Days Of A Magician's Life

After a long break...

2008-10-28T17:55:00.012+08:00

It has been a long while since my last post.

I have been busy organizing my thoughts, outlook in life and a new venture. No... I have not stopped doing Magic, in fact I have not been more busy in performing the past year.

I travelled to Davao, Philippines for a international Magic festival and Hong Kong for Asia Magic Association's annual Magic convention.

Alex with the rest of the performers from around the world, in Davao in October 2007.

I saw this poster at the Hong Kong Airport, promoting the shows that I would be performing in in November 2007.

These posters promoting the shows were everywhere in Hong Kong.

Yes, I was more than pleased seeing them around.

Alex

Magic Shows, Anyone?

2007-05-14T19:32:00.000+08:00

I'm free today... so here are some photos of my performances.

Magic shows, anyone?

That's yours truly... Alex T. Yummy newspaper ;-)

At no time do my hands leave my arms...

Look over there! Classic misdirection... LOL!

Poof! The Magical Clown with Dodo The Bird

Who's the bird?

Hi there, gals! A little Magic for you.

Look at their faces... I know... They LOVE me :-)

Interactive Close-up Magic by Alex The Magician entertains at a special event in a disco.

There... Mr. Handsome taking literally center stage.

Magical Mask Change at a high profile event at the Esplanade.

Very challenging performing conditions with audience up-close and totally surrounding the performer. But... not a problem for Mr. Handsome ;-)

What's a Magical Mask Change Act without the Magic...

Blending Oriental Magic with Magical Mask Change to make special events exciting and memorable.

That's what I call truly special entertainment!

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

12th May

2007-05-12T19:21:00.000+08:00

Just a week ago, I was fortunate enough to be part of Motorola Style Supermix 2007 event held at Zouk.

Hired to form the key link to a fashion show and a special range of clothing effectionately named, "Abracadabra!", I witnessed the professionalism "WINK WINK" of 12, yes 12 very pretty models from all over the world.

I was supposed to be the Magic, how else? I'm a Magician :-)

Although I felt that I saw more Magic myself ;-)

I am just a normal guy with an extraordinary profession, it's not my fault.

So what about 12th May?

12th May, a date to be remembered and supposedly celebrated.

What happened?

Fresh memories of happy faces and well wishes still remain vividly.

What happened?

Simple actions that brought back drastic consequences.

What happened?

Happy lives now in total regret.

What happened?

This is my blog so I'm thinking out loud. Do you have to know? Frankly, NO. If I can't even shout into my little corner in cyberspace, where else can I do so?

Mother Earth continue in her rounds.

A hundred years from now, no one will remember, not even me. Hey, that makes it so much easier now!

Care for a little riddle?

----------------------------------------

I have eyes but I could not see.
I have ears but I could not hear.
I have a mouth but I can't talk.
Unfortunately, I do have a heart and I can feel.
With a vivid memory, my perfect world lies in my dreams.

----------------------------------------

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

Going Places...

2007-05-10T15:04:00.000+08:00

Yes... I know it...

I haven't updated my blog for half a year and I agree no excuse would be good enough.

The truth is I was lazy and simply not motivated to update.

Well, it was a long break and I hope I will be more disciplined now.

A lot happened during the not so short break of six months, I have done close to 200 more shows, performed in a few more countries and co-opted into the committee of the Singapore Association Of Magicians as a council member.

It was a tiring six months but fruitful and fun.

After the "transformation"...

Last November, I was flown to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam for a series of performances for Camus Congnac launch in the country.

Yup, that's me in the very "hot" Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

It was my first time visiting Vietnam so it was really an eye opener trip for me. Vietnam or at least Ho Chi Minh looks a lot like a big Jalan Besar in Singapore, lots of 2 storey shop houses. Infact, during my few days there, I did not see any building that was more than 10 levels up. There were just rows and rows of short shop houses and motorcycles everywhere the eye can see. The food is good if you are as adventurous as me, the most delicious food are found along the roadside.

Vietnam was FUN!

After 2 weeks of returning from Vietnam, I am once again, flown Business Class, no less, to this time, Hong Kong for a Samsung Mobile event.

I've been to Hong Kong countless times so it wasn't too much a great deal and as soon as touching down on flat ground, I'm off to my shopping runs.

One thing different is of course, this time I'm ferried around by, and I'm not kidding... a stretch limosine.

Now I know... Samsung is rich and treats performers very well :-)

In case you are wondering, yes... Poof! had a great Christmas!

Life is GREAT!!!

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

P.S. Hopefully the next update would not be 6 months later ;-)

A Not So Simple Hair Cut...

2006-09-05T05:33:00.000+08:00

I caught up with my ex-collegue, Erica recently.

We were in event management at that time which was like 9 years ago and our tables were basically next to each other so we were pretty close like brother and sister.

Though we were in events, we each had our own dreams, me wanting to be a successful professional Magician and Erica wanted to a successful hair stylist and image consultant.

We kind of lost touch over the years, each searching and pursuing our dreams.

Years passed and through another close friend, we met again.

Now she's an international award winning hair stylist and image consultant who basically tour around the world working with the rich and famous.

Yes, by now, you should be able to tell that I'm really proud of her.

She owns a few very posh and expensive looking salons along Orchard road, the sort that I wouldn't even dream about stepping in unless of course when I feel my wallet being much heavier than usual.

However Erica has always been like a sister to me insisted that I visit one of her bloody "freak the hell out of me" posh looking salon and did massive work to my hair.

The pressure of entering the salon was many times more intense than the time I was performing at the palace for the Sultan of Brunei.

I kept asking her how much would it cost me but she was assuring me all the way that it's not something I cannot manage.

At that moment, strangely enough I didn't trust her a single bit.

The salon was huge, everyone inside looked like millionaires but most customers did simple trimming and highlighting.

Erica did some massive work on me, like I was going to get a new head or something. It didn't help when I noticed like at least 10 awards with her name proudly and prominently displayed near the entrance of the salon.

There was even a simple price chart that I caught a glimpse that states hair-cut by salon director who happens to be Erica starts from $200.

Oh my Holy God!

What was going in my mind was like WTF!!! WTF!!! WTF!!! WTF!!! WTF!!!

She was using all these funny gadgets that I have never seen in my life on my hair, none of which that even remotely look like anything that I have ever seen in a regular salon.

She scanned my hair and said I have very fine hair and she can do something which will help and will colour and highlight my hair with "I have no idea what she was talking about" stuff that will suit me best, and gives me a scalp treatment that will "once again I have no idea what she was talking about" that will help me and a O3 treatment.

By now, I was thinking of where I can sell off my vehicle ;-)

Alright, to cut the story short, after what seems like eternity ( 6 hours) and every customer in the salon looking at me like I'm a Prince from Brunei.

As I was about to leave, Erica gave me two huge bags of bloody expensive looking shampoo, Scalp treatment, hair tonic, hair clay and god knows what the other were and I reluntantly made my way to the cashier and was handed a bill that totalled $3000 over.

Erica rushed over and screamed at her cashier and questioned her if she knows who I am.

Erica tore the reciept and told me to meet for dinner later.

Now, isn't it nice to have a friend like this?

Do I feel that the whole experince was worth $3000 plus? Frankly I'm still wondering...

But I do feel like a million dollar now.

Erica, if you ever read this... Thanks a zillion!

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

Adjusting And Learning

2006-08-04T22:44:00.000+08:00

I know I haven't been updating my blog regularly or as much as I would like to.

A lot has changed in my life and I'm feeling a little uncomfortable. Yes, I am out of my comfort zone or rather almost completely out of my comfort zone.

There's really no way out for me other than to brave the difficulties. Yeah... I'm brave :-)

Each day, I'm adjusting, learning and adapting better. Every bit of my life has been changed, including my shows. Hopefully all these changes is for the better.

I have been occupying myself on weekdays with a new business venture, more about this in the coming months but I think it's suffice to say that it will be a blast.

On weekends, I'm still enjoying myself, performing Magic and entertaining people, and best of all, getting paid and being thanked for it.

Just how many people in this world has a job like this? Oooooh... I'm bloody fortunate.

Anyway, I came across something of great wisdom which I feel obliged to share. It's literally for the betterment of mankind ;-)

I really don't have anything against the opposite gender but at the same time I really can't find anything wrong with the following ;-)

It really does deserve the "A" plus!!!

Now that I have neither any woman nor money, I should have no problems, shouldn't I?

Alex The Magician

www.AlexTheMagician.com

Retiring...

2006-07-20T19:04:00.000+08:00

I'm retiring...

Well not exactly... I only wish I could retire completely :-)

I'm actually retiring my illusion show for the time being.

It's really a painful decision as this is the show that I'm most passionate about. However after some serious consideration, I don't have much choice but to put my illusion to rest.

I hope to someday perform the show that I've spent years putting together. When? I'm not too sure myself.

You see, my able assistant left me when my wife decided to.

With the simple signing of some document, I lost my wife, my best friend, my assistant, my companion and my partner.

I didn't want my marriage to die a premature death but my wife signed the separation deed and I'm left with no choice but to put my name on the dotted line.

I'm made to feel like I'm hindering her life if I didn't.

I haven't done it yet... I'm stalling time but I understand I will have to do it sooner or later, much to my dismay.

And I can only imagine that signing my name has never been this painful before.

Well, sometimes life leaves little for us to decide and I'll have to face the consequences of some bad decisions I made.

Am I sad? You bet!

On a sad day,
Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

P.S. I still perform other shows and if you need to make your event extra special, fun and exciting, you owe it to yourself to checkout www.AlexTheMagician.com

On Radio Yet Again!

2006-07-05T14:14:00.000+08:00

Yes, I'll be on National Radio yet again on 5th July 2006 at 8.25pm and it's 93.8LIVE or 93.8FM.

This time round, it's for my views on Cyril Takayama's Magic and street Magic in general.

I have great respect for Cyril's Magic and creativity so it's really interesting to voice my views on National Radio.

Just in case you can't make it to catch my interview on 5th July 2006, there's a repeat broadcast on 8th July 2006 at 8.55pm.

Anyway, I thought it will be interesting to know that it's not always glamour and glitter in showbiz.

Most of the times, I don't have the luxury of having a proper dressing room for preparation for a show. I would be happy that I can have a private space behind the stage to prepare.

Here's one of my "dressing rooms" at a show.

Notice all my "toys" all lined up ready for the show. It's times like these that I really learned to appreciate space.

Alex The Magician

www.AlexTheMagician.com

On TV Again And A Lesson Learnt

2006-06-14T16:13:00.000+08:00

I was on Singapore's National TV channel again, this time performing my Magical Mask Change or Bian Lian act on the program, "Top Fun".

If you somehow missed it, here's a video clip of my performance http://www.alexthemagician.com/videomask.html

You would be greatly appreciated if you watch the clip and let me know what you think ;-)

And if you like to know more about getting me to perform at your event, checkout www.AlexTheMagician.com/mask.html

Anyhow, I also did one of the most "difficult" show of my life over the weekend at Sentosa for Cold Storage Group's Family Day.

The event was a great event with lots of fun activities for everyone.

The show I was engaged to perform was my illusion show and it was "difficult" not in the sense most would believe it to be.

Well, I would have to agree that performing an illusion show with live animals and big props at the beach on a sunny day isn't a performer's dream by any stretch.

However, I've done this show countless times, easily hundreds of times if not into the thousands, so seriously except for the heat and sand, it's really not that much more difficult than any other show.

What made this particular show so "difficult" was the fact that I had to work with my ex-wife.

She used to help me in all my shows for many years and we had this rapport that made the shows we did quite a breeze.

But our relationship soured and although we don't see each other much now, she still help in my shows occasionally. This I appreciate very much.

For this particular show, I seemed to have made a huge mistake of getting her to help.

She was basically on a mission to punish me. She was complaining about everything and throwing tantrums.

Granted, the weather and conditions were not perfect but it was really nothing that we haven't experienced.

It really made me really uncomfortable and for the first time in many years, I actually felt uneasy having to perform the show.

Performing usually makes me very happy and excited, however because of her tantrums, I was worried if she will assist me on cue.

There were so many things going in my head. Too many "what ifs".

It was really a uncomforting feeling.

Although I always had backup plans if anything should arise, I never really had to put any into use.

Fortunately the show went smoothly and was well recieved, but honestly I actually can't wait for the whole thing to end and get home.

This whole incident really made me think...

It's never wise to mix business with relationships.

If I have a chance to turn back time, I would rather get a professional assistant whose sole duty is to perform with me in shows, rather than to take the easy way out of involving my girlfriend.

I'm sure there are definitely great husband and wife teams that make things work out perfectly but to me, it's really too much trouble.

If you are one of the husband and wife teams that work great together, I would appreciate if you could enlighten me.

In the meantime, if you are in Singapore and have an interest in assisting a Magician in shows, get in contact with me.

I promise you that it'll be lots of fun and I'm really a nice guy to work with :-)

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

"The Magic Hands Of Mystery" DVD And Photos

2006-06-08T18:09:00.000+08:00

I recently acquired the copyrights to the UK produced DVD, "The Magic Hands Of Mystery" and this effectively allows me to provide the DVD to my clients.

"The Magic Hands Of Mystery" DVD is a great program that teaches anyone from the ages of 6 to 99 easy-to-do yet amazing Magic tricks to amaze friends at parties and gatherings.

With only the DVD and some quiet time, anyone can be the life of any party.

That's right, YOU can be a Magician too!

I'll be putting the DVDs up for sale on my website www.AlexTheMagician.com soon.

The investment for the DVD is a measely US$27 which includes shipping to any part of the world.

But, from the suggestion of my close friend (you should really thank him), I'm giving loyal readers of my blog a first mover advantage.

For a limited time only, if you are reading this, you are eligible to get "The Magic Hands Of Mystery" DVD for only US$15 and remember this includes shipping to wherever you are.

Get your DVD fast before I wake up and change my mind, then the offer will be over and you'll have to get the DVD at US$27 which is already a great deal.

If you are reading this and want to be a Magician too, send an email to alexthemagician@gmail.com with subject line "Magic DVD" and I will reply with a payment link to send the payment.

Payment is through Paypal and is secure.

Just like Magic, in a few days time, "The Magic Hands Of Mystery" DVD will be in your hands and you would be able to learn all the wonderful Magic tricks to amaze your friends and be the life of any party.

Anyway, I have also been very busy with a lot of children shows if you are following my blog.

Here are some photos for those who asked.

Here's Wacky Alex amazing and amusing at a birthday party at The British Club. Can't you tell I having as much fun as well?

Wacky Alex's on the run again and this time, it's a birthday party at Kingfisher Club in Seletar Camp.

Wacky Alex tickling the funny bones of the young ones yet again at another birthday party.

Poof! The Magical Clown entertaining at a birthday party. Checkout the crazy costume!

Poof! The Magical Clown again, this time making the young ones go crazy at Bright Hill Temple.

Can't you tell I love what I do for a living? ;-)

It's so much fun, making sure that people have the most fun, exciting and memorable parties they can ever have.

I really cannot imagine doing anything else... well... except making sure adults have their fun as well at corporate functions and events.

If you are having a party where you need to entertain children soon, you really owe it to yourself and your guests to checkout www.AlexTheMagician/poof.php and www.AlexTheMagician/wacky.php now!

Ok, I haven't forgotten the adults.

And for those who need to entertain the older ones at functions and events, checkout www.AlexTheMagician.com for a range of exciting shows that guarantees to make your function or event FUN, EXCITING and MEMORABLE!

Cheers,

Alex The Magician

www.AlexTheMagician.com

Bewitching Attraction

2006-06-01T13:55:00.000+08:00

Found some time to actually catch a movie with my pal 2 days ago.

And of all the choices of great movies to catch, we watched "Bewitching Attraction", a Korean romantic comedy about a female professor of knockout beauty and her dynamic love affairs with five different men!

At least that was what I read online about the movie.

Reality cannot be further from the truth.

I really wish there was a better way to phrase my feelings about the movie.

But...

I truly feel it was a complete waste of time.

There were countless time when I felt the story was heading no where.

If there was any emotion that I get from watching the movie, it was frustration.

Boy... was it bad!

There were more than a few times when I had actually wanted to leave the cinema with my pal, without finishing the movie.

Even my pal who seldom fall asleep during a movie, fell asleep quite a few times, awakening only when I woke him.

However, to be fair, I told myself to at least give the movie a chance, hoping that the ending might have a facinating twist that will entertain and enlighten me.

That never came.

More than a few couples left in the middle of the movie, and now I felt stupid for not joining them.

After what felt like a tedious, long drawn few hours, the show came to an end, without much advancement of the weak plot.

So if you are looking for a nap in a air-conditioned room, head right down to a cinema near you and buy a ticket for "Bewitching Attraction".

You can thank me later.

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

What A Week!

2006-05-30T15:44:00.000+08:00

Time really flies.

Yet another busy week of shows has passed.

Total of 3 birthday party shows as a clown, 1 clown stage show and 1 mask change show seems to have happened in a blink, now that they are over.

Yes, it might surprise some but you read it right, I do perform as a clown and I'm pretty proud about it.

You can find out more here www.AlexTheMagician.com/poof.php

For some strange reason, I was feeling more tired than before.

That strange reason according to my good friend is just how unfit I am ;-)

I can't agree more now that I actually thought about it.

The last time I actually did any real exercise seems to be back when I was doing Yoga and Muay Thai with my pals. And that was like 2 years ago.

Guess it's about time I start to sculp my body into a decent shape ;-)

Over the weekend while performing at one of the shows, I caught up with one of my friend who is a standup comic. Going by the stage name of Mustapha, he used to be in great demand as an entertainer for events.

We chatted for a while before I went on stage for my show.

He asked how many shows do I have for the week and I said, "Really not as many as before, I have only got a total of 5 shows."

And it was then that I realized how fortunate I was.

Through speaking to him, it sort of confirmed my suspicion that the showbiz industry has taken a downturn. Performers are getting lesser shows as there are fewer events taking place.

I was lucky to have only felt very little effect.

All I could say to him was, "Cheer up! Whatever goes down has to come back up."

I'm still enjoying my life, doing what I love so I really don't have complaints.

It does make me feel much happier if I get more shows.

It sounds corny but I do feel more alive when performing.

Now for a short commercial break :-)

If you are planning an event or know of anyone who is planning an event, you owe it to them and yourself to go to or send them to www.AlexTheMagician.com

You'll find the best entertainment shows there.

How do I know?

I work there ;-)

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

Masked On TV!

2006-05-21T19:39:00.000+08:00

Phew...

Yet another very busy week has passed for me.

A number of Children party shows, 4 to be exact, and a hour session of Close-up Magic for a corporate event for Asiapac.

What really kept me busy during the week wasn't really these shows as they took place over the weekend.

I was busy during the week, working on my new Mask Change or Bian Lian costume.

And as most would know, in order to maintain secrecy of the art, Mask Changers work on their costumes themselves.

Of course that included me.

Call it coincidence or just in time, I actually got a call to present my Mask Change or Bian Lian act for a Mediacorp TV program.

The call came on Wednesday morning and guess what...

The recording would be on Thursday afternoon. Talk about being last minute.

Thankfully, I had started working on my new costume on Monday and would be able to appear on the program with my new costume.

When at Mediacorp Studios where the recording was to be done, I met the producer and was told to present the act in about 4 minutes so as to allow enough time for an interview with the hosts of the program. Fortunately, while my actual routine lasts 6 minutes and 30 seconds, I had prepared for situations like these and had recorded music in various length for shorter routines.

There was actually a rehearsal before an actual live audience entered for the actual recording. Frankly I hate rehearsals in front of people but the producer was understanding enough to allow me to simply go through the movement of my routine without the need to actually perform the act itself.

When it was time for the actual performance for the recording, I went ahead performing the act and everything went great.

It was really a fun learning experience because while I have performed Magic for TV quite a few times, this is my first time performing Mask Changing or Bian Lian on TV.

Be sure to catch me on TV performing the rarely seen Mask Changing or Bian Lian act. The date is 12th June 2006, time is 8pm and it's on Singaopore's National TV Channel, Mediacorp TV Channel 8.

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

Mind Reading On Radio?

2006-05-14T14:51:00.000+08:00

It has been another rather busy week.

In fact, this week alone, I've done 8 birthday party magic shows and 3 mask change shows. The most memorable show was a mask change show for a group of 60 delegates from around the world.

They had gathered here from around the world to discuss global readiness if an epidemic should occur. In layman terms, what can be done if bird flu would to spread. The whole event with no expense spared, seems to have been financed by Tamiflu (The pills that seem to be able to help in the control of bird flu).

On 10th May 2006, Wednesday, I also made my way to Mediacorp Studios for a radio interview with local DJ, Eugene Loh. The interview would be aired on national radio station 938LIVE on 93.8FM.

Eugene had specifically asked me to concieve a way to make the radio interview more exciting and if possible, interactive for the listeners.

It's quite a challenge but be prepared to be amazed when you listen in to the interview as I will be reading your mind on air.

The radio interview would be on air on 938Live at 93.8FM on 16th May 2006 at 2.45pm with an encore broadcast at 9.45pm.

There will also be a re-broadcast on 20th May 2006 at 7.45am.

Be sure to listen in and participate.

You would also be very much appreciated if you let me know what you think.

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

New Website Finally Live!

2006-05-06T16:06:00.000+08:00

My new website www.AlexTheMagician.com is finally live after 2 months.

Hopefully with the new website, potential clients will find it easier to get information about my shows.

There are still more work to be done for the website but it has gone live and ready for visitors.

You would be greatly appreciated if you could take a look and let me know what you think.

I'll be constantly working on the site so it's actually a good idea to check back regularly.

Shows are pouring in and I'll be kept busy for a while which isn't exactly a bad thing.

My schedule is tight but I'll definitely find more time to update my blog with better time management.

By the way, a few weeks ago, I actually got some time off to actually watch a local play, "The Magic Fundoshi".

It's really quite a commendable effort by our local group.

The play was very entertaining and the actors and actress (yes, there was only one female) were very professional and smooth.

I shan't go too much into the actual play so as not to spoil it for those who might want to watch it themselves.

There's actually a "pleasant" surprise towards the end of the play and I get the feeling that the guys would enjoy it more ;-)

I assure you that it will be worth your while and it's also a good way to show your support for our local artists.

We need all the support and encouragement we can get.

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

Respect?

2006-04-15T04:34:00.000+08:00

Yes, the Sichuan Opera's Mask Changing or better known as Bian Lian is very well protected as old masters of the art are quite careful in selecting who they pass the skill to.

And as such, those selected are very often made to vow to be just as cautious on who they pass the skill to.

In most cases, Mask Change Masters very rarely have more than 1 or 2 disciples and for a long time, the skill was only passed down to males. In present times, there are more and more female Mask Change performers.

It's an art with a long history and at one time even the Chinese Central Government guarded it as a national secret and intervene when disciples of the art do not meet certain conditions.

This was the case when Hong Kong celebrity, Andy Lau tried to pay a Mask Change master a huge sum of money to learn the art.

The incident generated lots of media coverage and caused intervention from the authorities. Sichuan Opera's Mask Changing is interesting but it's really more than just a Magic trick.

In order to maintain secrecy of the art, most Mask Change masters build every single part of the act themselves.

Quite honestly, I used to think of it as just a trick but the more I learned about the art, the more I have grown to respect it.

Alex The Magician
www.alexthemagician.com

Me Too Young? - Part 2

2006-04-12T02:01:00.000+08:00

Yipee!

Just a few days ago, I was once again out with my buddy where we met for dinner and movie.

The movie was interesting and most importantly entertaining.

In fact, there were important lessons to be learned from the movie.

The title is "The art of seduction" and it's Korean with English subtitles.

All guys should really watch this for your own good. It will literally change the way you thought about getting a gal to be interested in you.

But let me confess that the movie wasn't really the most thrilling thing of that day. That part actually happened at the hawker center that we were having dinner.

It was dinner time and as such the place was crowded with hungry people. We had to share a table with a middle age couple.

As we were stuffing ourselves silly with all the very unhealthy but delicious food, the couple got friendly and started talking to us.

The next thing you know, we heard something that literally brought BIG WIDE smiles to our faces.

They said, "Are you guys still studying or serving National Service?"

Oh my god???!!! :-0

They thought we were that young...

Hehehe... and the place wasn't dark ;-)

So it has to be true, we do look much younger than we are :-)

Yup, it has to be absolutely the truth and don't you dare try to make us believe otherwise.

Alex The Magician
www.alexthemagician.com

What? Mask Change?

2006-03-31T16:54:00.000+08:00

Ok, lots of people don't have the slightest hint about what is mask changing or bian lian.

Even those that have a slight idea probably have not seen a performance of it and have merely heard from someone else describing the act.

Well, mask changing or better known as Bian Lian, is actually a closely guarded skill from Sichuan Opera. Even within an opera troupe, only the person specializing in the role of the mask changer would know the actual workings of the changes.

Today, there's so much interest in the mask changing part that was once part of a scene from traditional Sichuan Opera has taken flight on its own.

Mask changers or Bian Lian masters are now in demand and are invited to perform their art on their own, separate from traditional Sichuan Opera. Typical performances of mask changing last mere minutes but their impact on audiences are so strong that mask changers are constantly engaged to perform at corporate functions and special events.

Well, for those who hasn't seen a live performance of mask changing, I've a video of me performing 2 years ago at Jurong Point, a shopping mall in Singapore.

Click The Picture To Watch The Video

I did a series of 20 shows there and it also happens to be one of my first mask changing performances. These performances made me the first ever Singaporean to have mastered and performed the art of mask changing or Bian Lian.

Am I proud? You bet!

Alex The Magician
www.alexthemagician.com

Me, too young?

2006-03-30T05:38:00.000+08:00

Something happened today that will possibly make me smile for the rest of the week.

I was out with my buddy, Lawrence for our usual fun night at Zouk today.

And at the entrance, something really strange happened, the security, believe it or not and you better believe it, actually without missing a beat asked to see both of our IDs. He wanted to make sure that me and Lawrence were old enough to enter.

We were like WTF???!!! But we were truly flattered ;-)

Anyway, Lawrence is in his early thirties... you didn't hear it from me.

But the bottom line is we do look much younger than our true age which is great news.

Or could it have been the dim lights? No, it couldn't have been :-)

And yes, I've more or less confirmed the look of my up and coming website.

Bad news is, it ain't going to be ready by 1st April 2006. Probably a week or two behind schedule.

Sorry Joelin for being too pushy and idealistic.

Yup, Joelin is my web designer and she's doing a great job. Don't you think so, guys?

Akan Datang... or Coming Soon To A PC Near You...

While we still have time for changes, do let me know what you think.

Any suggestion would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Alex The Magician

www.alexthemagician.com

A Few More...

2006-03-26T16:07:00.000+08:00

Ok, my web designer came back with a few more drafts for my website.

Looks pretty cool with the orange but I also thought that it makes it quite glaring and the flames from my hands seems to have been overshadowed.

Don't really like the dirty green. But it's just a draft and I appreciate the effort.

This is my favourite of the three. Well, I might be biased as one of my favourite colours happens to be blue.

My web designer is planning to add some gradient to the colours to give it more dimension and honestly I can't wait to see the results.

Let me know what you think ;-)

In the meantime, I will still be out performing.

Alex The Magician

www.alexthemagician.com

Really Busy...

2006-03-21T22:06:00.000+08:00

I know I haven't been updating my blog more often than I should have.

I've been really busy with shows over the past 2 weeks.

Well, I better be since it's the school holidays right here in Singapore.

But that doesn't mean all my shows were children Magic shows, I actually did a number of Mask Changing shows and close-up Magic shows. All I can say is the past 2 weeks have been very busy for me but at the same time I feel very good busy performing and entertaining.

One more thing that's in the works is a new website.

YES! Finally after all these years, I'm actually gonna having a complete make-over for my website - www.alexthemagician.com

It's quite embarassing that I haven't updated my website for years until recently.

Ok... I got down to it and hired a great web designer... at a rather high fee.

Everything's going great so far and she has already done the first draft.

I think it's great and I really like the clean look.

But NO... my friends thought it lacks in character. Well... it's back to the drawing board.

Let me know what you think of this first draft, I need all the critique and suggestion I can get.

My web designer has been very accomodating and is working on it now.

I've also been really caught up in working out the content for my site and hope to have it up and running by 1st April 2006. Nope... it's not an April Fool's joke.

Till then, my present site that I did with my very limited technical and designing abilities will have to do.

Alex The Magician
www.alexthemagician.com

A Not So Good Day...

2006-03-06T00:04:00.000+08:00

Well, I'm not feeling the best today - it ain't close to the worst day I've experienced but it's still no good.

Strangely, I didn't wake up feeling fantastic this morning and so was kinda expecting the feeling to get worse.

I just didn't feel in control of many things happening in my life currently. What I had achieved over the years seems to be so far away from me now. I guess this is what people describe as depression and I really have no problem getting this feeling quite a few times a month.

Yes, even the almighty Magician has his days of feeling down...

On days like these, I always try to comfort myself by seeing the newspaper clipping of me making headline news on The New Paper for what I had accomplished.

Me On The Front Page Of The New Paper In 2002.

Seeing this, I tell myself, "I'll be back soon..."

Today's almost over so tomorrow will be a better day and hopefully I'll have all the drive to make it even better.

Alex The Magician

www.alexthemagician.com

Just An Illusion?

2006-03-02T22:03:00.000+08:00

Alex The Magician Performing The 'Vortex' Illusion.

Today, I'm gonna tell a little bit more about what else I do for a living.

Besides doing Children Magic shows and Mask Change/Bian Lian shows, I also perform more elaborate shows for corporate audiences at events like Dinner & Dances, Product Launches, Anniversary Functions, etc...

Primarily, these shows that I perform at those events are what Magicians would label as Illusion shows.

Magicians like to call effects that involves humans or large animals as illusions and that is what I supposedly do during these shows. Although at many times, I also perform strolling or close-up magic during the cocktail receptions prior to performing the main show later during the event.

Here's a brief write-up of the basic illusion show that I perform.

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Alex’s World Of Illusions (Highly Recommended!)

Wanna inject a sense of grandeur and create riveting excitement in your next event?

Alex’s electrifying Illusion Act will help you accomplish just that.

It’ll feel as though Alex teleports your audience right to the cabaret stages of Las Vegas and melds livestock like doves alongside grand-scale illusions into a seamless spectacle that is a visual extravaganza and is pure dynamite entertainment!

You’ll witness unbelievable and downright ‘impossible’ stuff like how:

Alex’s assistant gets sucked into a vortex known as the 4th dimension and becomes totally invisible to the naked eye

Alex gets a member of the audience to perform the “World Most Dangerous Card Trick”. Hint: It’ involves a GUN!
Alex makes an entire cage of doves visually ‘melt’ into thin air!
Alex perform Houdini’s most famous illusion, “Metamorphosis” FASTER and WAY BETTER than the way Houdini performed it.
And WAY too much to list over here

All this adrenaline pumping stuff is NOT for the faint hearted and could leave your audience totally breathless!

Click here to engage Alex The Magician for your next event!

www.alexthemagician.com/illusionz.html

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All in a day's work...

It's tough being a Magician but quite frankly, there isn't anything else I would rather do.

Alex The Magician

www.AlexTheMagician.com

Mask Changing - Elusive?

2006-03-01T18:12:00.000+08:00

Mask changing or better known as "Bian Lian" originally part of the Sichuan Opera is considered as one of China's most elusive performing arts. In fact, it was even considered by the Chinese government as a national secret.

I have always had an interest for things that little people know about. Secrets and stuff...

The art of Mask changing have captivated me for years and I never miss a live performance of it whenever possible. The sheer speed when the performer changes from one mask to another is stunning.

If you have never seen a performance of this art before, no amount of words would be able to convey the impossibility of the changes. Mask changes in split seconds and the performer is able to go through multiple changes in a minute, sometimes up to 8 changes.

However, calling it a elusive art seems a bit far-fetched to me.

Well, at least for me it didn't take me long to figure out how it was being accomplished. Maybe it's all the magic that I've been doing all these years, otherwise I would be just as clueless.

But that didn't change my fascination of the art, as there's really much more to the art of mask changing that makes it more than just a magic trick. The movements, the costumes, the masks, and the history of it makes it truly what I would call an Art.

Anyway, keeping a long story short, I learned the art over a period of 2 years. Due the sensitivity of the issue, I'm not at the liberty to reveal from whom I learned the art from.

But it's suffice to say that the master taught me more of the history and movements of the art than the actual mechanics of the changes. That part you see, I figured out myself ;-)
Ok, he did give me some pointers that I couldn't have worked out myself without a few more years of experimentation.

I became the first Mask Changer in Singapore and did my first series of 20 shows at Jurong Point Shopping Mall in January 2005. After that I've done countless Mask Change shows all over Singapore and I plan to someday take it beyond our shores.

Here's a write-up for my Mask Change show that will give you an idea. (By the way, I didn't write it, it was written by a third party or rather my good friend, World Famous Copywriter, Jo Han Mok.)

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Magical Mask Change

Need truly original, dynamic entertainment that breathes like fresh air amongst rehashed “It’s the same darn thing again” type of acts?

Well, without boasting or bragging, Alex is the FIRST and ONLY Magical Mask Changer in Singapore and his Magical Mask Changing Act is hands-down guaranteed to bring forth gasps of amazement from your audience.

You’ll be totally gob smacked when you realize just how impossible this act is when you watch the Opera Mask that Alex dons undergo a series of radical transformations in FULL view!

Alex’s incredible Magical Mask Change Act is truly an exclusive treat for your audience as the art of ‘mask changing’ has been jealously guarded by the Chinese National Government as a National Secret and has been shrouded in mystery for years.

From a purely technical standpoint, Alex stands head and shoulders over the ‘other guys’ because he goes though 9 mask changes in his act whereas the wannabes limp along with 3 to 7 changes.

What really leaves his competitors biting his dust though, is his uncanny ability to revert to a masked state at the blink of an eye even though he is totally bare faced. This elusive technique represents the pinnacle of his achievement in the arena of Magical Mask Changing and truly has to be seen to be believed!

Click here to engage Alex The Magician
www.alexthemagician.com/mask.html
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There you have...

The art of Mask Changing elusive or not? You decide.

Alex The Magician
www.AlexTheMagician.com

Secret Revealed!

2006-02-27T02:43:00.000+08:00

It's no biggie.

The secret ain't gonna make you rich. Then again, I'm not too sure about that.

It's a secret that not many people know.

It's a secret that only my close friends know.

Alex The Magician is Poof! The Magic Clown.

This is Poof! The Magic Clown and he entertains at birthday parties, or where ever children needs to be entertained.

Here's a write-up about Poof! The Magic Clown.

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Here’s a surefire way to cause a riot – Get Poof! The Magical Clown to perform at your next event.

Quite frankly, kid’s magic this entertaining should be banned!

Following international appearances over the years, Poof! The Magical Clown has steadily gained an almost ‘cult’ following of kids who absolutely adore him to the max!

It’s not uncommon to see kids squealing and sometimes almost screaming in laughter. Howls of protests can also be heard when Poof! The Magical Clown leads the kids down the ‘garden path’. You’ll witness firsthand how kids can react in totally unfathomable ways.

Kids simply LOVE and are totally entertained by the wacky, comedic antics of Poof! The Magical Clown and it’s easy to see why. Combining ventriloquism, balloon sculpting, clowning and magic, the innovative act of Poof ! The Magical Clown is truly set apart from run of the mill ‘kid’s performers’ because of his core mission in seeking to EDUCATE through entertainment.

But get this. Kids actually learn important lessons in life from the vibrant and colorful performance of Poof! The Magical Clown while they are thoroughly entertained and kept on their toes.

Poof! The Magical Clown truly delivers kid’s entertainment on ‘steroids’

Click here --> www.alexthemagician.com/poof.html

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Now that you know, shouldn't you contact me when you need to entertain a group of children?

If you are reading this, you SHOULD ;-)

Alex The Magician