I didn't know why Philip Larkin (former Hull Librarian was so famous...)Larkin - This Be The Verse

Letter from Osama: The Observer | Special reports | Full text: bin Laden's 'letter to America'

This is a site in rememberance of Tom Hurndall, the peace activist shot in Israel recently.The Thomas Hurndall Fund

This is a very interesting article on understanding the Middle-East conflictGuardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | Their beliefs are bonkers, but they are at the heart of power

Some interesting conspiracy theories...FW Magazine - Current Events Analysis and other Skullduggery

Yesterday I got an offer of a studentship from Edinburgh and today one from Manchester. I have accepted the Edinburgh one as I felt more at home there than in Manchester.

It is a one year course, MSc in Bioinformatics. september 2004-2005. 9000 living allowance plus they pay my fees of 3500 and 600 research costs. there were 5 available at Edinburgh so I am very lucky to have been awarded it. The money comes from the EPSRC, electronic and physical sciences research council.

The awards followed a week of lobbying and interviews at both universities. I went to Manchester on thursday for an interview and then to Edinburgh thursday night. Jamie put me in touch with his brother Jim and I stayed with him. jim is doing a PhD in renewable energy at Edinburgh and has a really nice flat, which I may be able to stay in when I move up there in the summer.

On Friday morning I got up early to meet Bonnie Webber, a proffesuer in the informatics department of the uni. she was very nice and we got on well. Then met Judith, the Msc admissions person and had a nice chat with her. This is what impressed me so much about edinburgh, that I felt part of the community before I was even there. I can't wait to get stuck in.

Friday lunchtime I met Eileen (Cananda/Malaysia/Copenhagen) who was here from studying in Copenhagen to see her friend Kathy from Canada who was studying in Glasgow. Both then went to glasgow and looked around there. I left Saturday at 15.00 to head back to Manchester and then off to Bangor in Wales to see Wu Hao. Had a nice couple of days there, went to Conway and somewhere else with a castle that I can't remember, the countryside is beautiful at the moment, lots of greenery and bouncing lambs. baa baaa.

Wu Hao had to work on Monday, but I took the ferry to Dublin, it was totally unexpected, but as it was just 12 pounds return and 1.40 mins on the catamaran, I thought, why not... Had a nice day trip and met up with Vincent from FRance/mexico there, Julian was away unfortunately.

I came back to Hull yesterday and got stuck into the revision. well sort of. I am getting stuck in now anyway. Japanese, first exam is on Wednesday, then another on friday and the last the following Thursday 6th May. then a presentation and thet's it, all done and dusted. I only need a 2:2 for edinburgh, but I will try and keep the pressure up to get myself a first class.

Going to Zurich in May, for a party and singapore/ntu reunion, about 10 of us are going, so I am really looking forward to that. no news on the teaching job yet, I will keep you posted. John

Now this, I like: news as it should be.newsmap

I handed in my Final year project and dissertation on thursday, and I have been doing nothing since then. Which is a shame, as doig nothing sucks the life out of me. For the last 6 months I have been working solidly, having just a few spare minutes a day to play guitar or practice chinese. And now I have nothing to do except revise for 3 exams in 4 weeks time, but I have too much time now, and I'm not doing any of the things I wanted to do, like spend more time playing the guitar, or practising chinese, or read a book. Instead I've been visiting friends, chatting with friends on MSN, surfing the web... all very relaxing, but I really do need a bit of pressure in life to accomplish things.

The plan for easter: First, I head home on thursday, then there is Sarah's wedding next saturday in Cambridge, then I'll come back to Hull on tuesday, next off to Manchester on Thursday for an interview for a Studentship and placement on the Masters in Bioinformatics there, then off to Bangor to see Wu Hao, and then back here.

My final application for my FYP is called PositionVote, I demo'd it at a Microsoft Student Partner Programme meeting last week in London. Went down ok, but its pretty crap. I just have to demo it again after the exams to my supervisor (David Grey) and second examiner (Neil Gordon). Phil Price is helping me "juice" it up for a meeting with the e-leaning team here at Hull on the 19th.

Want to visit Edinburgh on the 20th or 21st. so I suppose that is a busy easter. I've just realised. I better stop wasting time and start getting on with things. stopwatch at the ready. go.

Will apply for the Visa to Iran next week, and plan on going there for a month or so in August. A very hot time, but I hope it will be ok. Going to visit Hamoon's family in Shiraz, I met Hamoon at USM in Malaysia last year.

Hoping to go to Jazz club tonight. Will see if John, Ronan, Jasmin, Nora, Katrina, etc. are going.