Well, my personal opinion is that long hair can be attractive on men, but pony tails are not! If your hair is long I'd let it hang loose.

Yes, it was brilliant. We've got a lot to live up to!

I spent a month doing PCR recently: I wasn't used to pipetting such small amounts and it took ages to get the hang of it (and I've been doing lab work for years). Luckily I was given friendly encouragment, instead of being told - like you were - that the assays were not good enough. I got results after a LOT of attempts.

The second scientist sounds like a right miso to me. Surely he/she was new to this once?

I love things like dates and figs, which are fruit and technically healthy, but still calorific if you eat loads.

It's a great idea: I think more people should get them esp. with electric/gas bills the way they are.

H, I got a pressure cooker! It's a 3L Prestige one. I cooked rice last night and it was ready in about 6 minutes! And was much better than the rice I cook in a normal pan.

I'm going to try cooking chicken legs in it tonight.

Hairui, I'm trying to train myself out of the idea of "food as reward", but it seems to be deeply ingrained in me.

Whether that's human nature or bad habit, I don't know. But it's annoying!

I discovered skinny jeans this year, and I think they're more flattering than the bootcuts I'd been wearing.

I think that colourful headscarves look good too: ideal in windy weather. I may pioneer the headscarf for non-religious girls; Tie Rack have some nice ones.

Asda's are great: but get the posh ones (I think they're called "The Best"). They come in strawberry or sultana. The bog-standard ones are not up to much.

In a sad attempt to be healthy I have them with yoghurt, and they're still good.

Know just what you mean.

You put the machine on. You go home and try to forget about it. You come in the next day, full of irrational hope, and - yes! - it's still c**p.

I love scones. Especially Asda's premium range ones. I thought only me and Miss Marple still ate scones

Same here: everyone's away. Every time I think "Ooh, I may take a few days off next week", some sod gives me a load of samples to test. Grrr.

Actually this reminds me: my supervisor is half-Asian, and his kids look very different from each other: one is blond and blue eyed, and one looks much more Asian. The blond one was was told off by his school teacher for describing himself as "mixed race". His response was "Have you seen may dad?", which got him another telling off for being cheeky. Stupid teacher.

It is annoying: have you noticed how so many staff members "need" holidays, but apparantely us students don't?

I've never been asked for my religion or sexual orientation on a form: just the usual ethnic origin questions.

I see your point, Hypothesis, but I think it would be better if CVs were not allowed to show things like age, gender, ethnicity (however you define that), and so forth. Then again, you're going to find out all those things at an interview.