Phi Phi Islands!

Drew spent the day touring the Phi Phi Islands with Nui. They hopped on a boat and off they were! The Islands is where the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio was shot, which though an attraction for many people, was a put off for Drew who is clearly not a fan of the famed actor.

Fun at the beach.

Snorkeling. Lots of coral and neon fish.

Beautiful.

Long tail macaques at Monkey Beach.

Incredibly long name for a park.

Drew in Thailand!

On Friday morning, Drew flew out to Thailand with Nui. Alex was unable to join them as he had meetings throughout the weekend. What was Drew's initial impression of Thailand? "Hellishly hot" but "very cool!" Drew and Nui are in Ao Nang, a coastal town in Krabi Province with lots of scuba diving, kayaking, islands to explore, and most importantly a bounty of cheap mock designer bags to bring back to me. Tomorrow they will spend the day touring the Phi Phi islands known for its natural beauty with clear waters and idyllic beaches. Drew has already proclaimed his desire to return to Thailand in the future.

Drew looking relaxed and in his element.

Of course Drew had to get Pad Thai.

Ao Nang's main street with a backdrop of mountains and forests.

Fusionopolis and Fridge Adventures

Drew got to spend some time at Fusionopolis! The building was very impressive. There are lots of new things going on at the Fusionopolis complex other than research including LucasFilms constructing an eight story building for their production, appropriately called Sandcrawler Building. Googling reveals some of the amazing other aspects of this building including shopping, fitness, theaters, restaurants, condos... very futuristic.

Photo of Fusionopolis (stolen off the web.)

Nice view out of Fusionopolis. Weather was hot and muggy.

Meeting for everyone and their laptops.

Drew had uninspiring Indian food and pizza. Don't worry, Drew, we will make up for it when you get back with some Scilia's!
 
Meanwhile, there has been some excitement in my life too! When I woke up this morning, my refrigerator temp was a toasty 60 degrees, perfect weather conditions for encouraging bacterial procreation at peak exponential growth. Just what I like on my food, a layer of toxins.

I had complained about my fridge FOR MONTHS when its temps hovered between 45-50 degrees at its coldest setting (FDA recommends below 42 degrees), but management would not do anything. Finally this was my chance! Using my wonderful new camera (thanks, Drew and family!) I took a picture of the thermometer, blew it up to 8.5x11, printed the evidence, taped it to the door, called management and went to class.

SUCCESS!! I have never been more excited walking into my apartment than when I saw THE NEW FRIDGE. And all it took was months of bickering with managment while gambling with my digestive durability eating possibly unsafe food. I can finally buy dairy products once again!

Exciting, right?!

RIP Mr. Mouse.

Office

To break the monotony of sushi pictures, here instead are some uninspiring office pictures. Desks and cubicles. This blog truly exists to entertain. Actually, Drew works in a really neat building called Biopolis, which is Singapore's biomedical research hub. There's another building called Fusionopolis, which is their hub for physical science and engineering research. These two buildings symbolize Singapore's drive to becoming a leader in research and development. Additionally, the city-state is known as the most business-friendly economy in the world, as well as one of the most competitive and innovative. In 2010, they were the fastest-growing economy. I guess that's why Alex ended up there.

 The cubicles actually look pretty nice.

 Lots of computers. Drew sits in this area.

Alex gets the big desk.

 

Though the light through the window makes it seem like it's still daytime, it looks like everyone has fled off to elsewhere. Well, who can sit at a desk for too long when the weather is so great.

More sushi....

During the weekdays, all Drew does is work and eat, making for a redundant blog. Adding to that, they seem to be eating the same thing every night... sushi. So Drew worked on the company's website, and then devoured his sushi. My day wasn't any more interesting. What an exciting blog.

California roll

Salmon sushi

Some tempura to wash down that sushi.

 

Mr. Mouse is still alive, though his whereabouts are unknown. The apartment has been cleaned, so hopefully he will decide to cohabitate with another resident, living a fulfilling but lonely life without ever procreating.

Sushi and Mr. Mouse

Drew had a long day at work. His build host wasn't quite what Alex wanted, so it had to be redone. You make mistakes and you learn from them. Afterward they went out for more sushi. Drew is going to turn into a fish with the amount of sushi he is consuming. 

Rainbow sushi

Sashimi salad

Empty plates of gobbled up salmon sushi.

 

Meanwhile, why am I posting a blurry picture? If it isn't obvious what that amorphous gray blotch crouching behind our cabinet is, THAT IS A MOUSE! Apparently, though I may not have a lot of food, I spill enough of it on the floor for a mouse to think it can survive in my apartment. Or it's managing to get into my meager stockpile of food, which....blehhhh.

L and I tried to catch it, but to no avail. We're getting a mouse trap.

Homebodies

Well, I guess everyday can't be filled with breathtaking, new adventures. It's good to take a day off I suppose. Touring in pristine weather can be tough on the computer-geek's soul, for they are out of their element, venturing into an unrecognizable world aglow from radiant sunlight. Hence when faced with another day of perfect weather, the gang decided to retreat inside their temperature controlled environment, loving on their respective laptops that had been tragically neglected. "Never again!" they exclaim, brushing away tears of regret. That must be how they feel, else they'd be out and about once again, right?

 

Meanwhile, the siblings and I had Easter brunch! Fruit salad, french toast, and carrot cake. 

Fun in the Sun

While it was rainy and chilly in Boston, Drew was basking (with sunscreen) in the glorious warmth of sunny, near perfect weather (apparently there were some clouds in the sky...), as Alex and Nui took him around Singapore. After starting their day with a dip in the condo's pool, they headed to the arboretum.

Singapore is known for its orchids. The Vanda Miss Joaquin orchid is their national flower.

Cute picture of Alex and Nui.

Drew spotted a DQ across the street! I think Singapore's strict jaywalking laws prevented him from instantly running across... at least that's how I would react. Alas, Drew had to forgo a chance for velvety soft-serve. No doubt a sad moment in his day.

After going to the movie theater to watch Arthur, they ended their day at a bar to play pool. They got stuck with a comically large English billiard table seemingly more suitable for mini golf than pool. This is where having Drew's gigantic arm muscles comes in handy.

 

  

Drew at the Zoo!

Drew got the day off as it's Good Friday (as well as Earth Day!), a public holiday in Singapore. Though Alex still had to work, Nui was kind enough to take Drew to the Singapore Zoo.

The very pretty Nui.

 

The Singapore Zoo has the largest captive colony of orangutans. Drew got up close and personal with one. I think the orangutan is admiring your new sunglasses, Drew.

 

Rhino butt.

White tiger hanging out.

The day was not all play as Drew and Alex had conference calls with their US colleagues from 9pm to 12am!! Coordinating work between different continents and time zones is killer.

Ramen

Drew has finally eaten fresh ramen! There are a couple of restaurants around Boston that serve ramen, and I've asked him to try one with me, but for some reason, once again it takes Drew going to Singapore and being with Alex for him to finally eat it. If Drew weren't asleep in another time zone, he could defend himself, but giving a one-sided, biased perspective is the perk I get for chronicling his journey for him. (Which is also why I get to make the entries so food-centric. Drew does other stuff the rest of the day, some programming work or whatnot, but that's not important.)

What could make this ramen experience any better? A side of tonkatsu and sushi!

They sure are eating a lot of Japanese food for being in Singapore, but given these two guys' histories, I wouldn't expect anything different.

P.S. Drew, you are wonderful and always take me out. I know that the reason we have yet to eat ramen together is because of our mutual laziness. It's just fun giving you a hard time. (Please don't be mad ♥)

Run- After the terrible run yesterday, I made up for it by going to one of my favorite running spots and pounding out 8.5 miles. So gratifying.

Feast of Pig's Feet

The table is all set for pig's feet. Apparently all it took for Drew to expand his palate was a trip to Singapore. Either that or he trusts Alex's tastes more than mine, which for the sake of our relationship I'll just ignore... even though it also took Alex for Drew to eat Sushi. They have some special gastronomical connection. It's okay though because I will always win Drew over with baked sweets, which Alex doesn't like. Crazy. Now, if only Alex can get Drew to start eating cabbage...

When Drew wasn't partaking in porcine hooves, he was fighting jet lag to set up two build hosts-- one linux, one window. If that doesn't make sense, it's probably wrong because I honestly don't understand what he does. I just regurgitate some of his words, piece them together, and see what happens.

Meanwhile my microwave is fixed, and that's the extent of my excitement. 

Run- I ran three really crappy miles. I think I was dehydrated.

Food

Drew is navigating the bustling streets of Singapore! Good thing he is with Alex and Nui!

While he enjoys a yummy Japanese grill of pork and beef tongue, my microwave breaks, and I struggle to feed myself. Given that 75% of my diet is microwaved burritos and reheated leftovers, this does not bode well.

 

Run- 3.9 mi.

Boston Marathon

Booo for not being able to watch the Boston Marathon. Now where is Drew? Hmph.

Run- 3.8 miles around Fenway. Slow but invigorating.

Bye Drew

Bye Drew!! What am I going to do without you??

Drew is wishing with all his might that after the bumpy start at the airport things will go much more smoothly!