun activities with lessons to learn at the end of it.

At the beach they were grouped into various groups and most of them  observed the importance of group and they all concured that its easier to win as a group that is united and focussed towards the ultimate goal.they also observed that in every group there must be only one leader who is capable
of guiding the team to its goal.the activity of making holes on the pipes becaause afterwards they would go to the sea after that they went to places of staying and when they came back at the beach in the evening they found it well decorated with camp fire already put in place and had other several activities like singing later on the night came to a conculusion with dinner taken infront
of the wavy ocean

Day 2 started with cup of hot tea and later they got grouped again with various captains.the activity of the day was to get to a particular destination through a jungle with a use of a compass.while in the forest one of the officer acted as an injured man who had fell from a tree. It was a test on how they would help if it was in areal life situation.after that they visited the navy muesium and saw the amazing collections that were being kept there

.afterwards they took their lunch and left the camp back to  campus.
"what a wonderful day" they all said

GOALS

Before this activity I had never before thought of what iwanted to do with my life in future.I was just leaving in the moment following the basic routine just like any other ordinary university student.This activity was a mind opener and i knew i had to plan my future and set my goals.
We were asked to draw like a mind map of our proffessional goal personal goal and academic goals.This was the last activituy of our first semester and i had not finished preparing my goals when the class ended.Our lecturer instructed that the rest will present on coming semester but then i got unlucky on that too,because when that  time came for that session   i wasnt around so i never got the chance to present my goals.
However i will talk about my goals:
Educational goals
Under my educational goal is that i want to complete my studies here successfully and become a good developer.I want to go for my masters in china where and for thet i decided come 2018 I would take chinese classes to help me prepare for the same.
I am also doing self study on graphics because apart from learning programming i am fascinated on graphic designig.
Professional goals
At first i would love to join a company from where i would get expirience. not necessarily a big company but a small company would be better for me to easily learn at before moving to a bigger company
After i have gained enough expirience i would love to form my own company and create job opportunities for others as well as to promote and create the awairness of need of more software engineering in my country that could help my country grow technologically and promote creativity within my country men
Personal goals

Always i think about my parents and the  sacrifices they have made for me.I owe them leterary everything and i plan to make their life as comfortable as i can provide them with everything they need and take them to whichever place they would love to go to.
Under my personal goals I have always thought of having a family with a beautiful wife.But what makes me to really want to have a family is the feeling of being called a dad,and for me what gladdens my heart is when i get as many kids as possible atleast 6 something more is a bonus that i would also love

DECISION MAKING

DECISION MAKING
first the activity on decision making started with a light activity on one choosing a place of interest where he or she would love to go for a dinner.students were asked to choose the dress code the means of transport and by whom they would love to go with.

The second activity was for student to assume that they were on a crushing plane in the middle of an ocean and a list of several items are given but they can only take 3 items for survival.further it was said eventually an helicopter came to the rescue but sadly enough it could only save one person and that meant the rest had to die.Students had to choose who was worth saving.time was given and it was required at the end they would all come to a consensus who will be rescued.
The first activity was pretty simple and students came up with decisions quite faster and with less ease.this was because the activity firstly involved one person making the decision and it was all about having a nice time so making the decision was quite simple
The second activity took more time because firstly it involved many people and discussion and agreement had to occur before any decision could be made.in addition it was a tough decision to make since it was a life threatening situation and critical thinking was highly needed in the activity.

eventually after some discussions every group came up with items they could pick.they picked a life boat to help keep them a float  a dozen of water bottles to quench thirst since they cannot drink sea water and a flash light that could be used to flash out just in case there was some boat sailing to rescue them.We all believed this were the best best items that could help us survive until help came.
The situation of only one person being able to be saved was testing the act of selflessness. Members in each group had to forget about his/her needs and consider those of one who highly matter because the bottom line was that everyone's life mattered but at the end of the day one could be saved.
At first my group came up with the idea that the youngest was the one suitable to be saved since she still had a longtime to live compared to the rest.we later came to find out that the youngest person was having her lover on the same boat and she couldn't agree being saved leaving her lover behind.we had to rethink again and finally we chose one of us who had a wife and a child.To us he was worth more saving than the rest because he had more responsibilities on his shoulders then the rest of us a young family that was looking up to him for its survival.

From the activity of decision making we came to learn that some decisions are easy to take and doesn't require  of thinking while other decisions are hard to take because they require a lot of pounding over this is because such decisions affect the rest of our lives from the moment we make them.we also learnt that that making decisions as a group takes more time and while making a group decisions we should always be ready to listen and acknowledge what others will say.even though not all ideas will be taken into consideration while taking the decision,we should come up with a decision that would be gladly taken by everyone.

Egg protector was an activity that tasted on how creativity students were to ensure the egg didnt brak while at the same time producing something that looked attractive.so the activity began we wee in groups and the following items were given
An egg
cell tape
pair of sissorss
5 sheets of paper

Students were given 30 minutes to prepare the egg protector  iin my group we started first by thoroughly wrapping the egg with the cell tape.after whats we created something like a box to put it in.But just before that we cut some piece of papers and placed at the bottom of the box.that was purposefully for absorbing the pressure to reduce or even prevent impact on the egg.we then placed the egg into the box and added the cut piece of papers on top and sealed the box.we further went ahead to make rids rolled from the papers and stuck them on the sides of the box. and this how our egg protector finally looked like

Eventually all groups were done and it was time to test the egg protectors.being the tallest i was selected to throw up the eggs.

Of all the groups my groups egg protector was effective the rest of the groups flopped and broke their eggs.Some was because they only considered some facts and assumed others would not apply

Others was because they did not get the instruction clearly and ended up making a protector that was not effective enough.The activity was fun and we ended the session with a selfie.

University of Kelaniya

The university of Kelaniya is a state university that came into existence in 1875 launched by Dharmaloka Thera and later in 1978 it became a  state university.Today the university hasenormously progressed.With it, it contains highly qualified staff and diversed students from various regions of the country as well from overseas countries.

vision
to become centre of excellence in creation and dissemination of knowledge for sustainable development
mission
To nuture intellectual citizens through creativity and innovation who contribute to the national development
The university produces highly competent students into the societies who are then higly demamded by allkinds  of work force.There are mainly 7 faculties that constitutes the university as listed below
faculty of science
faculty of computing and technology
faculty of social sciences
faculty of commerce and management studies
faculty of arts
faculty of medicine
faculty of graduate studies

Faculty of science
faculty of science commenced in 1967 officially launched by professor Charles Dahanayake. It is located on the left side assuming when you are coming from the main road.as the name suggest it offers various science ralated courses and produces  highly technical students.The faculty has several departments as listed below
Software engineering
Botany
Industrial management
Physics
Mathematics
Statistics and computer science
Zoology and Environmental science
Microbiology

The faculty contains also a multipurpose  hall known as Dharmaloka a ground where students play sports a canteen for their meals and a study area for personal and group studies.

Other than the faculties the university has other several facilities that aid in ensuring a good environment is provided for  the students and all who are part of the university

Library
The university has an extra ordinary big Library that contains thousands of books.What makes it special is that it contains books that cant be find easily in other library  in the country.

Students can borrow  from the library or study at the library.There is wifi and availability of  computers hence students can look on books online.

Medical centre
At this pace is where students receive their treatment when they fall  ill.the treatment is totally free for all students and university staff.the staff offering the medical services are highly qualified staff who see unto it that ill persons are well treated.

The medical centre partners up with an outside lab facilities from which they send various samples for lab tests before treatment issued to patients
Physical education
This among the most important sectors in the campus.It offers various sports for students.it organises several friendly matches and competitions with other universities and organisations.

This helps students realise and improve their talents.It also helps students relax from the tedious class routine. currently the physical education is building a new indoor gymnasium for the students too use.

International affairs unit
At this unit headed by professor  Neelakshi is part of the campus that ensures all the international students are well taken care of and needs attended to.

it is located at the top most floor at the graduate studies where there is a computer lab exclusively for international students.the lab acts like a study place and resting place whenever they do not have classes to attend.

The university of Kelaniya is a state university that came into existence in 1875 launched by Dharmaloka Thera and later in 1978 it became a  state university.Today the university hasenormously progressed.With it, it contains highly qualified staff and diversed students from various regions of the country as well from overseas countries.

vision
to become centre of excellence in creation and dissemination of knowledge for sustainable development
mission
To nuture intellectual citizens through creativity and innovation who contribute to the national development
The university produces highly competent students into the societies who are then higly demamded by allkinds  of work force.There are mainly 7 faculties that constitutes the university as listed below
faculty of science
faculty of computing and technology
faculty of social sciences
faculty of commerce and management studies
faculty of arts
faculty of medicine
faculty of graduate studies

Faculty of science
faculty of science commenced in 1967 officially launched by professor Charles Dahanayake. It is located on the left side assuming when you are coming from the main road.as the name suggest it offers various science ralated courses and produces  highly technical students.The faculty has several departments as listed below
Software engineering
Botany
Industrial management
Physics
Mathematics
Statistics and computer science
Zoology and Environmental science
Microbiology

The faculty contains also a multipurpose  hall known as Dharmaloka a ground where students play sports a canteen for their meals and a study area for personal and group studies.

Other than the faculties the university has other several facilities that aid in ensuring a good environment is provided for  the students and all who are part of the university

Library
The university has an extra ordinary big Library that contains thousands of books.What makes it special is that it contains books that cant be find easily in other library  in the country.

Students can borrow  from the library or study at the library.There is wifi and availability of  computers hence students can look on books online.

Medical centre
At this pace is where students receive their treatment when they fall  ill.the treatment is totally free for all students and university staff.the staff offering the medical services are highly qualified staff who see unto it that ill persons are well treated.

The medical centre partners up with an outside lab facilities from which they send various samples for lab tests before treatment issued to patients
Physical education
This among the most important sectors in the campus.It offers various sports for students.it organises several friendly matches and competitions with other universities and organisations.

This helps students realise and improve their talents.It also helps students relax from the tedious class routine. currently the physical education is building a new indoor gymnasium for the students too use.

International affairs unit
At this unit headed by professor  Neelakshi is part of the campus that ensures all the international students are well taken care of and needs attended to.

it is located at the top most floor at the graduate studies where there is a computer lab exclusively for international students.the lab acts like a study place and resting place whenever they do not have classes to attend.

Paper Tower

Paper tower was a class activity that was assigned to the class members. Three groups were formed each given 12 papers, a pair of scissors and a masking tape. Each group was to make a tower using the equipment given. Spots were established where the towers to be established will be placed by each group.on completion of the task, the following would be checked;

• Longest tower
• Firmness of the tower
• Straightness of the tower

When the groups were finally allowed to carry out the task, every group quickly startedworking.

 Trials and errors were made by each group to establish a firm base for the tower except for one group that decided to build the tower from up coming down to the base, that was kind of hilarious.too much time was taken to form a base for the tower hence the groups rushed to complete the tower which led to the towers not being straight as it was required.

The towers were left to stand for 10 minutes and on a slight blow from the mouth they all fell down and that indicated the towers were not firm. That marked the end of the activity and the lecture had to point out issues she had observed from the activity. 

First she said the aim of the activity was to check on how the students can work together when given a group task. She further went on and pointed out the weaknesses on the tasks
These weaknesses were as follows, 

• No group planned for the activity,  all the groups rushed to start the task. She encouraged the students to always first have a plan. 
• No creativity, she said all the groups focussed on making the longest tower and put no attention on making the tower look beautiful
• Leadership lucked. She said there was no one who took the iniative to be a leader or choose someone who could lead since the task required a leader who could coordinate the way through the activity was to get carried out. 

At the end of the lesson we came to learn about the importance of a plan,the need of a leader and the usefulness of being creative. All these together i believwas a improvementto everyones personal skills

Personal progress development

what is personal progress development

Personal progress development is course which contains activities that enhances awareness,identity,develop talents and reaching of full potential,build human capital and facilitate employability of individuals into various job markets.It enhances to high life quality and also contributes to realisation of dreams. in other words it takes place over the course of person's entire life for the better.

Hence at the university of kelaniya this course is offered to all student admitted to the university in their first academic year to equip them with necessary soft skills they will need in the future job market. During this course the lecturers act as the mentors to the student and establish activities that would lead to maximum benefit out of the programme. some of the areas they insist on include the following;

1. team work

For a successful work to be achieved students are encouraged on the spirit of togetherness when doing task that involve more than one person. Team work is highly encouraged and this achieved by lectures establishing activities that will make sure students work in teams.

 2. Planning 
The personal progress program also is aimed at student developing good planning skills. They are taught and its made clear that planning for your personal progress that is where you want to be is necessary for one to realise a significant improvement in their personal skills.They are taught to maintain personal progress booklet to plan on what and how they will achieve their personal progress goals.

3. Effective communication
 In all job opportunities that are available effective communication is needed for one to get employed into those opportunities hence personal progress development ensures one is able to communicate with others effectively.  This is achieved by learning being made student centered whereby students are made to speak to each other on various topics so as to boost their self confidence and expand on their grammar

Other areas pointed out in personal progress development include;

• good correlations through good understanding by the individuals involved.
• It promotes more awareness of how to apply your learning to new problems and contexts
•  One develops greater confidence in the skills qualities and attributes they bring to the career of their choice