www.cardshark.sg

Convincers for Suspcious Skeptics?

2010-10-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

A convincer is a very powerful tool when deployed at the right time. Exactly as the name suggests, it is a move that is used to 'prove' or convince the audience that you did what you said. It is handled in an almost offhand, accidental manner and as such dispels the suspicions of even the most tenacious of audiences. It's strength lies in the disarming demeanor in its execution. This leaves little room for any suspicions and reinforces the actions of the performer.

These are trying times for magicians as we continue to struggle between education and exposure of magic. The line is truly fine - how does one justify oneself in either case? I'm not here to debate that issue, but it has seen the rise of a crowd of people who have become more savvy and wise to the art. One of the fundamental moves that have been under close scrutiny and under fire has been the ever venerable double lift. It's like an open secret now to laymen. A few of my magician friends have even gone so far as to swear off any effects that require its use, citing examples of how they have been called on its use by the ever 'witty' teenage upstart with a chip on his shoulder: closet magicians who are better at ruining tricks simply by existing than actually performing them. I can empathise with them - it's a tough crowd out there.

However, that simply means that we need to refine the methods and tools of our trade. We have to find ways and means to combat that ever increasing 'educated' crowd; being upset over it does nothing to solve the problem. Education works both ways - I believe while the crowd out there is being educated on how magic is done, we too, need to continue to further our education that differentiate the initiate from the master. Depth and breadth of knowledge are both equally important. We shouldn't discard a tool simply because it's weakness is exposure especially since it is a staple tool of the trade. We can deploy them in the best way possible through the understanding of the psychology of human behaviour and refinement of our own methods and skills.

I've found that convincers are especially effective in placating skeptical/semi-educated (in magic) audiences. By the time they realise that the move could have been used, they are too far gone to backtrack to it absolutely. Convincers allow us to put distance - either physical or temporal - between the method and the effect (read Designing Miracles by Darwin Ortiz if you have no idea what I'm talking about there... believe me it'll be the best $80 you spent in your magic career!). This makes for very strong magic indeed. ;P

The double lift convincer I've shared is one that has worked great for me, but you do need to be able to perform a pushoff double.

It is available at: http://www.cardshark.sg

Adventist Home for the Elderly - 21 Feb 2010

2010-02-21T22:15:00.001-08:00

A group of volunteers from a local law firm took it upon themselves to bring some Lunar New Year festive joy to the elderly at the Adventist Home (Kim Keat Avenue). They wanted a volunteer magician to help as the collections they took up would go entirely to Adventist Home, so I figured I’d ‘volunteer’ a few students to help them out.

Alistair and Timothy were more than generous with their time and effort – as always. They agreed to help without a moments’ hesitation when they heard about the event. Initially I was concerned that this period of time was quite tough for them to make such commitments – being the Lunar New Year and all – but they were really gracious and even skipped some Sunday classes at Church to be a part of this event.

You can see to the left Allie wowing the crowd with his ropes.

Timothy making a huge impression in the picture!

Also joining us for the first time, a few new faces – young urchins so fresh they almost reek of milk. :) Linus, Jon, Trevor and Chee Wan really held themselves well despite their inexperience.

In the picture, you see Chee Wan (LEFT) and Jon (RIGHT) both in white and wearing ties working the crowd.

Linus strutting his stuff.

Trevor (wearing the tie) amusing the audience with his dazzling personality.

For a first time out, I’d say they did a great job!

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VACATION TIME! :D YEAH!

2009-12-16T20:24:00.001-08:00

Well, I’ll be away from the 19 to the 27 of December for a break to Jakarta, Indonesia. I’ll take care of any backorders and updates when I get home, so do bear with me.

Meantime, I hope to meet up with some of the magicians over in Jakarta; Pambudi has already very generously invited me to lunch at his home. I’m sure we’ll have a great time. :)

Until I get home, cheers!

Away...

2009-11-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

I'll be away for a week or so and will get back to my web updates when I return!

Tony Hassini in Singapore – 2 October 2009

2009-11-01T06:02:00.001-08:00

Tony came to Singapore this October to present the duo of JC Sum and Ning “MagicBabe” the coveted Merlin awards by the International Magicians’ Society (IMS). Tony is the founder of the IMS and the World president/CEO. He has established himself as one of the biggest names of Magic in the world.

It was indeed an honour and a privilege for Singapore to have such an illustrious and famous magician visit us; and even more so to have two new awardees of the prestigious Merlin award. Surely JC and Ning have put us on the world map with their accomplishments!

It was with great anticipation that I made my way to meet one of the icons of magic on 2 Oct. It was a Monday and I could only make it after my work: I was really exhausted, but the adrenaline in my blood kept my feet moving.

Bob Chua has had a long standing relationship with Tony over the years via email correspondence even though they had never formally met. Incidentally, Bob was also the very first (and only until recently) Merlin Award recipient in Singapore. Bob is also the current President of the IMS Chapter in Singapore. Hence, it was also Bob who caught up with Tony first when he arrived in Singapore.

I found Tony with Bob and Gordon that afternoon filming the sights of Orchard Road in Singapore. He was more than a pleasant fellow and has a highly evolved sense of humour. Tony was a fun-loving and humble guy in spite of his international success as both a film maker and a magician.

We had a great time that day – between sharing meals and the occasional beer, we shared stories about almost everything – from magic to girls (not babes). He even shared with us his theories on the shelf-lives of males versus females. It was truly a rib-wreaking experience for all of our funny bones.

Just a beer (or two; no three) for the road…

I’m really happy for JC and Ning in their success. I think it’s a huge milestone in Singapore Magic and the two of them have done a great deal to put Singapore on the world map in magic. In JC’s blog, he wrote that he helped to ‘pave the way’ for future magicians in bringing Tony to Singapore. I agree with him; though I’m sure not in the way he might have meant.

SPH Workshop 11-September-09 Report

2009-09-19T22:22:00.001-07:00

The workshop at Singapore Press Holdings was a huge success. Many thanks go out to the people who made this such an event to remember for the participants - most of them students from the various secondary schools in Singapore. There were a few parents in the crowd as well and they were equally enthralled!

Enrico Varella gave a fantastic presentation and opened the workshop with a bang! He presented a brief history of magic and shared many of his personal life anecdotes with the eager participants. His performance of the Professor's Nightmare was masterful, as was his 'Hanging Coins'.

Bob Chua adopted a more informal approach and entertained questions from the audience about his life as a professional magician. He also gave an impressive performance as he wowed the crowd with his sleight of hand skills during the break.

The student leaders (from St Joseph's Institution, Raffles Junior College and Xin Min Secondary school) chosen to run the workshop each performed a couple of effects on stage - all of them were nothing shy of Aces. It was truly humbling for me: it was almost a fleeting glimpse into the future as I watched the next generation of up and coming magicians at their best. Some of them made mistakes owing to the tremendous pressure and stress (for most, it was the first time that they had to perform under such conditions), but their quick thinking allowed them to extricate themselves out of the unexpected trouble. All carried themselves very well - with dignity and respect for the art and their audience.

Many thanks to SPH for giving us a chance to be a part of this amazing event - I hope we have in our own minor way contributed to the future of magic in this little corner of the world.

Enrico Varella and Bob Chua

Father and son team

Students enmasse

Se-ED Project - 1 Aug 09

2009-08-02T05:43:00.001-07:00

Braving the humidity and heat magicians of the Singapore Magic Circle took to the streets of The Singapore Management University to help promote an event encouraging youths to take on Social Enterprise for Charity.

The event started at 3:30pm where the first shift of magicians – comprising mostly of the youngest group – took up arms (in the form of cards and close-up tables) and hit the crowd. They were later joined by the people in the second and third shifts which saw everyone exhausted at the end of the day, winding down just shy of 7pm.

I must say that I was very impressed by the commitment level put in by everyone. They worked hard and almost everyone turned up earlier than their scheduled time, making it a really easy event to manage (particularly on my side… :P).

Though the crowd was not as dense as I had anticipated (due to some programme changes in the organisation), our guys did their best to draw a crowd and entertain the attendees. It was an easy and smooth event; our guys were superb – check out the photos: I’ve posted them on a new SMC facebook account I created to make posting material easy.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000149501420&ref=name#/album.php?aid=946&id=100000149501420

You can also view the photos here:

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Second Thoughts Workshop 20 June 09

2009-07-04T22:09:00.001-07:00

@ Ulu Pandan CC

In planning for this workshop, I had a few reservations about the crowd I was reaching out to. Right from the beginning, I had always wanted to keep such material in the hands of responsible and serious magicians who would not only respect the material, but also do it justice through fastidious practice and attention to detail.

Then there was the issue of those who had purchased the DVD and those who hadn't. I didn't want the guys who had not bought the DVD to pick up all the material from the discs for next to nothing - it won't be fair to those who bought it; but I also didn't want the guys who HAD bought the DVD to get nothing more than a rehash of the discs - it wouldn't have been worth their while. So in the end, I had to work out different material for this workshop. I think it went well.

It was an enriching experience for me in the design and the sharing of the material. I had barely enough time to cover everything I wanted to share - I know I rushed a little to try and do more material. That might be something I would want to consider when I conduct the workshop on the bottom deal later.

Still, I hope everyone had a good time and brought something home with them. Shawn (my brilliant young photographer) had sent me the photos of the event and I thought I'd post them here.

Thanks once again to everyone who had made this a possibility!

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SMC Gathering - 21 Feb 2009

2009-02-21T19:30:00.001-08:00

Loads of thanks to everyone who turned up and made this gathering one of the most successful ones in a LONG time! The turn out was good and everyone was sporting enough to mingle and have a great time together!

Kudos to the people who took the plunge and actually took their turns performing

I sincerely hope that all who turned up had a great time and perhaps ‘levelled up’ in their magic in some way or other. Enjoy the following pictures!

(My apologies to those who went earlier… I think my phone had a glitch and I missed taking photos of those guys.)

Xiang Long and Justin in the photo enjoying the show.

Justin (Itachi) performing a card trick for Allie (Eagle)

Greatly engrossed (or completely bored?) Moses and Javier (Jumbo) watching on.

The crowd watches…

Linking Rings Mayhem! Adrian (AdrianLee) works the crowd!

As Gordon would say, “SHOW OFF!”

Wei Liang (LoyaLover) doing his coin stuff!

Alex (Alexander) puts on a show

Wenhan (ghostace84) doing a grotesque effect with some thread and body orifices.

Zian (Chanzian) flashes his coins at a mesmerised audience.

Allie (Eagle) doing a rendition of the Crazy Man’s Handcuffs

The great cardician – MagicalLobo – Han Xiang making Zian do some work.

Gordon (dry_gin) temps fate again and hopes that coincidence would save him.

Jiawen (jiawen) makes his move and performs a quickie.

Jerome (jeromefang) dazzles with his display of coin work.

Bernard (magic_dow) chills out in a corner – proving that he does indeed show up for gatherings. (And that miracles do happen)

Chinmaya (hope I got the spelling right) (csjoshi) uses his ‘paranormal’ powers to bend a 50c coin.

Bin Hao (chizzielamer) makes an impression on more than one spectator in the audience!

Bin Hao's cousin, Vincent shows us a thing (or two?)...

Once again, I want to thank all the performers for taking the plunge (I know I had to twist a few arms but hey – you guys were really sporting! It felt good right!?) and making this a truly memorable SMC gathering!

Thanks also to all the MODs who made a concerted effort to facilitate the event with your presence and help!

Do drop a post or message if you have any feedback or comments on ANYTHING! :) Look forward to hearing from you and seeing you again soon!

GOLD SEAL BICYCLES

2009-02-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

Enrico passed me a pair of these beauties. These are apparently traditionally cut decks that are supposed to handle the way 'real' cards should handle. Richard Turner is one of the world's foremost authorities with the pasteboards and it's probable that he is second to none when it came to handling a deck of cards. With all the hype on different decks out there in the market (thanks to Ellusionist) - most of which are (in my most humble opinion) trash that are only fit for juggling - it is good to see somebody who still has his head screwed on right.

My initial reaction when I heard that Richard Turner came up with his own deck (his 3rd version if I'm not wrong) was one you could expect - skeptical and mostly cynical. Do we really need another deck in the market? I mean: enough cashing in on the poor hobbyist already! Haven't 'professionals' done enough damage to the market?

I personally felt that the first turner deck was a disaster. It was a one way deck with a print of some old gunfighter (that was supposed to resemble him) using BEE casino stock. The deck handles just as well as any BEE deck but the backdesign really - for lack of a better word - SUCKED. I liked the white border, but that wasn't enough to offset the damage of the horrifying back design.

Then he came up with the Traditionally cut BEE decks. They were BEE. What else needs to be said? They were the best of the best and the cutting made them very easy to faro and shuffle. The linoid finish just turned a prestige deck into a luxury deck. I loved them, but I won't use them because they were all round back designs - not exactly a great choice unless you work exclusively with gambling demonstrations. And the average card player doesn't even know the existence of BEEs in Singapore - most of them have not even set foot into a Casino.

Now, Mr Turner has released the traditional cut on the Bicycles. It's probably the best thing that he has ever done for the magic community! Dubbed the GOLD SEAL BICYCLE CARDS, they are probably the best investment you can make if you're a card worker.

According to his website: "Unlike most of the cards manufactured today, the cutting blade used in traditionally cut cards starts at the face of each card and punches through to its back. As a result, a sharp edge is created on the backside of each card and a rounded edge, which facilitates a flawless weave during each shuffle, is formed on the card’s face. Traditionally cut cards ensure that card men and magicians can easily interlace the cards to produce crisp, clean shuffles, especially with some of the more intricate shuffling techniques like the one-handed shuffle, and the faro shuffle, both in-hand, and on the table."

I decided to put that to the test the moment I got my hands on one of these babies.

Every deck has a 'gold' seal and a sticker that reads "Traditionally cut for the Professional".

Each deck comes with two identical jokers (which is a really great plus - I hate to have to work with the 'guarantee' joker; a blank card for customised effects (perhaps?); and an advertising card for Richard Turner.

The deck is smooth as any linoid finish deck even though it says 'air cushion' finish. The cards are cut out of standard casino stock - just the right thickness for extended and optimum use. The quality of the cards are unparalled - they feel really slick; they are crisp to the snap; and they'd make anyone who handled this deck drool. False deals are wondrously smooth and easy - you can spoil yourself silly with this one. Seconds melt right through the top; bottoms slip right off with little resistance; even centres are a breeze - there is barely any noise as the card makes its way past the offending blocks that imprison it.

But the real tests - the shuffle tests - are the ones that Mr Turner claimed were what made these traditionally cut cards better.

Fresh out of the box, I tried the Tabled Riffle Faro.

Check it out. The cards literally collapsed into position - it was like putting a hot knife into butter - they melted into position with no resistance. Possibly the EASIEST tabled riffle faro I had ever performed. And this was at the FIRST attempt on a NEW deck!

I was damn BLOODY impressed!

Having seen the quality of the cards with a tabled riffle faro, I decided to try the one handed faro shuffle immediately after. The results were astounding.

The corners of the cards just slip right into one another with no resistance at all. The one handed faro shuffle you see here is performed immediately after the tabled riffle faro and is the SECOND shuffle I performed using a brand new GOLD SEAL deck.

There is no question about it - the traditionally cut cards are truly better suited for faro work and shuffle work. What about the rest of the shuffles that we so love? The pull throughs and the push throughs and the zarrows and the what nots? I went on to try a few blind shuffles and cuts, all of them handle exactly the way they should.

In conclusion, the Gold Seal Bicycle decks are a card worker's dream come true. I must thank Mr Turner for probably the single most valuable contribution EVER made to the card magic community. He has almost (if not totally) perfected the tool of our trade.

A closer look at the Strike Second Deal?

2008-12-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

Just a sample clip of the strike second as detailed in SECOND THOUGHTS. Some people have requested for a closer look, so I put this one together in my bedroom (sort of). ;)

This isn't off the DVD - it's just a quickie (took about the better half of 10 minutes with my handycam and Windows Movie Maker) as a sort of demo. It was raining outside, so the lighting's not too great, but it's still clear enough.

Second Thoughts - PREORDER release.

2008-11-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

Second thoughts on the Second Deal is now available for pre-orders. The product will only ship after Christmas as I'm going on a long trip to the US. :P

http://www.cardshark.sg

Second Thoughts on the Second Deal

2008-11-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

It took a herculean effort, but it's done. I'm still having mixed feelings about the whole thing. The entire project's good to go, but some part of me still has misgivings about releasing the material. But I know it has to go out; there are enough arguments to push it forward - least of which is ownership over the material.

In a way, it's also a form of giving something back to the magical community that has been such a huge impact on my life. I'm proud of the friends I've made and the progress that have seen me through the past 5 years. This also serves as some form of closure and resolution to a life that should never have been.

Although it's been a real crazy ride, I'd dare say it's been worth it. Loads of thanks to many people - Fei, Jasper (you guys've always been there when I need you. It's really something). Gordon, Enrico and Kar Wee - the best friends a fella could ever have in magic madness. Of course, all the SMC mods who've always been so supportive of everything I've done - Adrian, Zian, Jerome and Axl (yes, even Axl...).

If I ever had second thoughts in magic, it's only why I never got down to it earlier.

Make a Wish Foundation @ Singapore Flyer

2008-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

A group of us performed for the Make a Wish Foundation at the Singapore Flyer on the 25th October. It was really fun and we had some really young new blood with us - they had a great time too I hope! Working directly with the beneficiaries and their families was a fantastic feeling - you know that you did something special and gave someone a little more than just goodwill.

From left: Darren, Alistair, Jeter and Jasper having a good meal before the show!

Adrian and Darren entertaining some parents and children.

After the performance the organiser offered us a chance to go up the FLYER at $15 per person - more than 50% off the regular price! We thought it'll be a nice experience at that price (I won't pay $30 for this) so we took her up on her offer.
Here you see Jeter and Darren all smiles on the way into the FLYER.

Almost at the top - inside the cabin of the Singapore FLYER. Adrian, Gordon and Kar Wee all looking somewhat tired but satisfied (I hope!)

DVD blues... Lull period

2008-11-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm glad to say that most of my stuff is now in order. I'm still working on the website (mostly in the mind since I haven't had much physical time) but I've finalised the links i want to include.

At least my DVD project on Second Dealing is almost over - I've completed the filming at the studio and it's now just entering the editing stage. The filming was really weird - I felt so self-conscious that it was hard to actually perform the way I usually perform: in fact, the camera really gave me the creeps. It's certainly not going to be my usual (far from my usual or best) performance, but I suppose it's the best I could do under those conditions. Thank God for Enrico, Kar Wee and Gordon being there - they made the filming process much easier.

I think I can take a short break once I've finished my website - hope to complete everything by the end of the month. :)

Cards; cards; cards!

2008-10-01T04:33:00.000-07:00

Just got my new batch of cards. 6 dozens!

Check it out:

There's nothing like running through a whole bunch of brand new, crisp, cards...

I just did a rough calculation - I run through almost 200 decks of cards a year! This is the 3rd time I'm ordering cards this year!

Sheesh. I'm a card addict.

Work in progress... cardshark.sg

2008-09-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

Geez - I'm quite excited about some new work in progress at cardshark.sg. It's a big step and I'm really thrilled that things are moving along. At the moment, it's too early to tell if any of it's ever going to happen but I'm keeping my fingers really crossed. Toes too. Keep your eyes peeled! Check back soon at http://www.cardshark.sg

Migration complete!

2008-09-11T00:31:00.000-07:00

If you have been using http://www.cardshark.sg to get to my BLOG, you'll now notice that it doesn't take you here directly anymore. I've switched my Domain name host and it's working out really well so far!

This had been my original idea from the beginning - to have a blog linked from my main website (which should have general details and such). Then probably setup a private area for my students and friends so they can access more exclusive material.

At the moment, the website is still work in progress. You can stop by for a look if you want, but it's going to undergo some drastic changes soon. Hopefully. As always, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Migration

2008-08-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a domain name transfer at the moment and hope everything will turn out well at the end of this month. I'm currently using PacNet's services but they've been a real let down so far service-wise. Let's keep our fingers crossed! :X

TRYumph

2008-07-24T05:08:00.000-07:00

There're so many versions of Triumph out there. This post is the result of a debate sparked off on the SMC forums. I personally feel that the less moves there are in an effect like that, the more magical the impact is - there is no need to overprove anything if the conviction of the audience is already high. Daryl's triumph display is already one of the most convincing displays ever devised for Vernon's Triumph effect.

This addition is nothing more than another frill - if it came down to pure technique in a Triumph routine, I still won't use an in the face cull for obvious reasons. Most technicians have their own methods of accomplishing the same thing; I just happen to like this method. Mind you - it's a poor effect; I think the best Triumph I have ever witnessed is still the original version by Vernon as detailed in "STARS OF MAGIC" with the Daryl display added in for good measure. Nothing else comes close to being as magical; more technical maybe, but hardly more magical.

A glimpse of Bob's book

2008-06-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

Contents Page
Just flipping through:

Malaysian Magic Moments - Day 3

2008-06-07T00:40:00.001-07:00

Day 3 - 2nd June 2008

The morning saw us packing our stuff in preparation to leave KL and the Nova hotel. Checking out was fast - much faster than the checking in anyway - and Gordon took us back to Chinatown for breakfast. We thought it best if we skipped the hotel breakfast and saved our stomachs for something more substantial (not to mention appetising!). Uncle Bob had fulfiled two of his cravings - the Hokkien Noodles and the Bak Kut Teh - but still had one more item on his list to scratch off: Yong Tau Foo, local delight style.

Gordon took us into Chinatown - the entire place looked so different in the day: the streets were relatively empty; the multitude of carts peddling pirated and imitatation goods that lined the entire road the night before when we were there were all gone. It was surreal to think that just the night before we were pushing past people, squeezing through holes in the crowd while scrupulously guarding our valuables as we made our way to the restuarant for dinner.

Uncle Bob led the way confidently, through loops of alleyways - all dark; all dirty. There was a lingering smell of fish and rubbish as we traversed the streets of KL's Chinatown; it was like I had been transported into one of those AD&D stories I loved to read - the labyrinth of tunnels that had no end and we were adventurers seeking untold treasure in its murky depths.

It was treasure of a different kind though - the questers found their quarry in the form of a small noodle stall under the shadows cast by the morning sun beating on the rusted roof of poorly joined metal 'scales'. Sadly, Uncle Bob's quest was in vain - his favourite stall was closed for business that day. Monday.

Fortunately for us, the noodle stall that sold Laksa and Fishball noodles served up an excellent meal. I told myself I had to control my appettite this time - I could NOT afford to overeat again: the feeling was really awful. I had my fill of a bowl of noodles. It was to be a nice buffer between the roads of KL to Melaka.

I hate long journeys by car - I frequently had travel sickness when I was younger. I still have this problem every now and then. Lucky for me, Uncle Bob and Gordon were excellent company and they kept me occupied enough that I didn't think too much of the journey. Along the way to Melaka, Gordon remembered my craving for ROOT BEER off the tap and made a pit stop at the R&R between KL to Melaka.

Seriously - the Rootbeer from A&W is simply the BEST. There's just no comparison for me. I had a nice mug of Rootbeer; it certainly satiated my thirst and curbed my craving - at least until the next time we were in town... heh. It was like releasing a spring within - bloody refreshing!

We reached Melaka in record speed - Gordon's lead foot made all the difference on the accelerator. From the toll gate, we made our way to Uncle Dominic's ('Uncle' being used as a preffix for all the seniors on this trip) home. I wonder if someday someone might refer to me as 'uncle'. :OP

Uncle Dominic was every bit as warm as Uncle Fee Loong. No quarter was given - his hospitality was the mark of a true gentleman. I had a great time. He also showed us a ton of his magic props and stuff, all of which he made himself. After he entertained some Indonesian guests, we headed out for - you guessed it - lunch!

Melaka is supposedly famous for its Chicken Rice Balls. Uncle Dominic brought us to a nearby place where they served pretty good Chicken Rice Balls - Christianed ping pong balls by us because they REALLY REALLY looked like bite sized ping pong balls.

You can see Bob on the left and Dominic on the right each brandishing a ball of rice.

Then check out the entire plate of rice balls. They look like golf balls! Each costs 15cents!

Though I felt the rice balls were a little over rated, I found the Chicken superb - it was really tender and tasty; unlike the ones we get in Singapore, somehow the chicken in Malaysia tastes so much better!

After a great lunch, we went to the hotel, leading the way was Uncle Dominic on his scooter - truly a sight to behold. He would weave about in traffic and sometimes we'd lose him because we would get held up by the red lights. We eventually checked into the hotel Mimosa in the late afternoon. It was a very nice hotel and the air conditioning was damn cold - just the way I like it!

Bob called Andrew, one of the local talents in Melaka who has apparently marketed some magic online. He came by at about 5:30pm or so, a little while after we've settled into the comfort of the room that the Mimosa Hotel provided. Gordon and I left to try and buy some drinks and munchies while Uncle Bob entertained Andrew. Actually we just needed some fresh air. LOL.

After walking around blindly for ages, we finally found a coffee shop worthy of Gordon Po's standards and purchased 4 hot drinks to go. He was going to buy some springrolls to go as well, but changed his mind after seeing the swooning flies over the ingredients. Fussy; fussy! But at times like these, I was glad he was: much better to be fussily deprived than stuffed and sufferring.

We arrived back at the room and were greeted by a usual sight - Bob Chua has done it again: a flummoxed Andrew's facial expression said it all. The session lasted until Uncle Dominic arrived to take us to a Nonya Dinner. More food - I wasn't sure then if I would last the night. If the food weren't so good, I'd have an easier time controlling myself!

Suffice to say Day 2 ended with a fantastic dinner and coffee by the road!

Malaysian Magic Moments - Day 2

2008-06-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

1 June 2008

The morning saw Uncle Bob up and about before 8am. I don't know the exact time he got up - I was exploring my dreamscape. I vaguely recall Gordon's hibernation growling. It wasn't really snoring - it was more like a long drawn wheezing that reverberated from within: damn scary! LOL.

I was startled out of sleep when Uncle Bob, in his chirpy voice, declared, "GOOD MORNING!" Translation: "Get your lazy @$$ out of bed this instant!". Well, he was right; it was time to get up - no sense going on a vacation and sleeping it away.

We decided to leave Gordon chasing his dream butterflies - he's had a very tiring previous day driving and I felt he deserved a little more sleep. Bob and I went down to the cafe for 'breakfast'. It wasn't much of a spread - the 'mee goreng' they served resembled sickly yellow worms; the toaster was like a contraption out of the sixties; scrambled eggs were likened to have been mixed up with some form of liquid glue. Add all that to the sour face of the attending 'cook' and we sure had a real 'interesting' breakfast. The best part of the entire spread was the coffee and the tea. And that's saying a lot!

David came by as promised at 9am. Gordon freshened himself at record speed! :) We went for the 'best' Bak Kut Teh in Malaysia, supposedly in Klang. I must admit - it was really, really good! David really knew his food! Coffee followed - Old Town Coffee was truly growing on me! David drove us to a nice mall in Klang.

The rebels in us decided that we would 'demean' magic - whatever the heck that meant - so we broke out the cards and all in an Old Town Coffee Magic Session! Uncle Bob entertained us with his cardwork and we had a very nice discussion. David also demonstrated some of his mental work - from coin bending to nail bending. I think we were all very impressed with the Nail: it was one of the finest gimmicks I've ever seen - the attention to the detail was stunning!

We headed off soon after. David got a call from his friend and found that his appointment in the afternoon was cancelled so he decided to take us to more places! We tried to visit the largest mall in Malaysia 1 Utama (I hope I got the name right) but couldn't get a parking place. It didn't make sense - if the mall were designed to be *that* big, you'd ensure that your parking were equally substantial wouldn't you? However, that wasn't the case here - seems there were many cars all looking for a parking space, us included. David was quite determined to get us into the mall (God bless that soul!), but seeing as all of us were not shopping people, we told him that we'd give it a pass. He decided then that we should go for lunch and the best Claypot Rice in Malaysia.

It seems that we were going to a lot of 'best' places. They truly were well-deserved of the titles though. I have to say that the Claypot Rice that David brought us to was certainly the best I had ever eaten! The fragrance and the flavour was truly out of this world - Paul Curry would've been so proud! As usual, I ate more than my good sense dictated and paid the price for it.

David sent us back to the hotel after that and we took a nice long rest. It was to be a quiet second night - the 3 of us had a nice quiet dinner in Chinatown and the steamed ginger chicken left memories my tongue would never forget - and we settled in for an early night. Fortunately so because I doubt I could've lasted a second night of sessioning after the previous night.

Malaysian Magic Moments - Day 1

2008-06-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

Bob decided that he wanted to make a trip to Malaysia - visit old friends; make new ones; and enjoy the fabulous food. He'd been toying with the idea since late April but I didn't think I'd actually make it until late May. So it was - we decided that we'd go ahead and take a coach to Melaka, then make our way to KL before heading home to Singapore.

After a little (actually a lot) of coaxing, Gordon decided to join us. When he heard our plans to take the Coach, he immediately vetoed it. "Take the COACH? Are you NUTS? Do you know how long it'll take for us to reach KL?" - fill in your favourite expletives here - "the" - more expletives here - "COACH! I'm driving!"

So we ended up the 3 of us in Gordon's car busting traffic and cursing at the horrible Tuas jam. Gordon of course made the wrong choice of lane (more than once, I might add) and we waited for about an hour and a half at the Tuas checkpoint. I thought he was horribly restrained; more so than usual. However, thanks to some divine power - vested in the uniform of the checkpoint police - traffic eased up eventually and we burst through to the other side. May Mas Selemant grow several boils on his @$$.

Though this trip was about meeting magicians and magic, I really found the most memorable thing about the whole trip was the food fest that we had the moment we crossed the border - it was non-stop cuisine delight. There were times when I felt like puking from over-eating! It was nuts!

We had Nasi-Lemak for a late breakfast at the first R&R. Then it was straight up to KL. Gordon suggested we hit KL first since it was much further up than Melaka; that would make our return trip faster. It was an excellent suggestion and I honestly don't know what we'd have done without him on this trip. I would probably have died on the Coach halfway up...

Anyway, with Gordon's infinite road wisdom (I'm sure if he's reading this he's going, "GOT MEH?" in the usual lilt of voice that is so Gordon) we arrived in KL at record speed, only stopping a short while at the next R&R for some coffee. We had a little trouble finding the Hotel that David Lai (our Malaysian liasion) had booked for us, but eventually arrived at the Nova Hotel, about 10 minutes walk from the Times Square in KL and right smack in the middle of a tourist belt of food chains! Sigh.

David arrived to check us in only moments after our own arrival. The hotel was interesting: nothing too posh; it was functional at best and served more than the needs of 3 weird magicians looking for a place to rest their feet. The room overlooked the street below - food chains running in which and every direction. My only gripe was the weak air-conditioning. The temperature was set at its lowest and it still felt like room temperature - a step outside the room didn't make much of a difference. It served better as a very expensive fan than air conditioning.

Almost immediately after we had settled into the room, we went out for LUNCH. Can you imagine that - lunch! The WanTan Noodles we had along the food chain near the hotel Nova was really quite good; the style was very different from the typical Singapore noodles and much tastier! If I didn't have a small stomach, I might've considered a second serving. If I were Enrico, I might've had 3 - you know, all the energy has to go to the races and all. It would've been fun if he were around.

David saw us back to the hotel before running off to do his own stuff. He promised to meet us back at in the room that night and take us to the best Bak Kut Teh in Malaysia for breakfast. You see, Uncle Bob had 3 main food items on his agenda - these are foods he absolutely MUST have or he'd kill somebody whenever he were in Malaysia.

The 3 items are:

1) Bak Kut Teh - he couldn't stop talking about this... LOL. I imagine he probably dreamt about BKT that night after David promised him the BEST in Malaysia the next morning!

2) Hokkien Mee - I must admit that I'm also now a Hokkien Mee convert; it's really tasty and leaves you feeling like a million bucks!

3) Yong Tau Foo - Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try this because his favourite stall was closed when we visited it - more on this in the Day 3 writeup - but fortunately, the next best thing was available.

We decided to go to Times Square after David took off. Uncle Bob suggested we walked there and Gordon's face became visibly pale - he hates the 'W' word. However, we couldn't get a cab and the hotel lobby receptionist nearly puked his guts out when we asked him to help us get a cab to Times Square. He used the "W" word on us. LOL.

It didn't take long to reach Times Square though I noticed that we made a huge circle around some buildings and ended up walking the longer route. Still, it gave me a better look at the city - which really is much like any other city: buildings that blot out the sky and smog that chokes the lungs; felt right at home. :). Uncle Bob would pepper the entire trail with recollections of KL and the people he's met - some friends, others less so. It was more than an entertaining trip; it was almost educational.

Times Square was huge - I've only been here once a couple of years back with my students. In fact, almost every trip I've made to Malaysia had been work and everything was catered to; I never had a chance to explore on my own. This was the first time I had a chance to really walk the streets without any constraints. I relished in the freedom.

Our purpose at Times Square was not to shop though. If Gwen were here, she'd probably take the entire mall on and I'd be the battle weary husband lagging behind - zombie like - strapped down with shopping bags and armed with loaded credit cards. Thank GOD guys don't shop!

We sought the Magic Ring. It was a magic shop owned by Uncle Bob's good friend Fee Loong. At the 7th storey of Times Square, The Magic Ring had all manner of magic items from close up to stage. It was many times larger than the biggest physical magic shop in Singapore and probably stocked up on as much. It was like being transported into a completely different world when you stepped into the shop - posters lined the walls, different types of decks for sale were hung on a wall near the entrance; counters and shelves filled with magic were on display. You can see magic props even when you look up - parasols, ladders, collapsing straws, vanishing birdcages they hung in display!

Fee Loong was not at the shop. Uncle Bob gave his friend a call. The Magic Salesman (for lack of a better noun) spoke with us. When he heard his boss was coming down to meet us, he offered us coffee and seats - very nice of him. We sat for about 20 minutes discussing all manner of stuff in the shop - Uncle Bob recounting his experiences with Fee Loong and what they did together in their younger days.

'Uncle' Fee Loong (appended preffix in respectful endearment) came blazing into the shop. I say 'blazing' because this man carried such a powerful aura of excitement that it is infectious! He literally overwhelmed me with his personality and charisma. I have to admit that I'm not an easy person to get along with - I am extremely critical and cautious when making friends, probably the result of a nervous childhood - and there are few people I could take to instantly. The last two people that had that effect on me were Gordon and Enrico two/three years back. And now, Uncle Fee Loong.

Seriously, I find it hard to describe this man. He is just a very very likeable person whoose passion for magic is overwhelming - when he starts talking about magic, it really brings a smile to one's face: it's like a child delighted at his own cleverness showing off to his parents; you just love him for him. No pretensions or hidden agendas - he just loves his magic. And he'll make you love magic too.

Uncle Fee Loong convinced Uncle Bob to purchase a set of Cups and Balls (at virtually nothing - I think he only took a token sum from Uncle Bob because he knew Bob'll never accept it for free). It was really interesting watching the two of them reminising. I wonder if I would be like either of them someday - if I would be so lucky! We adjorned for coffee at the ground level shortly and more food. OLD TOWN WHITE COFFEE was in a word - fantastic.

We returned to the Hotel completely POOPED! I was so full I could hardly eat anything else. It wouldn't be long before the Magicians from the MMF came knocking. 5 of them came by - Sze Howe (who came by for one of the SMC gatherings earlier this year), Chris and his cousin Edmund, Shawn and Lai (I_never_regret). Soon joining them were Danny (Uncle Bob's first student) and Kenneth (Danny's student; Uncle Bob's grand student - if there's such a thing). Charleston came later but managed to squeeze his way in just before dinner. By then our room was packed to the brim!

We had a great session that lasted until the natural order of things took over and we had to succumb to the hunger pangs digging into our stomachs. We had a great dinner near the Hotel and stayed until about 2am where Kenneth and Charleston came up to the room for another round. We slept at about 3am.

Back row - left to right:
Gordon, Sze Howe, Shawn, Edmund, Chris.

Front row - left to right:
Uncle Bob, Lai, Danny, Kenneth

Surely, the finest experience of this trip was meeting two of the Veterans of magic - they reminded me how it is enough simply to love magic for what it is: not as gimmick of self-promotion and aggrandization, but an art form that is used as a gift of entertain to the people around us.

Bob Chua's Magic Lecture II

2008-05-30T08:44:00.001-07:00

As it turns out, the lecture 'notes' have become more of a 'book'. At 89 pages, it is jammed packed with 12 effects - 7 of which will be taught during Bob's session.

Bob's book will be sold during his lecture at a special price of $35. This price is only for attendees PRESENT at Bob's Lecture and limited to 1 copy per person. The price of the book will increase to $50 after the lecture.

I have included sample extracts from Bob's book below so you can see the effort and cost that went into the production.

Bob Chua's Magic Lecture I

2008-05-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

DATE:14 JUNE 2008
VENUE:Ulu Pandan CC (near Bouna Vista MRT; opp Ghim Moh Market)
TIME: 1900h - 2200h
COST:$18 per person - Basic refreshments will be provided.

Interested parties, do contact me.

To facilitate a smooth process during the workshop, you will be required to bring some materials to follow along:
1) Close up pad. Tables are provided so you can work comfortably.
2) A decent deck of cards - OF COURSE!
3) *Cups and balls props

As this is an intermediate - advanced intermediate level session, you are required to have knowledge of certain handlings and sleights before-hand.

***

Uncle Bob has finally agreed to conduct a workshop for SMC featuring his professional working repertoire! He will not only perform 7 - 8 of his cherished effects - many of which are his original innovations/creations - he will also be conducting a teach-in of all the effects.

For those who don't know, Uncle Bob has lectured in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bandung, Kuala Lumpur, AND Perth. He is likely to be doing a lecture in Hong Kong again sometime this year and also has plans to do one in Manila.

This isn't one of your 'show-and-tell' type sessions - it is a WORKSHOP designed to take your magic to the next level. It is going to be like a classroom setting - you are encouraged to bring your own Close up pad (tables will be set up and provided for you), cards, and any other materials you might need to follow along.

Finalised structure of Workshop:
The final structure of the workshop is designed to provide a maximum breadth of effects that are not only viable in a professional paid gig, but also provide HIGHLY explosive entertainment. He has designed the flow to match that of his professional gigs and will be sharing many of his ideas on routining a show and the thinking behind the construction of each of his effects.

1. BC Opener
This is the opener that Bob has been using for ALL his paid closeup shows.

2. Cannibals Outdone
An original routine that uses the Cannibal cards plot - this is Cannibals like you've NEVER seen it. It's fun, entertaining and you'll probably find yourself performing this just for yourself, just for kicks. Trust me; it's a keeper!

3. To Reset
Bob's very own version of the RESET effect; this one'll keep you awake for nights.

4. A Dream
Uncle Bob's favourite "Dream Card" routine - a card isolated transforms magically into the spectator's selected card after a number of magical transformations involving the Aces.

5. Professor’s Revenge
Bob's already WORLD famous rope effect. If you haven't seen this, you MUST. Peformed at various local and international conventions, this effect is the one to kill for!

6. Coin Across
A very direct and commercial Coins across effect - the handling is so natural you'll be amazed that it works yourself!

7. BC Cups & Balls
A classic routine made pristine by a classy performer. Misdirection at its very best.

If there is time, Uncle Bob will go through more effects, but to keep things organised, he has decided to first present the effects listed.

*Uncle Bob will be selling his Lecture Notes that will include all of the effects he will be teaching in this workshop AND MUCH MORE.

The BC Close-Up Table

2008-05-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Professional magician Bob Chua - known to us affectionately as simply "Uncle Bob" has long been revered as one of Singapore's FINEST closeup performers and childrens' entertainers. But what we DID NOT know was just how skillful a mechanical 'engineer' he is.

Uncle Bob has been performing closeup magic for over 20 years and he is one of the few performers (like myself...) who use a portable closeup table for his shows. As such, he has gone through great pains in search of the 'perfect' table for use with his closeup shows.

After years of searching and refinement, he has finally decided to MAKE his own.

I must say, when he showed me his initial prototype for the table, I HAD to have one. My heart was so dead set on getting it I told him right then and there that I NEEDED it. And boy was I SO right - the table's quality is truly in a class of its own. I have NEVER come across a better build or design. It is elegant and beautiful to behold; it is light - all the parts are machine precision made in aluminium - the heaviest part of the table is the table top made of perspex; and it is STABLE - you perform any of your heavy hitting routines on this table and it will NOT give an inch. The best part - EVERYTHING is easily disassembled for packing and transport!Don't take my word for it - the pictures speak for themselves. This is the best buy I've made in years.

LEFT: Fully assembled Table

LEFT: With table top removed

LEFT: Everything can be disassembled for easy packing and transport!

Early Prototype of table that used a tripod - you can see the tremendous difference... :P

Axl on the ROLL

2008-05-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

I thought Alex's post in response to mine was amusing; Axl's response to HIS post was drop-dead funny. I just can't resist adding it here:

*** muscleaxl fires away ***

Wow... that was a pretty aggressive and unwarranted post by our dear MC for the night. I was quite neutral with Mr Alex Tan till I saw it.

Let me just point out some things here:

1." About MCing lessons, have you wondered why I was the Emcee while you were sitting there, picking on me."

Yes, we were ALL wondering why you were the EMcee. Your jokes were not amusing and you talked too much. I would have gladly take over the mike if I could help it and if you pay me for it.

C'mon , we were were just pointing out things that you can improve on, but you took it so badly like a spoilt kid. To quote from your post: "Grow up..."

2. "...just for the record, I have only used the word, "mind-blowing" twice the whole night. Whoever heard it more than twice, you must have been dreaming, drunk, you probably hate me or you are a friend who isn't one of one of mine."

Sorry, for the record, ALL of us at our side heard it more than twice. Somebody sitting beside me even commented, "there is a lot of blowing going on here tonight..." after hearing the word uttered for umpteen times.

Yes, probably we were dreaming... we were put to slumberland by the Emcee.

3. "I'm never someone who is rude but I am known to be very blunt, if what I wrote offended you, all I can say is, I'm being brutally honest and you better sleep over what you wrote"

Hey, the feeling is mutual.

4. "Just fyi...Jo Han's pockets are definitely WAY deeper than yours and he doesn't need the spare change from a uneducated punk."

I doubt Jo Han himself would have used words like "uneducated punk", he seemed like someone who can take criticism the right way.. someone with more class.

5. "$40 doesn't get you much these days, and even then, rumor has it that you guys actually hesitated in paying your dues.
Pretty shameful IMHO."

So where did you hear that rumor? Can you get that person who started this rumor to come forward and testify how did we "hesitated in paying"? If not, you owe us an apology for making groundless accusation and smearing the good name of SMC. This is not a joke.

Shame on you... IMHO too.

6. "Great, I have wasted 10 minutes of my time. Should I be billing you guys?"

Well, it was nothing compared to the few hours of our life wasted to hear your not-so-amusing jokes... and we have to pay for it.

Yes, you are right about us having no sense of humour.... for your jokes. We really can't sense what's the humor in those "jokes" and it's not just a few of us.

7. Too bad I have waste time and space here to write about this when I wanted to commend Mr Richard Mo for his outstanding use of misdirection, he truly lives up to his reputation.

Also, to Mr Jeremy Pei for his energetic performance. It was the 1st time I saw him in action and I was impressed by the way he timed his act, ending exactly at the point the music stopped.

Lastly, to Nique Tan. What more can I say? I bought his book and DVD.

SOME people! :)

2008-05-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the brutally honest review I posted naturally rubbed some people the wrong way. I thought I was being objectively honestly; he didn't share my sentiments. Anyway, he responded in a less than friendly way. I didn't bother to respond. I thought it'll be interesting for you to read his response though... I found it truly amusing that even in this time and age, there are still SOME of these people around.

"Hi all,

It was indeed a pleasure meeting all the nice people and those in-between yesterday.

First of all, I do not think I have a problem with my vocabulary, I was communicating and personally to me, good communication is not about using BIG words to obfuscate people.

I was going for middle ground and just for the record, I have only used the word, "mind-blowing" twice the whole night. Whoever heard it more than twice, you must have been dreaming, drunk, you probably hate me or you are a friend who isn't one of one of mine.

About MCing lessons, have you wondered why I was the Emcee while you were sitting there, picking on me.

I was only briefly informed about how the performers wanted to be introduced literally seconds before I'm on stage.

Could I have done it better? Probably...

Like you, I believed I'm smarter than Bill Gates but I have come to terms that I'm probably not.

Secondly, I do not see how an offer to help magicians in their businesses gets confused with trying to rope someone into an MLM program. Evidently, anyone who doesn't understand the role of business skills in being a successful magician just isn't one, and thus completely unqualified to 'dismiss' a genuine offer as a frivoulous attempt to dip into the pockets of the audience.

Just fyi...Jo Han's pockets are definitely WAY deeper than yours and he doesn't need the spare change from a uneducated punk.

I'm never someone who is rude but I am known to be very blunt, if what I wrote offended you, all I can say is, I'm being brutally honest and you better sleep over what you wrote.

Richard is a good friend of mine, when I asked about the "cost' of his act, it was a joke.

Evidently, you don't have a sense of humor.

Grow up, guys... Events like these cost time and money.

I'm not sure how much YOUR time is worth, but I think I have a pretty good idea.

And THAT makes all the difference in how we value it, and why we're not ashamed of plain ol commerce.

$40 doesn't get you much these days, and even then, rumor has it that you guys actually hesitated in paying your dues.

Pretty shameful IMHO.

Great, I have wasted 10 minutes of my time. Should I be billing you guys?

Sincerely,
Alex Tan

P.S. Did you guys catch my topit joke?"

A review on "ReDefine Magic - The Gathering"

2008-05-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

I attended a 'convention' of sorts organised by local magician Jeremy Pei recently at the Garden Hotel on LABOUR DAY - 1 May 08.

I wrote a review and posted it on the Singapore Magic Circle Forums as well. Here it is.

It was actually quite late that I decided to attend Jeremy's event. Since I managed to clear my schedule I thought it might be nice to see somebody from HongKong perform, just to see the difference in styles if nothing else. I added my name at the last minute - just before the Guardian of SMC locked the thread.

I was really worried that I'd end up being there alone but I must say that I was truly fortunate and blessed to have very hardy friends who decided to brave all odds to attend the 'gathering' with me - in spite of the threat of the $70 door fee. Gordon (dry_gin), AdrianLee, Zian (Chan Zian), Jonathan (Jlowhy), Axl (muscleaxl of the NNT), Jasper and Fei - of course! We also met some other familiar faces there - Enrico and Kenneth (llamalamer)were also in attendance!

As always, I will try to objectively spell out the highlights and the downers of this event for me. Whatever I don't mention falls inbetween and doesn't bother me one way or another. Please note however, that these are purely reflections of THIS writer and of THIS writer's HUMBLE (maybe not so) opinions. You are free to disagree with me; nobody's holding a gun to your @$$.

Highlights: (aka the stuff I liked/enjoyed)

1) Nique Tan:
Nique's transformation from Finger-Flinger to Commercial State of the Art Mentalist is amazing. It is truly incredible and most delightful to see Nique in action - he has, by all accounts, grown into a truly mature performer who has the chops to deliver devastating diabolique that will not only confound, but also entertain. Therein lies the key (I believe) to successful commercial magic - the ability to confound, mystify and ENTERTAIN. Nique was professionally relaxed and confident in his delivery and established an unspoken rapport with the audience almost immediately in each of his performances.

2) The Fake Hammer:
Crafted out of light wood and topped with a sponge head, I took to it almost instantly. I had NO IDEA what I'd use it for (those of you who know me would probably be besieged by uncontrollable laughter right about now) but it really looked DAMNED COOL. It was a little steep though - even though the price was lowered to $35 from $45. I almost took the plunge but decided that I wasn't going to walk into room and perform 30minutes of gambling stuff and then bring out a sponge hammer.

3) The number of dealers:
There were about 3 or 4 dealers in the room all displaying their wares, including the performers showing off their commerical material. It kept the dull moments down and one could always just take a stroll down the dealer alley for some eye-candy.

4) Richard Mo:
I felt that Richard was a very skillful performer and what he loses out in terms of language (English seems very weird when converted to Konglish) he more than makes up for in personality. He is likeable (in person) and carries himself very professionally. Even though he had his own DVD and materials to sell, throughout his performances he never so much as tried to peddle any of his goods to the audience. Richard loves to perform and it is clearly evident that he LOVES magic. And his energy is infectious - the audience was impressed!

5) Priscilla Khong:
We hear about Ning so often and the marketing strategy that JC has adopted for her had made us forget that there are more than a few female magicians out there. And at least ONE more that has attained international status as an entertainer of magic in SEA.

Priscilla's entrance was nothing short of stunning. Her costume was customised and she moved to a grace that could only have come from total ownage of her own act. In fact, our own Moderator Zian couldn't take his eyes off of her (heh heh). Mind you - she was dressed very decently in an almost victorian style gown intricately embossed and pattered. Carrying a matching mask, she was the figure of poise, refinement and dignity.

I don't think it's fair of me to give her act away by going into too much detail here, but suffice to say her opening act was nothing short of stunning - fiery productions and vanishes; doves and canaries; impossible locations - all this and more chereographed against the backdrop of a musical piece that was non intrusive but lent a distinctive mood to the overall theatrics.

Priscilla then closed with a highly engaging and entertaining closeup act that involved one of our own SMC members Paul. I thought she not only exhibited character and style here, her performing persona was so natural it could only be HER. It wasn't hard to see why it was so easy for her to win the audience.

If you've not seen her in action, you might want to check out the MAGIC BOX, coming up soon.

6) The hotel service:
Jeremy picked a great place - the staff of the hotel kept filling up the hot tea and the coffee and the fried vermicelli.

Downers:
(Stuff that I feel should have been omitted or didn't quite strike the right chord with me)

1) Alex Tan (MC):
Although I'm sure Alex has tried his best, I don't think he was really the best person for the job. He needs MCing lessons. His attempts to rile the audience usually falls flat of sympathy. I am not sure if he speaks that way normally, but it comes off to me as a little false; somewhat strained and is a real turn off. Although there were a number of minor things that bugged me about his performance as MC, I'll just mention the 2 biggest letdowns for me:
i) His overacting (or reacting) and seemingly limited vocabulary - he seems to love the words "MIND-BLOWING". I lost count of the number of times that was used to describe the almost ALL the acts. The over acting (or reacting) was way over the top and every thing seemed to be like an impovished enactment of some C Grade soap opera.

ii) The way he keeps asking each performer how much they are going to sell their material. I think even Richard was caught by surprise when Alex asked him how much he was going to sell his competition act for. It seriously made the performers look like cheap materialistic B@stards.

Please note: I'm not attacking Alex - I don't know him well enough as a person to say anything about his character; it won't be fair to him. I'm sure he's a great guy to hang out with on weekends and probably a very very nice guy. What I felt was mishandled here was the method used to host the event - it was unworthy of the calibre of those performing and somewhat insulting to their magic.

2) COMMERCIALS:
I felt like I had just paid $40 to watch a live info-mercial. It seems that every other opportunity was put to advertising something or other. At one point somebody actually came up (I won't mention names here) and - true to infomercial style - talked about wanting to 'work' with some people to start their own online marketing or something. You have to excuse me if I don't have too many details on this one - I was so cheesed off that I got up and walked out. I felt like I had just been conned into attending some Multi Level Marketing seminar.

Most of the attendees are all adults - I think we don't need the hard-sell to decide if we wanted to get conned.

__________

Well, all said and done, I still feel that Jeremy Pei and his team at Redefine Magic really put in a substantial amount of work into making this event work out. I do want to extend my thanks to them for even having the guts to organise something like that - it's not easy and I sure don't want to be in their shoes.

Kudos to all who supported this event - Magic is such a small community in Singapore, it always helps to have dedicated supporters who are willing to help keep things alive. And the folks at ReDefine Magic have taken yet another step to keeping the flame riding high.

TOUCH 2008

2008-03-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

On 8 March, some of us decided to go to Ngee Ann Primary School at the behest of some students from Nanyang High Girls' School(EAST COAST... Goodness - at the other end of Singapore) to perform strolling/tabled closeup for the children of TOUCH Community Services.

Many thanks to the performers who came to help - I know you guys have your own schedules and all; I am truly grateful that you responded with the zeal and enthusiasum with which you showed to the children that day.

I wasn't prepared to perform anything, having just barely recovered from a really really bad viral infection, but ended up doing a little work anyway to get into the spirit of things. I think special mention has to be made of Axl, who was EVERYWHERE - he scoured the entire area from the booths to the basketball courts and truly lived up to his name as the MM3, TBMIS, etc.

Thanks also to Pei Ling and her friends for having us at this event. :) Best of luck on your project!

Some of the pictures are posted here:

The Curry Change

2008-03-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

The Curry Change was originally intended to perform a 1 for 1 switch of a card while seeming to turn it over on the table with the deck hand.

I’ve always felt that the Curry Change was under-rated and given much less credit than it’s worth. The ‘funny’ break held by the left third finger made it a little awkward for more than a few magicians – getting into it and executing it notwithstanding. However, practiced execution look elegant and allows the practitioner of the art of magic to perform near miracles under seemingly impossible conditions.

Ed Marlo (as usual) devised a similar move based on the Curry version that didn’t require such a contortion of the left fingers in acquiring the aforementioned break – this made the move much more versatile (it takes less than a second to setup for the move and it is completely invisible to all but the keenest of eyes). I understand that Daryl also came up with this independently.

But Marlo also added a killer twist to fool the wisest of magicians – he did a 1 for 2 switch; switching out a single card on the table for a double while seeming to turn it over to show its identity. The double is then used to bamboozle his magician friends. This was published in Kabbala (page 68 – 70). Included was an effect Marlo had used to great success – NO WAY – where an unknown card is tabled face down and two selections were made; the previously tabled card turns out to be one of the selections and then this first selection changes into the second selection. Finally, the first selection ends up in the pocket/wallet of the performer.

My Contribution: A 4 for 4 switch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Q2ttFZUd0

The Magician Makes the Trick

2008-01-24T04:12:00.001-08:00

I think we've all heard the cliche that there are no bad tricks, only bad magicians. Though I'm sure that there are many bad magicians performing good tricks poorly, I doubt even David Copperfield can make a very bad trick good.

It's almost like saying that there are no bad dishes, only poor cooks. Let's face it - junk is junk no matter how you look at it. Even if one were the greatest cook in the world, it would still be impossible to make a gourmet meal out of oatmeal and bad fish. Similarly, it's much akin to saying that there are no bad movie scripts but only bad directors or hopeless actors. If such were the case, why would the best actors in Hollywood be selective of their scripts? Why not simply throw a few lines together and film a movie in 2 weeks?

The material matters. I think this bears repeating - THE MATERIAL MATTERS!

Rene Lavand once said, "The trick must be very good, but the artist must be better than the trick." I can't agree more.

We need to select our material carefully - use good material and temper it with an even better performance. I think only then can we achieve a level of art that is only hinted at vaguely at most magic discussions in theory.

Henderson Children's Centre Christmas Show 07

2007-12-31T04:19:00.000-08:00

A group of us decided to make Christmas special for a group of under-privileged children from the Henderson's Children Centre this year on the 14th December at the Henderson Community Club. Working with the Raffles Junior College Interact Club, we took magic to these children - some of whom come from low income households; single parent homes; special needs cases; and some of whom whose parent are serving time.

I was running around snapping photos - there were 7 performers: Jasper, Delvin, Timothy, Gordon, Adrian, Jonathan and Zian. They really made this a VERY special Christmas for the children. I hope we can do more of such events in the near future.

Check out the photos below (sorted by performers):

Adrian

Adrian doing his thing with his vending machine

Impressing some babes

Zian (Adrian's TWIN - almost):

A worm's eye view

Zian impresses with Sponge balls. Red. Sponge. Balls.

Coins across!

Timothy and Jasper - Tim's supposed to partner the relatively inexperienced Jasper (he's not friendly):

Jasper showing off

Timothy going the distance... and...

Timothy BLOWS his audiences away time after time!

Jonathan Low (Or, more commonly known as J-LOW!):

A close up vanish of a silk!

Jon does origami?

Delvin:

Worm's Eye view of Delvin doing some serious card work...

Delvin looking like a devil with his RED eyes... click for a larger view to see what I mean... scary man!

Gordon:

STUN MAN at it!

Gordon does a BIG show for the RJC people...

After the show, we retired to a nice cool spot at Geylang (not what you think) for a great dinner - Zian's idea really - of CHILLI CRAB! Check out the photos of the meal:

Jlow watches something in the distance as he decides if he wants more food

Jasper ducks behind Jlow as Delvin takes a mouthful of crab; Timothy watches on in disgust at how much these young upstarts simply gorge themselves on food.

Adrian looks very very weird here... I wonder what's going through his mind? LOL

Zian looking VERY Pissed - somebody took the last piece of bun that was supposed to go with the chilli crab gravy. *COUGH* JASPER *COUGH*

Delvin reaches for more food!

Check out HOT Gordon. REALLY HOT.

Zian choking on his own smoke! ROFL!

Well, thanks to everyone who came for this one - you guys made a difference!

For MORE photos (in hi-res), click here.

Gripe.

2007-12-31T03:36:00.000-08:00

Charities are used extensively in scamming Artistes - today, there are as many 'charities' vying for a performer's 'free' services as there are genuine charities that need them. There are so many event companies out there now that get artistes to do performances in the name of charity. And here's the beauty of the situation - they charge the charity for organising the event, but they don't pay a single cent to the Artistes; after all, aren't they performing out of the goodness of their hearts?

I don't believe in doing free shows - a free show only serves to devalue the performer and the material that he performs. As of late, I tend to be more critical of the charities that I choose - after all the NKF scandals and crap, it really raises the heckles every time I hear the word 'charity' tossed about like a turkey sandwich; it just means we as performers/entertainers need to be more discerning who we choose to work for. I think it applies especially so for Magicians. Most events view magicians as somewhat of a nuisance - you know, it always gets down to the point at the end of the budget meeting they go, "Hmmm, how much is left? Do we want to squeeze in a magician?". We kind of fall into the category of 'nice to have but it's okay without'. Hence, it is easy to forget that magicians are entertainers too!

Anyway, as I was saying, I don't believe in doing free shows. I DO believe however, in making donations and I know that I am working directly for the beneficiaries of a particular charity, I would consider it a donation of a show. There is a huge difference between performing for free and donating a show. In the latter, it serves to build goodwill and also transfers the cost of the show to myself - hence a donation. In the former, I'm doing a show at NO COST - it cheapens the material I perform and is an insult to magic. It is also more professional - it implies that I take what I do seriously and the quality of my magic will not suffer just because I am not collecting money for a show. It also makes a lot of sense to me - what kind of charity am I doing if it costs me nothing at all? It's like Bill Gates giving a million dollars to any charity organisation - it means nothing; the money (a considerably huge sum by most standards of common folk - such as myself) is not even an insignificant dent in his garguantum bank account.

People associate cheap stuff with low quality; FREE usually means NO QUALITY. Even if you do not intend to charge for your next charity show (and you shouldn't if you're sincere about doing the charity - it should cost you SOMETHING), do make it clear that the show isn't FREE - it cost YOU something.

Merry Christmas to All!

2007-12-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

A Happy Christmas to ALL!

Hope everyone's been busy getting their New Years' Resolutions ready. I know I got a few things on my own mind that I'm dying to put into practice...

1) Get some Exercise in my life.
2) Get more Exercise in my life.
3) Spend more time Exercising.
4) Spend LOTS of time Exercising.

I hope I will succeed. SIGH.

New Stock Bicycle Deck Review

2007-12-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

I wear down my stock of cards very quickly and I estimate that I use over 200 decks of cards a year. Between practicing and performing and occasionally playing around with friends, it's sometimes a wonder that I have any on hand at all.

Hence, it makes sense for me to purchase the decks in bulk - I tend to purchase 3 dozen at a time or so whenever I make a trip down to my supplier. The supplier (who shall remain unnamed) has been kind to me and supplies his cards to me at distributor rates - that's about $45 a dozen after counting the Goods and Services Tax (GST... grrr).

My friend Zian recently managed to get his hands on a stock of cards at a good deal and was offerring it at $4 a deck and $42 for a dozen on the Singapore Magic Circle forums. You can check it out here if you're interested in buying some bicycle cards:
http://forums.singaporemagiccircle.com/index.php?showtopic=7968&hl

As of late the stock of cards that I have been getting from my regular supplier has (for some reason or other) dropped in quality. Although I'd be the first to accept any minor fluctuations in quality when it comes to playing cards, I have to say that the latest deviation from quality is starting to irritate me. Misprinted (off centre, faded... etc) I can deal with; but poorly cut corners and sides I really cannot stomach. It throws off much of the more detailed work you can do with a deck of cards.

Anyway, Zian very graciously passed me a blue deck as a sample to test. I put it through the usual tests I perform whenever I'm toying with a deck's quality. The new cards slid out of the cardcase like a dream. Some cards come out as a block - a sure sign that the cards have been kept for too long. I was worried that the reason he manged to get them at such a low price is because the stock's been around for too long. I was thankful that my misgivings were unfounded.

I have no complains about colour - this is standard from USPC; anyway, the colours change from one batch to another batch. It has something to do with the manufacturing process - they can never seem to get the EXACT same blue. This seems more pronounced with the red cards though. But the print is slightly off centre, which also seems to be another consistent thing about USPC - all their cards are usually printed slightly off centre. LOL. Check it out: both the faces AND the backs!

Well, there are many devious and nefarious uses for such cards; I won't go into detail here, but the wise cardman knows how to exploit such inconsistencies to his advantage.

The texture is consistent with the standard air-cushion finish, but the stock is slightly thinner than the ones supplied to me by my regular supplier. It's quite negligible, but since I always preferred thinner stock anyway, I took to it well from the onset.

The edges are cut well - smoother than the ones I got from my supplier anyway. Check it out:

My regular supplier's deck is on the left. You can see that some of the edges are actually protruding - rest assured that I had the deck squared up tight. Somehow during the cutting process, some cards were cut a little less?More? Who knows? It screws up all major riffle shuffling work! Zian's sample deck (top right) looks so smooth I could use it to wipe a baby's ass!

The fact that the deck has no protruding edges makes my life a lot easier - runups and precise shuffle work on the table is less difficult.

Anyway, the final test for me is always the faro test. The deck faros perfectly in the hands. In fact, some cards have their edges cut so badly it takes a few runs, shuffles and quite a bit of handling before the deck actually faros. Elmsley has a very innovative way of solving this (check out his Collected Works, Vol 2. If you can get a hold of it. Still.)

Finally, I put the deck to the challenge of a tabled faro. Since this precise work requires that BOTH the edges AND the corners are cut well, it's a good test of the card's cutting. It usually takes a new deck some breaking into before it would faro well on the table, but this deck didn't need much coaxing. Almost fresh out of the deck, watch it go!
Tabled Faro Shuffle:

To sum things up, this deck's a sure fire go for me. I'm getting my next 3 dozen from Zian. At least until he runs out of stock. :)

What's your brief?

2007-11-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

Many magicians are led to believe that they need to have a brief of less than 64th of an inch (about half the width of the white border) when dealing seconds in order for the deal to be deceptive. But the truth is, the rhythm of the deal is more important for it to be deceptive.
The brief can be as big or small as you like it to be. It was said that the theory of the small brief was a rumour started to discourage people from learning the second deal. According to Vernon and Giobbi (of card college fame), the brief means nothing if your timing is off- it's more important to be smooth. And learn to sail the card gracefully. :-)

The Cardshark.sg T-Shirt

2007-11-27T19:37:00.000-08:00

My new t-shirt caused quite a stir recently at the Singapore Magic Circle Chalet... ;P I thought it'll make more sense to advertise for myself than some soccer player; and printing my own Dri-Fit t-shirt is certainly still cheaper than buying one from Nike. After some examination, there's not much difference in quality.

You will never see me perform a giant fan again. EVER.

See - that's the back of the t-shirt and my advertising babe: Ning the "MagicBabe". Not to mention the two photowhores in the background trying to pull a fast pose... LOL

Migration Complete!

2007-11-27T01:11:00.000-08:00

I've finally completed the migration of the files I wanted to put on the original cardshark.sg site to blogger. I think geocities is just too damn unstable to host anything - and it's also full of bloody ads that drive me nuts.

I was kinda skeptical at first as to what blogger had to offer - I wanted to put more than just a bunch of text and my mushy feelings about who done what to who or what. I needed some personal space for my interests and work. After exploring for awhile, I found to my delight the flexibility of this site and I decided to move all my content here instead.

Well, let's hope things'll look better in 2008; this seems like a good fresh start! :)

Oh - any feedback is more than welcome!