Outdoor Zen Meditation by Dharma Drum Singapore

Had a meaningful weekend starting with a Basic Meditation class at Dharma Drum Mountain (S'pore branch) followed by the next day Outdoor Meditation retreat at Labrador Park.
It is a crushed course but a good one that taught us about the basics for application the next day.
The relaxation care for your body massage before and after meditation, the 8 Form Moving Meditation that combined Yoga, Tai-Ji and exercise movements devised by late Master Sheng Yen, the water-carrying meditation, slow jog meditation, blindfold activity, the sharing of experience, the indulgence into the nature.

Meditating under the trees on the straw mats, listening to voices of nature orchestra ~ birds and insects' singing, rustling sound of tree leaves like rain drizzling, sound of the waves, such breezy wind (good weather) with natural slope and under the shades of the trees that is conducive as a meditation ground, we are fortunate to enjoy a meaningful day under the guidance of Venerable.
(oh, a straw mat is a necessity as the grasses are not the soft type and the fragrant smell of the straw mat blends in with the environment and acts as a nature aroma. One must also be prepared to be real close to the insects such as the different species of mosquitoes, ants and any species of insects you may not had seen before in the city. Be mentally prepared to live in harmony with them for the day:P...)


A very different experience to meditate outdoor, a great experience that one could not describe in words but must experience for oneself.

Very refreshing that one feels recharged and no longer craves for a quick get-away for oversea recharge.

Thankful to the guidance of Venerable, all the volunteers and the conducive environment...

Looking forward to next session...
 :-)

A Rare Relaxing Sunday

Had not touched the ball for a long time, and now finally my nephews had grown up enough to challenge me to the game. Started panting & sweated just after a short game ( stamina all gone with the long hours of office work :-P)

But the reunion with the long lost touch game is good, the sweating is healthy sign and brings back good old memories of old school/younger days...

Good therapy after burning out from work, maybe I should start to resume ball games with my old "kakees"...

煮糙米飯變好吃的小秘訣

Received this email on how to make Brown rice more delicious
=========================

煮糙米飯變好吃的小秘訣

食用糙米的人少，主要是因為一般人為糙米的口感不好，其實糙米也可以變得好吃又營養，只要多經過一個小小的步驟。

糙米是可以發芽的，發芽的米養分更多。由於糙米可以發芽，所以是一種「活的米」，而白米則是死的米。

糙米在煮食之前先將米泡水四至八小時，稱為「催芽動作」。而在煮的時候，於電鍋裡放一小茶匙的油及鹽巴，因為油會使得米的纖維軟化，口感會變好，而鹽巴則可增加甜度，糙米也就變得好吃了。

催芽動作催養分
糙米的浸泡過程其實很重要，因為在過程中，稻米內的養分會開始活化、轉換，通過浸泡，所有養分都會成倍數增加。經過「催芽動作」的發芽米，養分又比糙米本身多出許多，其中的「r-氨基丁酸」養分，就是白米的十一倍之多。

其實糙米像是睡著了的米，需要「被喚醒」。一旦喚醒，養分就會因為轉換而變得更高。不僅如此，經過浸泡催芽之後的糙米，吃起來也是一樣的柔軟可口。

好吃的糙米有方法
如果預算足夠的話，不妨買一個具有「催芽動作」的電鍋，這樣會比自己浸泡的口感更好，而且不用自己花時間浸泡。
煮糙米時，要多放半杯水。譬如說四杯的米，就放四杯半的水。一般來說，用電子鍋煮的糙米比較好吃；如果是用大同電鍋來煮，則必須在電鍋跳起來之後，要再倒半杯水下去再煮一次。要吃到好吃的糙米飯其實並不難。