It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

One of my favorite Yale traditions is the annual holiday dinner - besides the big one for freshmen in Commons, each residential college hosts their own feast, with their own traditions.

Not only does the dining hall staff make an extra-special dinner, they show off their decorating skills in elaborate displays, like the sugared fruit below:

This year, as we ate, we were also treated to music from a quartet of trombones, composed of one Silliman junior and three School of Music students. It just goes to show the incredible talent and opportunities for creativity at Yale, that an undergrad can perform with music students, and that together they can arrange/re-adapt their own music.

Silliman in particular has a special tradition: a performance from the Silliringers! Some alum donated a lovely set of handbells, which are brought out just a few times a year for practicing ("for minutes and minutes") and the annual performance. A Youtube video below:



Of course, what would Christmas be without a little snow?

The snow falling at night

The frosted courtyard in the morning

Holidays at Silliman

First snowfall, lots of yummy food and good fun at the holiday dinner...how much better can it get?

The lovely Christmas tree in the Common Room

Stu's gingerbread house at the Holiday Dinner

Mmm...sugared fruit!

The festive Silliringers



An interesting version of "Santa Claus is coming to town"

The view from my bedroom window Thursday
(might look a little weird because of the screen)

Just one week of finals to go, then home for the holidays!

Holiday dinner, DPops, and more

Whew, what a weekend! Didn't get much work done on my papers, but lots to write about =P

Saturday morning started with a Phoenix "photo shoot," pictures that will go on our soon-to-be redesigned webpage, on posters for the spring show, etc. A sneak peak...I'm not sure why some of my photos are looking blurry in the entries, but if you click on it you should get a larger, clearer version.

left to right: 06-07 Artistic Director Betsy in a Daizu pose, Tanya doing ribbon figure eights, Zimo with silk fans (yes, the same ones that are in my profile photo)

After Phoenix came a quick brunch then off to the Mudd library to sift through the government archives for the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other documents relevant to my paper...working on this has opened a whole new world of historical research. There's an incredible amount of material to be gleaned and reading things like Dr. Kelsey's letters to the Merrill drug company (and vice versa) really make the story of thalidomide in the United States seem that much more intimately interesting, as if I was interviewing Dr. Kelsey right after she testified in the Congressional hearings.

Ran back to the room to get ready for the Silliman holiday dinner with my roommates, then we took the mini-bus up to the School of Management dining hall, since ours is under construction. There was an article in the Yale Daily News saying holiday dinners were somewhat excessive, but I personally really enjoy the tradition, especially since I haven't seen a lot of upperclassmen who are living in the Elm Street Annex or off-campus. It was lots of fun seeing everyone dressed up, getting excellent food (especially cheesecake for dessert! =P), and of course, listening to the Silliringers, who, according to Master K, had practiced for exactly 300 minutes total prior to their performance. A few photos:

Regina, me, and Atisha in the common room

The amazing fruit-filled cornucopia in the dessert room =D

The Silliringers preparing for their first piece

The fun continued with an excellent concert from the Davenport Pops Orchestra, playing "Sounds of America" aka cool stuff like the Pink Panther theme and excerpts from West Side Story. Check out their opening piece - Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man"- and a few other clips here.

DPops violin section

Today felt equally hectic - holiday musical brunch in the common room until 1:30, an Asian Idol contestant info meeting (I can't believe I'm getting myself into this...), and taking photos at YAGS to start preparing for spring show publicity. I'm horrible at juggling (mainly because I don't practice enough!) but it's awesome what some of these people can do:

Cool view from the upper balcony of pairs juggling

Paul juggling three clubs (he can do more, believe me)

But now, after several hours of editing photos/video and reading ridiculously small print in the government documents, it's time for sleep.