Last Saturday praying service at Wat Pa Temple in La Puente, our group, Dhammacakatra LA invited Sifu Ju Wei, a female monk from Shi Lai temple.

She distributed this handout titled "One Hundred Tasks for Life" given by her own master, Venerable Master Hsing Yun. She asked us to pick up few to follow diligently in our life and try to review on it after 1-2months to see the progress.

So, I've picked out a few that I wanted to do...and sure do hope I can keep on it.

1) Do not spread gossip or fuss over gossip. Nor should you be influenced by gossip
Now..I admit I do fuss over gossip. I do sometimes...enjoy listening to it or discuss about it. But, not to started it.

And whenever after talking about it, I'd feel so guilty at myself for talking about gossip stuff again.

At our last Dhamma Discussion, some of the member mentioned, there are good and bad gossips. So we arrived into conclusion that:
- Good gossip: talking about other people positive traits, praising that person to other person.
- Bad gossip: talking about other people negative traits and telling others about it.
- Worst gossip: Telling lies about someone to other people.

Now, we also concluded that there are few advantages of gossiping:
- To warn ourselves of that certain someone who have bad/negative traits that we should be aware of (Eg. that person is a cheater, player, cunning or like to spread lies)
- So we know about our surrounding of what's going on
- (My fav) so we take that person who's being gossip as a reminder to ourselves. If that person is being gossiped as a great person (positive gossip), then we should learn his/her good trait, so we too can be a good person.
But if that person is being gossiped as a bad person (negative gossip), then we should learn NOT to follow them.

Now..how do I define my gossiping? I always feel that when I'm discussing about someone else bad attitudes/actions/traits with another person, I'd say that's gossiping. Sometimes it could be my friends telling that to me, coz they are telling me their frustrations to me about that person, or it's the other way round.

I know it's not good, but some said...it's good in a way, coz I'm warning/telling my friend to be careful of that person if that person is bad (so long I'm telling the truth, not fabricated story).

But, in any case, I've promised Hubby not to discuss or talk about other people's bad stuff no more to other people. It's hard esp if I'm frustrated over that person. But I'll learn not to and be more patient. Just like how Buddha want us to always practice patience, compassion and a balance mind. It's hard, but I know I can do it.

Jeesh..I'm admitting my bad habit to everyone here...

2) Think of what is good and beautiful instead of what is sad and sorrowful.
Now, I'm not saying I'm trying to practice this, but I'm writing this coz I know I lived by that sentence before.

Well....it's an old story, but I admit that sentence is so powerful and true. I swear by it.

Long time ago, when I was heartbroken, I felt so devastated. Instead of drowning myself to alcohol, food or drugs, I'd listen to more Buddhist songs and chanting. I'd go temple and pray to get a piece of mind. Then I came across this sentence at one of the sutta or book.

I then realised, it's so true. Why would I get so upset and sad over something that is in the past?! There's no point to be sad about it, to think about it over and over again. What's done is done. The more I think of it, the more I'd feel sad. Doesn't mean if I cry 24/7, everything will go back to before, or even harming myself.

So I decided to forgive that person who made me sad, and I felt so light. I felt like this heavy rock has been lifted from my heart and I could move on so easily. I could jst enjoy my life without any sadness.

Few weeks after that, that person contacted me again and was so surprised to found out that I was a much happier, healthier and stronger person than before and really wonder how that happen.
I suspected that person thought I'd still be crying over it. hehehehe

But I'm surprised too that I could just easily move on once I realised about that whole thing, the meaning of the sentence, to really SEE. No wonder Buddha said "Nothing is permanent" -- Anicca.
My parents were the one got shocked the most at my recovery

3) Stick to a regular daily routine, maintain regular sleeping and eating patterns, develop the habit to exercise; and stay away from tobacco, alcohol, pornography, and drugs. Govern and regulate your own life.
Now, I've actually combined 4 tasks into 1 coz I am living by it NOW.

I'm fortunate enough that Hubs and I actually doing all that. We really have regular daily routine that to other people it is really boring. We would wake up early in morning, Hubs would go to work, sometimes if I stay home, I'd have breakfast, watch tv, cleaning, play computer, cook and have dinner with Hubs and watching DVD before sleep.

We would normally start our day at 6-7am and end it at around 9-10pm.
We do exercise 3x a week (sometimes more), we would eat normal stuff coz almost everyday I'd cook for hubs.

As for tobacco...oh boy...no problema! I could smell that tobacco smell from farrrrrrrr away! I could even tell if that person just had ciggie or not. I'm just so sensitive with that smell and I really cant stand that smell. When I was in SG, I'd just cough loudly and fan myself in front of that smoker. I know it's annoying, but I felt so annoyed too coz that person jst smoke in public and destroying other people's health.

4) Meditate for at least ten minutes everyday
Oh boy..this is hard and I'm still trying, until now. To pass 5mins is already a triumph. Practicing....still in progress.

5 Be a vegetarian at least one day every month to nurture your heart of compassion.
Hubs and I have made promised to try this. We hope to do this at least 1x a week. We just started it last Sunday. I hope we could stick by it.

We really like this idea and apparently after discussing about this, we both found out, we both actually wanted to be a vegetarian one day. Being a vegetarian, aside that it's good for health, we also indirectly helping to stop the killing of animal. Poor them.

6) Attend to your parents and be filial to them.
Now..this is easy and lifelong commitment that we will always and promise to live by

Love you always, papa-mama

okay..i think i wrote long time ago that I'd post up my cooking recipe here....got so lazy to do so and now since i've nothing to do..i might as well jst post up some pic of my cooking and baking, but without the recipe. I'm just plain lazy...

Here it goes...

1)Nasi Tim Ayam (Steam Chicken Rice)

2) Risoles

3) Lumpiah Basah

4) Nasi Ayam (Kai Fan)

5) Steam Herbal Chicken (My Super Fav Dish)

6) Cream Puff (Kue Sus)

7) Steam Pork & Shrimp Dumpling (Super yummy)

8) Breakfast Made by Hubby

9) Vietnamese Spring Roll with Fish Sauce

10) Mini Steam Sponge Cake with Chocolate Powder (My fav)

11) Ayam Rica-Rica (but still not spicy enough)

..............

That's all so far....

Simply let me know if interested to know about the recipe, but all of them can easily be found in the net. Just google. That's my new 'teacher'

Never once in my life I ever thought that one day I'd be like this...like now....that I would cook and bake so happily, with no grudge, anger nor laziness.

Before I got married, I hate going to the kitchen. I'd only go to the kitchen if I have to. Even when I was living alone in Singapore, I'd only make instant noodle, fried egg, a lousy fried rice, green bean, etc.

Somehow or rather, the moment I'm in LA with hubby...I just want to cook for him. I'd happily go to the kitchen and stir something for him. I still remember the 1st meal I made for him was Chicken Soup with potato and carrot (my grandma's recipe) coz that's the only decent soup I could make.

Hub ate with no complaint, which excite me further. I then stir fry some veggies, hub, again, ate with no complaint and said "niceeee". Again, I make more and more stuff. The 1st 6months we mostly ate only soup or stir fry veggies.

I don't let hubby cook much since he's working and I'm just staying home do nothing.

After that 6months, I somehow became more and more inspired to cook. I'd google around to find recipes to cook for hubby. Anything that's not too tough.

One day, after made Ayam Rica-Rica (Indonesian meal) I decided to take a picture of it for memory. That became a habbit. Soon enough, we almost took picture of every new meals that I made. Looking through all these pictures, I realised how far I've come.
From being able to only make fried rice, I could now make a variety of meals for hubby.

I'd steam, deep fried, stir fry, sautee, bake, grill....or boil.
Wow..apparently cooking is fun ehhh...

After getting a hang of cooking, I started to try on baking. Started from baking a simple chocolate chip cookies from the pre-mixed boxes in the market that I only need to mix it with egg and milk. Then proceed to variety Sponge Cake, Indonesia dessert and now....cream puff.

Oh ya....I also made pork steam bun twice already, and hubby loves it. One of the meal that I like to make the most is dumpling. I've tried boil it, deep fried, pan fried, bake and steam. I've recently discovered the trick on how to steam it nicely.
In the past, I only like the dumpling if it's being pan fried, but it's so oily and fattening.

Gosh...who knows cooking and baking could be this fun and interesting.

I realised....the main reason why I'm doing this with no complaint is coz I'm doing this for my beloved hubby. He's the best eater ever. He won't complaint much on what he likes and doesn't like. He doesn't make much demand of wanting to eat certain foods (thou I still cant make his 2 most fav meals), and he'd give me honest answer. He just knows how to tell me how good is my food nicely without insulting me....

Almost everyone were surprised to discover that I can cook...and cook quite well. Especially my mom. She really can't believe it coz moments before we got married, mom still nagging me that I refused to learn how to cook and do house works. I told her "take it easy...I can do it once I'm married"

Funnily enough, it's true. I could just do all those out of my love to my husband

My mom always said this "I should have just used all that money you used to study your Master degree for something else, since you are only staying home and become housewife"
haiyaaa.....

Shall post more of my cook here. I know it's not perfect, but I'm happy enough that Hub loves it...

Love you, hub ^^