Weekly Notes 24/06/2024 - 30/06/2024

Hi my dear,

This week, I was able to complete some pending tasks and thoroughly enjoyed traveling and networking with new people at AWS Community Day 2024 in Colombo.

Uki

This week, my involvement with Uki was limited to the weekend online cohort. Over the weekend, I began conducting a session on Node.js. I have learned significantly more through teaching Node.js than I did while working with it professionally. There's a quote that captures this idea perfectly: "We learn more when we teach others."

Inspired by this experience, I am planning to write an article on how Node.js works. Additionally, I encouraged and explained to the students the benefits of writing code in TypeScript. This is my first time learning TypeScript, and through the process of teaching it, I am gaining a deeper understanding than I would have otherwise. This method of teaching is motivating me to explore TypeScript more thoroughly and to delve into additional topics as I teach.

AWS Community Day 2024: A glimpse as a YT short

Wrote a LinkedIn post. Check it out here.

Non-Profit Orgs stuffs

As I mentioned in my previous notes, I have been involving with Tech related stuffs with Noolaham Foundation & TAJ (Tamil Academic Journal). For Noolaham, I am going to start work on upgrading the current web platform since most of the tech stack are out of date. I have to get the help from Mr. Natkeeran from Canada. Under his guidance on the development, I will start working on these with a proper planning & migration etc. So, the next focus would be on creating a project plan and cost estimation. A new interesting phase is awaiting for me.

For TAJ, I have completed the basic development of the paper submission portal. I always embrace the power of open-source applications because they offer comprehensive documentation and the flexibility to customize according to our needs. While I am not a big fan of tweaking open-source applications, I managed to do so despite having limited experience with both the Open Journal System (OJS) and PHP.

Now, on the journal page, users can view the PDF of the paper, and with OJS, they can also view the paper on a separate page. Kudos to open source! The next step is to deploy the portal on an AWS server and configure a suitable sub-domain. Moving forward, papers can be submitted, managed, and published through this website.

Check it out here

Freelance & Side Projects

I'm not seeing much hope from freelancing sites at the moment, so I'm focusing on building personal projects and investing time in learning new things. 

In addition, since I'm working on a side project in mobile app startup, most of the bugs have been fixed, and now I'm concentrating on writing clean cod with refactoring. I expect to complete this by the end of the week.

Exercises

During my visit to Colombo, I managed to walk more than 2 miles each day over the course of two days. Unfortunately, that was the extent of my exercise for the week, which is quite inadequate. Starting next week, I plan to dedicate at least half an hour each day to exercise, even if it's just for walking.

New learning things & try outs:

As I mentioned last note, I started learning LLM though DataTalks Club still I am continuing with the first week lessons as I didn't get much time to follow further. I will definitely will have that momentum to do it in the upcoming weeks and also my blog app. I got stuck with selecting a better Rich Text Editor. I will sort it soon and will have a working blog app in Next JS & Nest JS soon.

Hoping for the best.

Until then, temporary bye till next week.

Thank you for reading.

With my Team Velaris during the Community Day

After finishing Community day, went to watch Maharaja movie in Bambalapitiya MC

a random walking path in Dehiwala, where I used to. wander along during my Undergraduate studies at SLIIT

A shot captured by proffessional photographer

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Weekly Notes 17/06/2024 - 23/06/2024

Hello Everyone,

I'm thrilled to share my third weekly update with you all.

If you've read my previous updates, you'll know that this week has been fairly routine. However, I did have a few noteworthy experiences.

Uki

This week, I visited the Uki Kilinochchi center to check on the office setup and make any necessary arrangements. Afterward, we headed to a recently opened restaurant in Kilinochchi for lunch. I can't recall the name, but I was amazed by the transformation of the area. Kilinochchi has changed drastically over the past 15 years. The A9 road is now vibrant, lined with shops, banks, and various facilities. Uki Kilinochchi is centrally located, within walking distance from the A9 road and the railway station, making future travel between Kilinochchi and Jaffna convenient. I am considering renting a place to stay and work there.

The Kilinochchi restaurant had Tamil
Letters

The restaurant's Top roof lighting

After Kilinochchi, I visited the Vavuniya Uki center, where the current cohort had their final presentations. The students were full of energy and their presentations were impressive. I had the chance to speak with them individually, and they shared how Uki has positively impacted their lives, much like it did for me six years ago. Their enthusiasm was infectious. I stayed in Vavuniya at my sister-in-law's brother's home. Their hospitality was heartwarming—they provided me with food and a bicycle to explore the town. I am truly grateful for their generosity.

During my evening rides around Vavuniya, I captured some moments of my nocturnal adventures, which I'd like to share with you.

Over the weekend, I began teaching TypeScript to the Uki online cohort. Receiving positive feedback from the students, who understand the material, is incredibly fulfilling for me as a budding teacher. I hope to maintain this momentum throughout my tenure at Uki.

Cycling shot

Volunteer Activities

Due to a packed travel schedule and preparation for the weekend sessions, I haven't had the chance to work on tasks related to Noolaham or the Taj journal submission portal. However, I have started working on the portal to enable PDF previews for submitted journals. I aim to complete this task by the middle of next week.

Freelance/Side Projects

I made a new connection from the US who reached out to learn about my experience. He mentioned he'll be in touch when he has projects that fit my profile. In the meantime, I'm excited to dive into more hands-on projects across different technologies to expand my skills and keep things fresh.

On the mobile app startup I've been working on, I managed to squash a few bugs and am on track to wrap everything up by mid-week, ideally before Wednesday. This timing is perfect since I'll be traveling to Colombo for the AWS Community meetup on June 27th. Can't wait for the meetup—it's always a blast connecting with like-minded tech enthusiasts!

Exercise & Mind Health

During my visit to Vavuniya, I managed to get in some cycling, covering around 2.5 miles a day. I know it's not a marathon, but hey, it's better than nothing! Gotta start somewhere, right? I'll definitely aim to step it up in the coming weeks.

Learning & Updates

My blog app is still a work in progress. I hit a snag with a library for the Rich Text editor, but I’m confident I’ll figure it out soon. 

On the bright side, I just started a bootcamp with DataTalks Club to learn about LLM stuff. Super excited to dive into some creative Generative AI projects!

Stay tuned for more updates next week. Catch you in 7 days!

Vavuniya Bus Stand

With Vavuniya Uki, after the presentation

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Weekly Notes 10/06/2024 - 16/06/2024

Hello there,

Hope you all are doing great. I am happy that I am in a consistent for the 2nd week as well on writing weekly notes. I have done quite a lot of works in a productive way this week too.

It's time for me to share this with you.

Uki - Instructor

The second week at Uki was delightful. I gained valuable insights into evaluating students based on their activities. I'm gradually improving my skills as a teacher by better understanding students' mindsets and perspectives.

One of the key aspects of effective teaching is recognizing the individuality of each student. By observing how students engage with different tasks, I can identify their strengths, weaknesses, and interests. This allows me to tailor my teaching methods to better suit their learning styles.

Additionally, fostering open communication is essential. Encouraging students to express their thoughts and concerns helps me understand their perspectives and challenges. This, in turn, enables me to provide more targeted support and guidance.

Another important strategy is to create a positive and inclusive classroom environment. By promoting a culture of respect and collaboration, students feel more comfortable participating and sharing their ideas. This not only enhances their learning experience but also allows me to gauge their potential more accurately.

Understanding students' mentalities also involves being empathetic and patient. Recognizing that each student has unique experiences and backgrounds helps me approach teaching with greater sensitivity and adaptability.

Overall, my journey at Uki has been incredibly rewarding. I am committed to continually refining my teaching practices to better support my students' growth and success.

The applications for Uki Kilinochchi & Vavuniya's applications were created and will be opened for registration from next week. Looking forward to work on rest of the application process and more.

Had great session with Uki weekend cohort batch. Divided the students into many groups and allowed them to present on different topics in JavaScript, it went really well & I choose to do the same group activity in future days as well.

Freelancing & Side Projects

Since, I bought MacBook last month, I was only able to setup the Xcode and React Native development environment on this week. It went a bit tricky to get it done, but I managed it. It was a great learning experience.

I got a new connection to do some freelance project from Germany. Looking forward to hear from him about the project. Let's see.

I started working on my personal blog post project which I used Next JS for front-end and Nest JS as backend and Postgres for database. It would be a good experience for me as a developer and I can own my blog site. I will keep update on this process.

Volunteer Activities

For Noolaham Foundation's cloud backup wrote a python script to start taking backup at 12.01 AM and stops at 6.30 AM to use the free data transfer. The backup is uploaded to AWS S3 bucket. Overall, the process is success in the end of Sunday it has uploaded 1 TB. Need to work on the site issue reported may be in later week. Let's see.

For TAJ, I haven't tried on the Journal submission portal. But I should start doing it at least by next week.

Exercise

I did exercise for 2 days, but still that momentum is within me. I need to do it in a regular basis. I should be consistent on doing exercise and meditation. Well, the book reading is also another one I am missing a lot. I should allocate in coming weeks.

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I went to watch a movie named "Garden" - A Tamil film at Rajah theatre in Jaffna with mom. That was a nice movie and had a good storyline.

The week went good and productive. I should improve my time management skill and prioritisation of my tasks.

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Weekly Notes 03/06/2024 - 09/06/2024

Hello, dear readers!

Uki - Instructor

I'm excited to bring you along on the latest leg of my journey in this blog update. Recently, I took a significant leap in my career by transitioning from a software engineer to a technology instructor and lead at Uki, a coding bootcamp sponsored by Yarl IT Hub. This initiative, aimed at propelling Jaffna into the realm of Silicon Valley, is brimming with potential.

Uki runs three centers in Sri Lanka's Northern province: Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Vavuniya. I've been given the honor of leading operations in Kilinochchi, a role I enthusiastically embrace. This position is a prime opportunity for personal and professional growth, allowing me to refine my technical skills, enhance my teaching abilities, and oversee the center's administrative tasks.

Reflecting on my journey, I'm filled with pride and happiness. Just six years ago, I was a student myself, and now I find myself in this incredible position. On June 3rd, I joined my first day at the Uki center in Jaffna. Despite the workload, it doesn't feel burdensome; rather, it's invigorating and fulfilling.

In addition to my role at Uki, I’ve been conducting part-time lecture sessions on the MERN stack technology, mirroring the full-time curriculum we teach at Uki. These online sessions take place on weekends from 9 AM to 1 PM. Currently, I'm teaching JavaScript, and I'm continuously developing new strategies and lecture materials to keep students engaged and motivated. I’m committed to giving my best and am excited to see the progress we make together.

That's all for this week's update on my new job experience.

Freelancing & Projects

This week, I earned my first freelancing income from a US-Pakistan-based client. Even though it's a small amount, it keeps me motivated and engaged in interesting freelance work. I'm looking forward to continuing with future freelance projects.

Additionally, I'm collaborating with two others on a mobile application that we aim to release to the market soon. I'll definitely share more interesting details in future notes. For now, there are a few improvements and changes I need to implement to enhance the user experience.

Volunteer Activities

Noolaham Foundation in Jaffna is a digital library that digitizes and preserves the knowledge resources of the Tamil-speaking community in Sri Lanka. I had the chance to work full-time as a software developer there for two years, from 2019-2021. Later, I moved to another development job but continued to volunteer for website and infrastructure-related issues. This week, I discussed with the CEO the possibility of receiving compensation for my work, as I currently don't have allocated time to volunteer. This would allow me to dedicate more time to address their day-to-day problems.

I also wrote a Python script to upload PDF files to Amazon S3 for backup. I received guidance from someone who works at Amazon.

Another volunteer activity I’m involved in is for the Tamil Academic Journal, which is based in the UK. They are a small group of young individuals interested in developing a journal to publish Tamil-related research on various topics. I joined them last year and have been helping with tech-related tasks. We have several plans for future implementations.

Exercise & Mental Health

Currently, I weigh around 74 kg, similar to two years ago. In 2022, I successfully lost weight from 72 kg to 54 kg. I hope to achieve similar results this time. However, I only managed to exercise once this week. I will try my best to exercise more in the coming days, at least by taking on walking challenges.

On Saturday, I went to Point Pedro to send off my dearest friend, who got married two years ago, to her husband's country. I'm happy for her and pray for her to have a good life.

On Sunday, I enjoyed fun moments with my mom, brother, and his wife at a shoe and bag exhibition in Jaffna, accompanied by my loved one who came from her place. Later, my mom and I visited Linkan Ice Cream, a popular spot in Jaffna, where we had rolls, ice cream, and tea before heading back home.

Future Plans

Finally, on Sunday night (June 9th), I planned to route my Parathan.com domain to GitHub Pages to showcase my portfolio. I will be moving my tech-related blogs to blog.parathan.com, nostalgic notes to nostalgic-notions.parathan.com, and my weekly notes to weekly-notes.parathan.com. Let's see how it goes in the future.

Now the time is 3.34 am (10/06). I would appreciate myself if I can follow the rule of going to bed early and waking-up early. (Note to myself).

Stay tuned for more insights and updates in my next weekly notes. Thank you for joining me on this journey!

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