cactus candy, anyone?

The prickly pear candy I ordered just arrived in the mail. These confections are popular in the Southwest U.S. Though I often see them in gift shops, they're usually pretty expensive. However, I couldn't resist the temptation and bought some on eBay - even though the shipping was almost as much as the item itself.

This stuff is similar to Sunkist Fruit Gems, except it's slightly more firm and has a somewhat unique flavor. It's really nothing special, but at least I now know what cactus candy tastes like.

Currently watching: The Grey Zone

touching base with my high school choir class

I just got back from the annual Main Street Singers holiday concert. The Main Street Singers are Los Altos High School's elite choir; they have many performances throughout the year and go on an international tour every spring. Though I didn't join the Main Street Singers, many of my classmates from Chorale did. It was certainly great to see everyone again, especially Mr. Shaull and their accompanist Debbie.

The music was enjoyable as always. The most poignant moment was when Mr. Shaull invited the MSS alumni to join the current choir for the last song. The concert ended with an after-party with cookies and hot cider. There's no better way to get into the Christmas spirit!

Currently playing: Field & Stream Trophy Hunting 4

I survived my first semester at Berkeley

I've finished the finals and am back home for the holidays. It feels like I just started college, and now the semester is over. One down, seven to go!

The exams weren't easy by any means. However, the hardest part of the semester was probably the Engineering 77 assignments; debugging my implementation of depth-first search at 3 a.m. isn't exactly my idea of a good time. The final for that class ironically turned out to be the easiest. I guess I lucked out.

In any case, it's time to enjoy a well-earned vacation. The nice thing is that we get five weeks off for Christmas. :-)