Quality Over Quantity of Life

The last day of the year gives many of us great opportunity to reflect upon the past and to make plans to receive the new year. In 2014, we had witnessed the sudden loss of many lives in aircraft mishaps, Ebola outbreaks, natural calamities, wars and terrorism. 

The sudden loss of our loved ones hurts and pains us deeply. Life can be said to be fragile, unpredictable and uncertain.  The sudden loss of lives makes certain that we cannot control the quantity of our life.  But we can definitely manage the quality of our life - the way how we want to live with our loved ones. Often, we take what we have for granted. It is like a cup half-filled with water. Many people see that as half-full rather than half-empty. But in fact the cup has always been full. The other half is filled with air but many of us take that for granted, just like people and things that are closed to us. 

It is not about how long we live but how well we have lived. Treasure what we have rather than what we don't have.  Make plans with our loved ones to receive the new year with love and hope.

Wishing all of you and your loved ones a happy, healthy and wealthy 2015!

To Change Life, Change Our Mental Map

The mental map that we hold influences our thinking and affects the path that we take to find meaning in life. Life can be meaningful and complete if we are willing to change our mental map and see things from other people’s perspectives. 

Our actions and decisions affect others. We should always take action and decision based on a complete perspective of a situation. There is no absolute right or wrong. It all boils down to the mental map that we hold. 

One day whilst travelling on a MRT train, I overheard a young wife questioning her husband over a trivial issue. The young wife said to her husband, “Last week, when we visited your mum she told me that she was around our vicinity shopping for some household items. Why didn’t she come and visit us since she was near our house?” The husband replied, “May be she didn’t know that we were at home.” The wife was not happy with the response and refuted, “She can call us, right! I think your mum doesn’t like me!” That response put her husband into a defensive position and soon a tiff followed. 

I believe the couple did not have a good sleep that night. All that have happened are the imagination of the young wife as she was living in her own mental map and her own perception about her mother-in-law. May be the real reason would be that the mother-in-law does not want to intrude into their privacy and want to give them some quality time together. If the wife views the situation from a positive perspective and willing to embrace it, I believe she would be a much happier person. This incident teaches us not to act based on our own perspective. Instead, seek to embrace the complete perspective of the situation and based our action on it

John Milton, a poet, wrote “A mind not to be chang’d by place or time. The mind is its own place, and in itself, Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."

6th AUN-QA Training Course for Accomplishing Programme Assessment

The 6th “AUN-QA Training Course for Accomplishing Programme Assessment” was organised for AUN-QA members and non-members by AUN Secretariat. The 4-day workshop was held from 8 -11 December 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 4-day course aims to introduce the AUN-QA system and enhance quality assurance practices. It is held for professionals who are in charge of quality assurance in higher education. The content of the workshop focuses on AUN-QA model at programme level and it encompasses:

• Introduction to quality assurance in higher education
• AUN-QA model and criteria at programme level
• AUN-QA quality assessment process
• PDCA Approach to self-assessment
• Self-assessment report (SAR) writing
• Change Management
• Study visit to Engineering Faculty, Chulalongkorn University

The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin together with Dr. Arnie from De La Salle University. The workshop was attended by 34 participants from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, State University of Malang, University of Santo Tomas, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Naresuan University, Suranaree University of Technology, Srinakharinwirot University, The University of Danang, Vietnam Maritime University, Water Resources University, Hanoi School of Public Health, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, and Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry.

The Happiness DNA Workshop - 1 & 2 December 2014

"The Happiness DNA" workshop held on 1 & 2 December 2014 was facilitated by Chief Happiness Coach, Mr Johnson Ong Chee Bin.

The 2-day workshop is based on the principles of positive psychology, and physical, mental and emotional therapies and techniques. It is taught in a unique rediscovery and renewal technique where participants go through a continuous process of creating self-awareness, finding one’s life purpose, making changes, acting upon them, reflecting the lessons learned, and taking conscious effort to progress in fulfilling one’s life purpose.

After completing the workshop, participants will be able to understand the science and facts of happiness, cultivate the happiness DNA and apply the concept to rediscover, renew and sustain happiness.

Below are what some participants said about the workshop.

"Meditation, qigong and laughter yoga are really good."

"Being able to apply to my personal and work life. Brilliant! An excellent choice for a course!"

"Very positive. Delivered a lot of happiness to the class."