Migration

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

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

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Malaysian Magic Moments - Day 3

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

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.