{"id":4304,"date":"2024-12-29T12:24:29","date_gmt":"2024-12-29T06:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/?p=4304"},"modified":"2024-12-29T18:01:57","modified_gmt":"2024-12-29T12:31:57","slug":"unwrapping-christmas-wonders-from-esoft-santa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/?p=4304","title":{"rendered":"Unwrapping Christmas Wonders from the ESOFT\u00a0Santa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was Sunday, a weekend holiday that should have been relaxing, but I wasn\u2019t feeling happy. Tomorrow
was Monday, a hectic day with an electronics laboratory session, and I still hadn\u2019t prepared for it. Despite
my busy schedule and unfinished work, I decided to go out. You might wonder why I\u2019m stepping out with
so much on my plate. The simple answer is: GAVEL UOC. On this December Sunday evening, Gavel
UOC had a joint meeting with the Gavel Club of ESOFT Metro Campus under the theme of Christmas.
Collaborating with new people and engaging with them is one of my least favorite things. Honestly, even
electronics labs seem easier than this. As an ultra-introvert, mingling with people feels like an endless
struggle. After some help from Google Maps, I finally arrived at the ESOFT campus, a tall building that
seemed unremarkable at first. Little did I know, we\u2019d end up on the ninth floor with a stunning view of
Colombo city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As I entered the cafeteria, a voice in my head whispered, “There are so many people here.” Thankfully, I
spotted our Gavel UOC members, which was a relief. But within minutes, ESOFT members came over
and started talking to us. To my surprise, I found myself having conversations beyond the usual “hi” and
“hello.” My mind cheered me on: “Well done, you\u2019re breaking your introverted barrier day by day.”
The room was beautifully decorated with a festive Christmas theme, a charming tree adorned with jingle
bells, snowflakes, and a well-dressed Elsa figurine adding a touch of magic. GV Rifaz, the Toastmaster of
the Day, kicked off the meeting with boundless energy. His enthusiasm perfectly matched the breathtaking sunset view visible from the window, creating a warm, inspiring atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As always, the crowd favorite at any Gavel meeting is the Round Robin Session. The topic was
intriguing: “If you could invite a historical figure to your Christmas dinner party, who would it be?” It was
a whimsical, far-fetched scenario, but Gavel has a way of making the impossible seem plausible.
One by one, participants shared their imaginative choices and reasons, transforming the session into a
lively exchange.
Seated in the last row, I listened as people invited an eclectic mix of historical figures, Mr. Bean,
renowned celebrities, politicians, and scientists. The hypothetical dinner party turned into a rich,
once-in-a-lifetime experience. Then, it was my turn. The person sitting beside me signaled that it was time
to speak. I stood up and said, “I would invite Isaac Newton.” Little did I know, Newton would make
another appearance in the meeting later. The session was a rollercoaster of ideas, leaving me both
entertained and inspired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the highlights of Gavel meetings is the communication component, particularly the speech
segments, both impromptu and prepared. These sessions push every Gavelier to elevate their public
speaking skills. Today, we had four speakers, two from Gavel UOC and two from Gavel Club of ESOFT.
Each speaker brought something unique to the table. Crafting a speech that truly captivates an audience is no easy feat, but they managed to do it. Interestingly, Isaac Newton made an appearance in one of the speeches again, which made me chuckle.
As the speeches concluded, I started to fade from all the excitement but then came game time! It was a
new experience for me, two teams, “Naughty” and “Nice.” I was, of course, on the “Naughty” team, where
we had to answer questions in a cheeky way, while the “Nice” team had to respond kindly. We had to
impress Santa with our answers. The boys in our team responded hilariously, while the girls in the “Nice”
team answered sweetly and politely. So, I guess it\u2019s clear: boys are naughtier than girls!
One session I always look forward to, though it comes with a bit of fear, is the Table Topics session. The
challenge lies in how to handle an unfamiliar or tough topic. In this session, a boy and a girl from each
side are called to speak, and speakers are rewarded with gifts. The first few topics went smoothly, but
then, unexpectedly, it was my turn. My topic was “The best gift I received for Christmas.” To be honest,
I\u2019ve never really received any big gifts for Christmas, so I was a bit nervous. But I managed to speak, and
to my surprise, I was rewarded with a gift, it’s a chocolate! It turned out to be the best gift I received this
Christmas.
What I really enjoyed was the evaluations. Each evaluator provided insightful feedback for every speaker,
which is a crucial part of learning. Understanding what works and what can be improved adds so much
value to our growth. I particularly enjoyed GV Susara’s evaluation. Not just for the speaker, but as an
audience member, I learned a lot too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The meeting had run over time, and everyone was in a rush to leave, yet the room remained alive with joy, photos, hugs, and laughter. As I left with my friends, my heart felt full of gratitude for the day\u2019s experience. On the bus ride home, I glanced up at Venus, shining brightly in the night sky. Its glow seemed to echo the warmth of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a wonderful Christmas celebration it had been with my fellow Gaveliers! The day was nothing short of a treasure, a perfect blend of joy, relaxation, and learning, woven together with humor, friendship, and cherished memories. The gifts, both tangible and intangible, added even more magic to the experience. As I reflected on the day, I felt deeply grateful for all that Gavel has brought into my life. It left me wondering, with a heart full of hope, about the many more magical Christmas moments yet to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was Sunday, a weekend holiday that should have been relaxing, but I wasn\u2019t feeling happy. Tomorrowwas Monday, a hectic day with an electronics laboratory session, and I still hadn\u2019t prepared for it. Despitemy busy schedule and unfinished work, I decided to go out. You might wonder why I\u2019m stepping out withso much on my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123919,"featured_media":4311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[14,67],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4304"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/123919"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4304"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4320,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4304\/revisions\/4320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavel.cmb.ac.lk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}