Edelweiss..the Mark of a True Soldier

The Edelweiss, also known as the "Leontopodium Alpinium" for you geeks out there, is a flower found commonly in European countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Spain. The word "Edelweiss" derives from the German word Edel(noble) and Weiss(white).

Well, why would a guy like me talk about flowers? Actually, I never really know much about the flower besides the song derived from it's namesake. I never actually seen one before until one scene in the WWII series "Band of Brothers".



As you would know later on in the clip, German soldiers during WWII would make a climb to trees to get an Edelweiss flower. It supposed to be "the mark of a true soldier".

(Don't ask, I don't know, I don't wanna know)

What really attracted me to this particular flower, is the name. Literally it means "Noble white".
Now white is a symbol of purity, adding the word "noble" makes it even better. In fact, Austria, on St. Valentine’s Day, it is traditional for a man to present a woman with a bunch of edelweiss, the implication being that he has risked his life climbing up to where the flowers grow. Not only that, GM versions of the flower is grown commercially at lower altitudes, but I have a feeling that it is primarily for those who are to afraid to climb trees.

(Cleary he does not have any problem with that)

Ah yes, the song.....Edelweiss...Edelweiss... it is a scout song by the way. And my troop has a way of singing the songs with hand clapping. It's very interesting, but our version may lack the soft and melodious flow of the original from "Sound of Music"



I particulary like the last line,"Bless my Homeland forever". It's the line I always sing out loud. And not only that, it'll be cool to give a girl a bunch of Edelweiss on Valentines Day, something different from roses don't you think? Haha....

The time of my life? My foot...

So, apparently after I posted all 75 letters to the schools to invite them for our March 20th Rover Owl (C) Campfire, the majority of my workload is SUPPOSEDLY gone. But now, more sh!t was shoved to my face.

1) The leader said I need to send 200 letters. (As if 75 wasn't enough)
2) All letters aren't received by ANY schools.
3) Many people said I posted the wrong stamp(75c). Hello! More experienced post office workers told me and my mum 50c is good enough for the entire Malaysian penisular.
4) The JPN did not fax back the letter yet, I'm forced to call my way to the Penang and Kedah JPN,
5) Now I'm handed the task to call SMK Air Itam to call whether we have permission to use the compound cause miraculously* he's cellphone have "network" problem.

I am so convinced the schools received the letters, cause none were sent back to me if it was undelievred to the respective schools. But no....they don't give a damn, they said all 200 letters have to be send by this week.

What the bloody hell, even if I send all 200 letters by this week, and none of the school did not receive it, what? Resend again? BULLSH!T!!!! And if the campfire did not go as planned, now am I going to claim all the money I spend on photostating and stamps. THOSE ARE NOT CHEAP!!!!

Well, just as Forest Gump said, Sh!t Happens.

HHH: Hymns....Hillsong....Hell?

If anyone of you who recently went for the REVO concert, or any Christian concerts here in Malaysia, there's bound to be the loud and rock music you'll hear during worship. It could range from the ever-famous Break Free(Hillsong), our "Buatan Malaysia" Bigger(Revo) or the absurdly outrageous "Jump Around"(Planetshakers).

(At least they are better than Nickelback)

And I'm only listing the bands that are well known around the world, or Malaysia for that matter if you take Revolution into the equation. There's still many more, but the only one I could think of is Skillet. This is one of their songs "Whispers in the Dark"



I can safely bet that the whole congregation will die as a result of shock. Really.

They are not the only ones getting scrutinized for composing "satan-inspired" songs. Even Hillsong and more commonly, PlanetShakers. Majority of PCC don't really like Planetshakers. For those "old-folks", they said Hymns are the songs that Christians should listen and worship God with.

If I were given 2 cents for my thoughts, I actually think we as Christians have a freedom to choose how we worship God, as long as they bring us closer to God,instead of the band. My dad used to be against all those rockish Christian music, but recently, he believes that if we were to pull the young generations to Christ, Hillsong and Planetshakers would be instrumental(pun intened) for reaching out to them.

I'm not saying hymns are obsolete in this era, I actually enjoy singing hymns compared to Hillsong and Planetshakers. Heck they even sing hymns time to time(Amazing Grace,Come Holy Spirit and Nothing but the Blood)

My concern is that if the young generation are driven to receive Christ because of lyrics and wonderful music, it won't last. It's like making a fire. We start with the more flammable stuff like papers and leaves,then we put the thick branches to keep the fire going. If we keep on putting the papers and leaves(nice songs), the fire WILL NEVER LAST.

Once they are touched by the Holy Spirit, they need constant nuturing. A careful and in-depth study of the Word of God will help strengthen new believers, even old ones. Although the Bible won't answer all our answers(who will be my life partner?), but it has enough info to tell us who God is, and how are we to lead our lives.

And that is something "Break Free" or "Healer" can never ever do. Am I right Guglielmucci?

Sam Sparro - Black and Gold

I first heard about this song from Kabian, who said it was from FIFA09. I gave it a try, it sounds really nice. I actually liked the song the first time I heard it, a rare case from me who needs some convicing before digging a song.

If Katy Perry did a cover on it, why shouldn't it be a boring song? X)

If the fish swam out of the ocean
and grew legs and they started walking
and the apes climbed down from the trees
and grew tall and they started talking

and the stars fell out of the sky
and my tears rolled into the ocean
now i'm looking for a reason why
you even set my world into motion

'cause if you're not really here
then the stars don't even matter
now i'm filled to the top with fear
but it's all just a bunch of matter
'cause if you're not really here
then i don't want to be either
i wanna be next to you
black and gold
black and gold
black and gold

i looked up into the night sky
and see a thousand eyes staring back
and all around these golden beacons
i see nothing but black

i feel a way of something beyond them
i don't see what i can feel
if vision is the only validation
then most of my life isn't real

'cause if you're not really here
then the stars don't even matter
now i'm filled to the top with fear
but it's all just a bunch of matter
'cause if you're not really here
then i don't want to be either
i wanna be next to you
black and gold
black and gold
black and gold

Too bad Island Records don't let anyone embed the music video. So here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHuebHTD-lY&feature=related

It's really unique, give your ears some alternatives instead if a certain "Wanita Gila" or the band who came close landing on Mars. Until then, good bye!