You are right, pea. Aircon is pretty normal here, not decadent.

Oh, Hangseng, do you live in Hong Kong? I love Hong Kong - what area do you live in?

It's very helpful if we are lucky enough to have supportive partners (I'm very grateful to mine) but how do WE come with PhD blues? I've just started my second year and seem to be having a bit of a crsis of confidence - am i alone?

Im lucky in that my boyf already has a Phd, though he does moan about me being a 'lazy student' all the time, there has been quite a few times where he has been home before me (though he does get to work at 7.30 and thats when I leave the house)

It does annoy me sometimes - thinking he knows what its like why is he like this but then the rest of the time he is great!

currently having one rah.. guess that's why i was so embarassed. on the outside am miss calm, confident and in control whilst on the inside am like a lost duck with ruffled feathers.

well, sure after this paper is done and conference is over, it won't be so bad...

My family can't understand why I want to do this or what it involves. They see it as just another qualification - they act like I'm taking more GCSEs and can't understand why I don't get a 'proper' job. Thing is, I've had a proper job (several in fact!) and that's how I know this is what I want.

My husband is fantastic. It helps he's done his PhD, but I'm surprised that even someone who's been there and done that could listen to me moaning about chapter structure for hours on end. He is truly a saint!

Attention co-investigator Piglet and suspect Hangseng!!!

"a few years ago, ages before lost came OVER HERE [Hong Kong?] on tv"
"the great thing is that the POUND is very strong against the dollar at the moment"
"have recently ordered the boxset of series two of numbers from amazon us as i bet it won't be shown HERE until at least next year"

I'm onto you...

Sue, now I am just confused.

I attempted to expose HangSeng by asking where in Hong Kong he/she comes from and he/she didn't respond. No response to a simple question makes me think he/she is not from Hong Kong at all, and indeed a fraud.

But the evidence you have diligently gathered suggests otherwise (good work, Deputy)...hmmm...very very interesting.

I'm confused too - I thought I was showing that HangSeng WASN'T in Hong Kong (talking casually about the pound and 'over here' i.e. UK).

Gosh sue, now that you say that and I reread the quotes, you are right - especially about the pound being strong against the dollar - why would someone from Hong Kong even know that? I am so stupid.

I hereby declare HangSeng a fraud, but reserve the right to apologise profusely if I am wrong!

HangSeng - reveal your true identity...please?

Good work, evanescent!

Nice try, HangSeng, but I don't buy your story for one second. You are exposed good and proper!

The only question is who are you? Posting too late at night to be H, she would be tucked up in bed by now after a long day in her labcoat...I am not convinced you are not DanB, but he hasn't had a partner for 8 months as you claim to have, so don't think it is him. sylvester was single as I recall, so not him either...hmmmm..thinking thinking...

i thought DanB had a girlf?

I thought DanB was gay!

The posts are strange, they mostly seem like a genuine newcomer, someone who's just here to participate in sensible PhD-related conversation. Maybe it's one them out of forum rehab, proving that they can make valuable contributions to the forum before they reveal themselves and ask to be allowed back?
(And again, sorry HangSeng if we're wrong, it's not that we don't LIKE you, we just miss our old friends...)

There's also (maybe) a subtle reference to having been IP banned "i doubt entry [to that questionnaire we had a while back] is anonymous as could log the IP address so as they say on dragons den ,it's a no from me". Don't know what Dragon's Den is...