STS 29th Graduation 2018

The 29th Graduation Ceremony of Sabah Theological Seminary (STS) was held on 02.11.2018 at the STS Auditorium. As in previous years, members of the Board of Governors and faculty were seated on stage. From our vantage point, we enjoyed a grand view of the entire assembly - the graduands, their families, friends, and guests who had gathered to celebrate this significant milestone in the life of the seminary and its students.

The graduation ceremony was officiated by the BOG's Chairman, Datuk Elder Peter Lee and the Principal, Dr. Wilfred John who took over from Dr. Thu in January 2015 (Read here).

Board of Governors and faculty members.

Graduating students seated at left.

Rev. Datuk Dr. Thu and Chairman,
Datuk Elder Peter Lee.

Grandparents and Grandchildren are for Each Other

Late last year, Livvie, our granddaughter was "untouchable" to her Sabah grandparents. (Read here). Our trip to Sicily in May proved to be a turning point. It was there that our "friendship" blossomed. Soon after her trip to KK with her parents from 26 - 29 October 2018, the bond was "inseparable".

Once again, for the third time (I have two other grandkids), I am more than convinced that grandparents and grandchildren are indeed God's gift to each other. Confronted with the innocence and purity of a child, there is no doubt that "God most precious work of art is the warmth and love of a grandchild's heart". 

For a lass barely two years old, I am amazed to hear the amount of vocabulary at her disposal. Once in a while, you hear words like "...anyway...", "....so..." being uttered by this animated little lass. She verbalizes her feeling and emotion. She is a fast learner - picking up PR and inter-personal skill faster than normal kids I am used to.

For over two days , we enjoyed each other company.

Livvie sat next to her photo taken in
December last year.

Enjoying the garden and compound of the KK home.

At UMS Aquarium & Marine Museum.

Meal time with tuntun (how she pronounced the grandpa in Chinese) and popo (grandma).

She loves story telling.

It was a "difficult" meal for the little fellow the night before she was to go back to Singapore. She clung on so tightly to her tuntun almost hoping "tomorrow would never come".

At the airport before flying off, the little lass seemed to have a mixed feeling of happy to go but wouldn't mind staying. The mom later reported soon after arriving home - "She bawled for another two hours before nap time today because she was tired plus she was sad. she missed her tuntun and popo".

Coffee & Beer in Europe

Scenes of people having a cup of coffee or a mug of beer is common sight in Europe sidewalk cafes.

Prague.

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At the spacious Graben pedestrian boulevard in Vienna near St. Stephens Cathedral, we stopped at Espresso Segafredo to savour the Saccher-Torte and Apple Strudel.

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Pivnice Stupartska - a traditional Czech pub serving Gambrinus beer. Gambinus is one of the most popular beer in Czeh Republic. Brewery was set up in 1869.

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  At Zagreb.

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At the huge square in front of the Great Market Hall in Budapest, a cup of coffee or a glass of beer in one of the sidewalk cafes is perfect to watch people. And if you are lucky like in our case, we were entertained by the non-stop performance of a street musician.

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At a cafe overlooking Dolac Market, Zagreb.

Zagreb - A Strong Christian Heritage

Croatia, though a small country has made a name for herself particularly in the sports arena. With a population of just about 4.2 million, it managed to secure a place in the recently concluded World Cup 2018 Final. In Tennis, Marin Cilic, a Croatian has consistently made it to the world top 10. Croatia won the Davis Cup in 2005 and again in 2018.

With the growing prominence of Croatia in sports, anything with an appearance of checkerboard of red and white is quickly being recognized as Croatian.

Croatians are predominantly Christians at 91%. Among them, 86% are Catholics and just under 5% Orthodox Christians. But Protestant Christians are slowing growing - likely brought in by non-Croatians. We saw a vibrant group of Baptists worshiping in an open hall converted from shoplot. This is typically different from their Catholic brethren who worship in huge old cathedrals and church buildings. 

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There are many Catholic churches around the vicinity of the Upper town and Lower town of Zagreb all within walking distance from each other.

St. Catherine Catholic Church of Baroque architecture
 was completed in 1632.

Greek Catholic Co-cathedral of  Saints Cyril and Methodius built in 1681

Zagreb Cathedral in Kaptol, is recognized as the most monumental sacred building in Gothic design in this part of the world. Since we spent the whole day of 16 September in Zagreb, we managed to see some of the magnificent buildings under bright sunlight as well as in twilight in the evening.

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As we moved from the Upper town to the Lower town, we bumped into the Cravat Regiment which had just completed their routine changing of guard at St. Mark Square. The uniforms they wear are replicas of those worn by the military forces called the Croats which fought during the "Thirty Years" War.

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Dolac market in the heart of Zagreb is the city's main flea or open-air farmers' market. Unlike our local tamu, the rows and rows of vendors in Dolac market are instead neatly arranged and covered with the same pink-white standard size beach-umbrella canopies. This is a one-stop centre where almost all local stuff both edible and non-edible are marketed. Compared to their other European counterparts, things here are generally cheaper because Croatians have their own currency, the Croatian Kuna,

Whenever you are thirsty or hungry, there are plenty of eateries, cafe and restaurants around the market to choose from.