2023-11-19 12:52
I can no longer justify paying 250 Euros + a year for a blog I don’t write on anymore.
This website will be archived at http://surprisinghorizons0.wordpress.com
It’s been a blast… Read More
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Surprising Horizons – The Joy Of Travel. The Rea Blog
surprisinghorizons.com
Blogging about life in Singapore and travel around the world with photographs and videos.
2021-08-05 12:05
Are you having difficulty writing a fantastic research paper? Do you realize that you’re not making progress towards your desired result? If you’re then you may wish to think ab… Read More
2021-08-05 09:36
College-paper provides quality to youpersonally. The employees are extremely pleased to assist you in your writing.
“This has been my first time working with the college paper writin… Read More
2021-06-07 11:49
When I knew I was going to move to Japan I also knew that I would eat all the Japanese KitKat flavors I could get my hands on. This post is part one of many in my adventures chomping my way… Read More
2021-05-18 10:06
Being the tallest mountain in Japan and the seventh-highest peak on an island on Earth, you can spy Mount Fuji from many vantage points in Japan. Viewing Mount Fuji from Fujiyoshida is relat… Read More
2021-03-22 11:43
I have starred certain temples on Google Maps in Kyoto and one that I hadn’t un-starred yet was Konkai-Komyoji Temple, and the Big-Haired Buddha. The buddha’s hirsute stylings is… Read More
2021-03-11 11:53
How does a visit to Monster Street in Kyoto, Japan sound?
Monster Street, otherwise known as Yokai (妖怪; monster/ghost) Street, resides in a nondescript area of north west Kyoto… Read More
2021-03-03 13:54
As you scroll around Kyoto on Google Maps you will see dots of green sprinkled around indicating, one would think, a park of some stature and presence. More often than not, you will find a s… Read More
2021-02-25 12:11
So you’ve visited Arashiyama to the west of Kyoto and seen what it has got to offer. Lovely.And if you’ve come this far, maybe you’re willing to come a little further&helli&hell…Read More
2021-02-20 12:25
I see pink on a plate and I’m eating dessert. And so that’s what your brain thinks when any food is presenting itself in such a lurid and 80s cheap music video fashion. Even more… Read More
2021-02-16 12:21
2020 and 2021 (most likely) will probably be the only time to see a lot of Kyoto’s temples and shrines without the throngs of tourists. We are trying to take this opportunity to visit… Read More
2021-02-09 12:00
Yes, I’m writing this in February.
If you’re stuck in Kyoto around Christmas in the year 20?? (I’m guessing blogs won’t exist come 2100) then you can’t do wrong… Read More
2021-02-07 12:09
It might reverse-surprise some of you that English is not particularly focused on as a main form of communication in Japan. Speaking as a mono-language western white idiot, I can’t cri… Read More
2021-02-02 11:57
KitKat are pretty busy in Japan all year around. No other country releases such a wide variety of flavours than KitKat Japan. I, for one, applaud their efforts. Along with all the dentists… Read More
2021-01-31 03:28
If you wanted to pile on the calories and didn’t want to go ahead and eat real Japanese fried chicken you can (for a limited time naturally) buy some Karaage (fried chicken) Pringles… Read More
2021-01-28 08:31
Japan companies like to launch special once off products (mostly food and drink) so that we can rush to the local Life or Familymart salivating and throwing old people out of the way until w… Read More
2019-06-07 16:10
Jätkäsaari (literally translating to “Dude Island”) is a peninsula sitting in the south-west of the Helsinki. It’s a developing and reclaimed area of Helsinki wi… Read More
2019-05-21 13:53
I got into Magritte in my teenage years; his weird manipulation of everyday objects in juxtaposition with their surroundings rebelliously scratched an itch that Impressionism was bestowing… Read More
2019-05-03 15:26
Back in 2014 I skipped out on seeing Bill Burr for some crappy work-related gathering. Gods I was an idiot. Over the years since then, Bill Burr has become my favourite comedian eerily in s… Read More
2019-05-01 14:21
Vappu is a public holiday celebration here in Finland. It celebrates workers and freedom. And vaping. Just kidding, it’s mainly gives Finnish students a massive excuse to have a… Read More
2019-04-22 17:30
Finland wheels out a food cart of unearthly delights for certain times of the year. It’s my job to eat said food before they disappear into the shadows of the cultural kitchen for anot… Read More
2019-03-28 18:37
Spain wasn’t the first place that came to mind when I thought of where we would visit as our first “other country” trip since we came back to Europe. There are a lot of oth… Read More
2019-03-25 12:42
Seventeen years ago I trundled into Zagreb train station (on a train) from Trieste, Italy. Zagreb wasn’t the final destination. No, no our goal was a more obscure (and seriously bulle… Read More
2019-03-17 15:06
In what is becoming a “coincidental” yearly ritual, Mrs. Horizons left me alone to ponder my Oirish existence on St. Patrick’s Day. In Helsinki this time. At least in Sing… Read More
2019-02-28 17:59
So I’ve detailed what we got up to in Lapland, let me tell you how we got there and back without taking to the skies.
It may not be known to people outside of Finland (it wasn’t… Read More
2019-01-27 17:15
Introduction
Lapland evokes a child-like curiosity in all of us. Snowscapes, reindeer, huskies, and Santa lives there, you know? When we moved to Finland in June I knew we had to check it o… Read More
2018-07-23 19:20
Balestier Road is an odd one. You can go there with a very wild and varied shopping list (freshly ground coffee, light fittings, a fancy new toilet, and you could stay in a cheap but dingy h… Read More
2018-07-14 19:19
“You must try rojak before you leave Singapore” some crazy person said to me at some point. So with my days dwindling down on the red dot I wandered many a hawker centre and dec… Read More
2018-06-19 12:13
I can see the future.
I can see myself flying this route quite a few times in the next few years.
The Departure
Dublin Airport is a secret shame of mine being Irish. It’s just not the… Read More
2018-06-15 11:45
After purchasing a rather long strip light bulb in Home DIY, I was hungry. LCD light bulb I’ll have you know. And I would need to replace the ancient starter that my old strip bulb ha… Read More
2018-06-13 11:52
THE national dish of Singapore. Probably. Capital “the”. Just in case you thought I was being liberal with the shift key.
“Chicken rice, really!?” I hear you scoff an… Read More
2018-06-11 12:06
Forgive me for being biased but I believe Asian food has the most willingness to surprise, scare, delight, and excite the weary eater. One of the most low key foods you can have in Singapore… Read More
2018-05-28 12:16
There is a building in Singapore called Orchard Towers. It goes by another rhyming moniker… It has four floors. And certain females “work” there. Do the math.
It’s a… Read More
2018-05-17 12:02
With Singapore Airlines miles to burn before I shuffle off this mortal coil island state I decided to experience SQ’s very new Boeing 787-10 business class offering on a local route… Read More
2018-05-15 12:53
Source: Instagram @minniebean
On a forgotten and cold January evening back in 2008 after a long day at work I took two trains from mein Zuhause in Düsseldorf through Köln HbF to Ko… Read More
2018-05-09 13:04
I donned my ranger’s jacket, compass, backpack, hiking boots, and a grimace to make my way over to the far west of Singapore to catch Stereophonics this week. The Zepp@BlackBox in Jur… Read More
2018-04-30 12:34
Wild Honey has two branches in Singapore; one in Scotts Square and one in the Mandarin Gallery. We rolled into the Scotts Square establishment early on a Saturday evening. Decor is quite ho… Read More
2018-04-24 12:01
As Finland will be our new home come June we planned a trip to check out our proposed city of dreams (Helsinki) with Finnair. People are surprised when they find out Finnair fly direct to S… Read More
2018-04-17 13:09
A number of years ago if you mentioned ramen to me I would initially muster up visions of lid peeling and add-boiling-water-to-sachet-contents endeavours. Followed, naturally, by the depres… Read More
2018-04-09 12:02
On a gloomy, overcast Saturday morning I uberred (soon to be Grabbed) my way to Roti Prata House on Upper Thomson road for some…roti prata.
Roti prata is….a kind of flatbread… Read More
2018-04-03 11:31
I meandered towards Robert Mee Siam recently to try out a quite underwhelming (visually) dish called Mee Siam. It was perhaps one of the weirdest (but not in a bad sense) taste experiences… Read More
2018-03-12 12:02
Nasi Lemak is probably the most boring looking plate you might get in Singapore but it packs a huge amount of flavour in its different elements. Trust me.
Originating in Malaysia, this dish… Read More
2018-03-07 11:59
One of the ones I was not looking forward to on my Singapore Food Staples list was Fish Head Curry. I don’t deal well with seeing the once living creature on a plate. I have a very pre… Read More
2018-02-28 12:42
Click for biggy!
There’s a little place snuggled into a far corner of Gardens By The Bay where people go to find an elusive patch of grass and feel free. And fly kites.
Marina Barrage… Read More
2018-02-24 12:06
It’s probably up there with other Singapore food staples like Chili Pepper Crab. Kaya Toast. A simple yet unique little breakfast/brunch dish that can be found throughout the island… Read More
2018-02-19 12:14
What comes into your mind when you hear and see the word “Bismillah”? I’ll wait. Yeah, I thought so. Will not let you go.
Anyway, Bismillah translates from Arabic into &ld&helli…Read More
2018-02-11 12:43
Well not exactly, but if all you want is to check out the fly-bys and performances that happen for a few hours each day of the air show you can do no wrong than to plonk yourself down on ne… Read More
2018-02-08 11:48
You ever just step into a place and you’re immediately not happy? I’m not talking prisons here..merely restaurants.
That was Veganburg for me. And not just because it served all… Read More
2018-01-29 12:54
Wanton Mee. Me want. Wanton Mee is basically Dumpling Noodles. Wanton=Dumplings in Cantonese.
Mee=Noodles in Hokkien.∴ Wanton Mee= Dumpling Noodles.
I waddled along to Parklane… Read More
2018-01-29 06:56
Consistency is key in every facet of life. People who drive cars need to consistently not crash. And food needs a consistency that your brain is suited to. So with an innocent western palate… Read More
2018-01-29 05:07
No, you’re wrong. You just are. This is not the affable dessert that you have scoffed down at your grandmother’s on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. This is, in fact, a savoury omel… Read More
2018-01-20 12:02
Gooooollllldddfinngaaaahhhhhh…
Bond. James Bond. The movies go hand in hand with the theme music. Maybe even, in some cases, the songs eclipse the actual movie. Oscar nominations and… Read More
2018-01-14 12:29
I have a mission and I have chosen to accept it. 30 dishes that are quintessentially Singaporean. To be eaten before July 2018.
The first dish Bak Kut Teh 肉骨茶, thankful… Read More
2018-01-03 11:38
You want to see some weird sh…tuff in Singapore? Sick of the pristine sidewalks and effective transportation systems? Sick of the amazing food? Want to see what Singaporeans will cre… Read More
2017-12-31 11:57
Colours of Impressionism is currently running in the National Gallery Singapore until March 2018. It brings together over 60 Impressionist paintings from the Musée d’Orsay… Read More
2017-12-26 12:48
Visitors to Singapore may not believe or realize that there are a number of high vantage points from where you can see the island apart from the top of Marina Bay Sands. And they don’… Read More
2017-12-23 13:19
I have got used to seeing Christmas decorations and experiencing 99% humidity at the same time. It’s been 10 years living in Asia, I better have.
Orchard Road starts setting up… Read More
2017-12-21 14:16
With the recent news that Dakota Crescent will be demolished to make way for a new apartment complex, the final death bell tolled for the erstwhile Instgram-friendly low-rise 1950s apartmen… Read More
2017-12-11 12:05
You know you’re in Singapore….
when it gets ominously dark (must-have-lights-on dark) hours away from sunset and clouds roll in black and dark like the end of times.
when rain… Read More
2017-11-21 12:34
Hear ye, hear ye! Singapore has its first female president!
Ireland had its first female president back in 1990 but, you know, some countries have to start somewhere.
But all is not sweetne… Read More
2017-11-07 13:10
It starts with the journey to the airport. You know you’re about to experience humanity at its worst and you won’t be able to escape it. You ride along in grim determination and… Read More
2017-11-04 12:14
Ol’ Green Eyes Cat
Wherever you find humans in Singapore you will find cats. Probably quite a few at times. Our old condo had three or four stray cats who hung around and got fed by a… Read More
2017-10-05 12:23
Part 1 here.
Osaka
We trained up from Miyajima, back through Hiroshima, and on to Osaka. The trip took less than 2 and a half hours.
And so began, our journey into more touristy areas. The… Read More
2017-09-28 12:37
Some say that moving homes is one of the most stressful life events that people can go through. Having laid in a hospital bed staring at the ceiling hoping that there was a slight chance th… Read More
2017-09-17 11:58
You’ve experienced some form of Japanese culture. Yes you. Food, ninjas, karaoke, origami, strange internet movies, to name but a few. Japan is unique. A good type of unique. Not pres… Read More
2017-09-07 12:34
Carcasses line the streets. You turn a corner and there’s another pile. Some lie proud and upright. Some toppled over with abandonment. Bring out your dead. It’s an apocalypse… Read More
2017-09-05 13:02
On a very very nondescript road in the gray labyrinth of central Singapore lies a very nondescript metal off-white wall. The off-white wall with its two empty and echoing sentry guard posts… Read More
2017-08-28 11:10
I remember unwrapping the cellophane from around the cassette of the Foo Fighter’s first album. I bought it from a shop. A real shop. With real Irish bank notes. The year was 1995, af… Read More
2017-08-20 12:58
I had never heard of Yayoi Kusama.
If you were to look at her artwork you would think it was the work of a ubiquitously happy hippy permanently tripping through the sixties. You would be wr… Read More
2017-07-29 14:17
Chelsea left Singapore with durian on their face (see what I did there?) after playing two and losing two matches at the National Stadium over the past week. On Saturday night, they ended u… Read More
2017-07-26 09:53
European soccer friendly tournaments hosted in Asia are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you gonna git.
Thankfully for this, the first fixture of the International Champion&rsq&helli…Read More
2017-07-04 09:24
Photo taken mid-swing.
Golf. The sport where you have to remember a million things before you even move your body to start your swing. Then you must do that for every hit thereafter. Or you… Read More
2017-06-18 11:30
UFC Fight Night 111 happened in Singapore’s Indoor Stadium last night. I waddled through the doors at 7pm to catch the last 2 of the pre-lim fights then the four major fights on the c… Read More
2017-06-14 09:23
You better put your booties on, cuz it’s COLD (humid) OUTSIDE!!
Groundhog Day-esque is how I would describe the Singapore v Argentina soccer friendly last night. Minute after minute… Read More
2017-06-01 11:55
The all-you-can-eat buffet brunch is something every ex-pat or tourist in Singapore does at some point. It’s both a stamina test on your waist band and credit card limit but if y… Read More
2017-05-15 12:32
You know something’s wrong when Singaporeans grafitti a wall to try and resolve a problem. This wall should actually be a tourist attraction as it’s probably the only illegally… Read More
2017-05-08 12:48
The Kallang Theatre welcomes you like an old musty bingo hall. No blue rinse hair and floral ankle length skirts on parade for Megadeth though. No it’s black. Black on black. Lon… Read More
2017-04-28 12:08
Having a weird interest in permanently inking one’s body for random reasons, I bought a $36 ticket to visit the Singapore Ink Show 2017. I pondered why tickets were so expen… Read More
2017-04-25 13:56
Artbox Singapore 2017 sucked.
That is all.
One of the small corridors. Sucked.
Actually,well, I have a bit more to say.
This event (which consisted of food, drink, and other stalls) ran ove… Read More
2017-04-23 11:27
There’s a cool little free exhibition going on in the National Design Centre until May 25th documenting the work that the Ubisoft Singapore office has done on the amazing Assassin&rsq&helli…Read More
2017-04-05 13:09
A couple of weeks ago I managed to get to see the NASA exhibition at the ArtScience Museum in its final week. I had been meaning to go since it arrived back in November 2016 and was looking… Read More
2017-04-04 09:30
Like taxi and ride hailing apps in Singapore, a lot has happened in the last 5 years with how you can get food delivered to your door so you don’t have to slide off your Cheeto-i… Read More
2017-03-11 13:14
Who wouldn’t pay to see two of the most acclaimed film composers in world history wrestle it out in a vat of duck fat, stripped to the waist, bloodied and bruised? Sadly, that wi… Read More
2017-03-08 14:02
When we arrived in Singapore in 2011 we were beyond excited that we could access our phone and order a taxi from a couple of different apps; ComfortDelGro, Trans-Cab and SMRT Book a Ta… Read More
2017-03-02 14:40
The queen of erstwhile surrealist humour, Eddie Izzard, stopped by Singapore this week to deliver his force majeure stand up show. Starting this particular tour in 2013, one would be led to… Read More
2017-02-26 08:04
I took my time buying a ticket to this as my experience attending Metallica at the Singapore Exhibition Centre in 2013 was one I wanted to forget. I bought a ticket.
Without doubt, the Sing… Read More
2017-02-24 13:09
Not my video. I paid for the cheap seats.
I’m not sure how James Taylor found his way into my maelstrom of heavy metal and hard rock listening habits back in my younger days. But… Read More
2017-02-20 12:49
On top of Rigi Klum
December. What do you want? Sunshine and beaches to not think about the festive season or cold and snow and mulled wine to soak it all up? If it’s the latter then y… Read More
2017-02-12 13:08
Religious fervour has had its fair share of bonkers moments throughout history. Sadly, most of it involving killing/torturing non-believers or other people that an old book told you to… Read More
2017-01-23 13:03
Metallica. The smell of leather jackets, blue denim, and wet green self-graffitied parka jackets. The pointy fonted logo that nobody could replicate or emanate to express HEAVY METAL ever a… Read More
2017-01-21 13:33
I love travel. I hate traveling. Well, maybe dislike is the word. No, actually, it’s hate.
Airports and flying are the irritants at the start and the end of the most amazing adventure… Read More
2017-01-15 13:19
Here’s how I barely survive the hell that is flying in the “cheap” seats in airplanes.
1. PLANNING
My plan of survival starts with planning my travel months beforehand. Fa… Read More
2017-01-09 12:47
Fate and circumstance led me to recently purchase Premium Economy seats on Singapore Airlines’ A380 from Singapore to Zurich return. Fate and circumstance being that I was booking stu… Read More
2016-11-23 14:20
And so it was, on the 12th night of November in the year of our lord, two armies summoned forth the power of Tiger Balm and vigorous muscle rubbing to face each other on the battle field th… Read More
2016-11-16 13:30
After spending two nights in relative solitude at Sofitel Sentosa Resort and Spa we targeted Marina Bay Sands for the next hit on our life savings and senses. Marina Bay Sands is always bus… Read More
2016-11-01 13:35
Sometimes even taking a one hour flight from Singapore can be too much energy to recharge the batteries. So you spend as much money as you would with flights and hotel and you spend a few n… Read More
2016-10-27 12:08
What is art?
Baby, don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me no more.
I think that’s the way the song goes.
MC Escher. You know him. You know at least one of his creations from somewhe… Read More
2016-10-25 13:35
www.marinabaysands.com
Mr. Puck has two restaurants now in Marina Bay. His first one “Cut” is a steak-centered nosebag joint. So one of us being a vegetarian can’t really g… Read More
2016-10-17 12:15
Changing of the guard at Gyeongbokgung Palace.
We recently visited South Korea (with a few footsteps into North Korea) for the first time since we arrived in Asia all the way back in 2008. I… Read More
2016-10-10 13:01
Part 1 here.
Part 2 here.
Part 3 here.
This is the final part of our Tasmania trip report. It only took 10 months to complete. Writing about it. Not the trip.
Richmond
The drive down from Ta… Read More
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