Magi-KEL

2008-05-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

.:My Personal Heroes Of Mind And Magic, Part 2: The International Man Of (Mind) Mystery:.

Originally called “My Personal Heroes Of Magic And Mentalism”, I decided to change the series name in order to give reference to a classic game, “Heroes Of Might And Magic”. It does sound catchier, doesn't it?

Last week, I wrote about my favorite duo act, Penn and Teller, and how despite the fact that I disagree with some of their personal views, I still love them as performers, and how they've influenced my concept of “comedy magic” about as much as another guy I know (Whom you guys will hear about in a future installment...).

Now, if Penn and Teller influenced my philosophy of how to entertain people with my performance, this next guy is the man who has certainly influenced me in my foundations in my favorite genre of the art, that is, mentalism.

The master at work.

Richard Osterlind may not ring a bell to the average person, but in the world of mentalism, he is one of the most popular names in the industry to ever hail from America. Carrying himself in a very casual, even fatherly manner, Osterlind's performance style is very natural and relaxed, and unlike most of his contemporaries, he does not seem to make any pretenses to maintaining a “mentalist persona” whenever he performs (For contrast, see Max Maven.). Richard is very straightforward, yet his open-armed sincerity is precisely what keeps his fans coming back for more as he astounds and mystifies them with feats of the human mind we often assume impossible.

As the man behind the groundbreaking “Mind Mysteries” and “Easy To Master Mental Miracles” series for mentalists from all walks of life, Richard Osterlind has influenced an entire generation of mentalists who can only hope to have half of the natural charisma that he oozes with whenever he performs, again, despite the lack of an attempt to maintain a hint of a persona. While Derren Brown may be regarded as the quintessential mentalist of this generation, Osterlind is the man people turn to when they want to learn how to do mentalism, mainly because Derren doesn't really teach his material the way Osterlind does.

Osterlind's website is also very helpful in answering what it means to be a mentalist vis-a-vis being a magician, and he even provides a very helpful FAQ that answers some of the more common questions thrown at mentalists. Few people have helped elevate the art of mentalism the way Osterlind has, from teaching aspiring mentalists the secrets to unlocking the mysteries of the mind, all the way to coming up with new and ingenious items meant to enhance the performance of any mentalist worth his salt.

Richard Osterlind: Mental Magician?

Osterlind's critics tend to disparage him because of his tendency to include magic tricks in his mentalism acts, and unlike Derren Brown, he makes no attempt to mask it as a mentalism feat whatsoever. For instance, in one of his videos, he does the infamous “Paddle move”, and feebly passes it off as hypnosis on the audience.

While this is a valid criticism, it cannot be denied that Richard Osterlind is still a genuine mentalist insofar as he knows the ins and outs of the mindset, and in the sheer command he has over his audience, despite the sometimes-ludicrous premise he sets upon his own performances. While he may be guilty of doing mere “mental magic” at times, Osterlind still manages to shine simply because he is so earnest that people can't help but still assume what he is doing is outright mentalism. Purists may understandably cringe, but the man hasn't been in business all over the world for three or so decades already if people didn't appreciate his material.

What He Means To Me

Osterlind will always be one of the first mentalists I have learned from, along with Banachek, Max Maven, and to a limited but important extent, Morgan Strebler (Yet another influence of mine. More on him in the future.). As a performer, I always ask myself, “what would Richard do?” This is because as a veteran mentalist for decades, Osterlind has honed his craft to a point where his material is a fit for nearly any kind of mentalist, no matter what personality or performing style you may choose to employ.

While few people reading this right now would ever get to know the man the way fellow performers already do, I think Richard Osterlind, as one of the men who has inspired this generation of mentalists, deserves a tribute for all his contributions to the art, especially to the significant influence he has exerted on me, including routines I have performed thanks to him, such as the Blindfolded Rubik's Solve, the 20-Card Test, the Acid Test, and 4-Dimensional Telepathy. As a prolific thinker whose ideas know no bounds, Osterlind's massive volume of material on video will never lack an audience of eager learners.

I've Decided To Take My Magic Blog To Multiply...

2008-03-11T22:41:00.001-07:00

.:I'll Be Talking About Magic There From Now On...:.

So without further ado, go ahead and check it out, if you will, although there's no new content for now if you've seen my stuff before...

Magikel has moved here!

The Wrestler

2008-03-11T00:27:00.001-07:00

I still haven't commented about the recent fiasco I encountered with another couple of performers, or the controversial rant by Justin Miller. For now, as the resident magician/mentalist who just happens to be an ethicist (It's what I'm specializing in for my Masters.), I think I'd like to address an ethical issue that has been bugging me a while about a certain friend of mine, who is an excellent friend, but as a professional, leaves a lot to be desired.

.:Let The Public Judge:.

Imagine if you are doing really well in your job. Let's say you're a professional wrestler who's really getting over with the crowd, and slowly getting a push.

Imagine if you have a good friend who's also a professional wrestler, and his success is comparable to you.

Let's say your in-ring ability is so-so. But as a heel, you more than make up for it with your promos. You can get on the mic and rally the crowd against you and draw massive heat from them. It doesn't matter how mediocre your match is, people want to see them kick your @$$. They pay to see that, week in and week out.

Let's say your friend is a technical genius. He's like Chris Benoit minus the roid rage, but that also means a broom has more personality on the mic than he does. The crowds don't seem to appreciate him, despite the fact that he's the darling of the internet wrestling community. If you had a real, honest-to-goodness match, your friend would pummel you in two minutes flat.

So this friend of yours gets a few other boys in the back along with you, and he suggest you guys form a stable to really dominate the promotion. Let's say you band together to form the nWo. He tells you guys, "wouldn't we get over with the crowd a lot better if we went there as a group? Everyone's going to benefit from this, that's for sure!"

It sounds like a good idea on paper. You have your friend, the excellence of execution. You're the mouthpiece of the group. You have a couple of sneaky managers to help you out in your matches, and a third wrestler who's an exciting spotmonkey but possessing little ability to tell a story in or out of the ring outside of his spots. It sounds good, because everyone seems to be covering for each other, and everyone stands to benefit.

But next thing you know, whenever title matches are being granted, it's only your friend who's involved, and he always takes one of your managers to help him out.

In short, only two people are getting over at this point. You cut a promo that makes everyone rally behind your nWo, but who gets the title matches? Your friend. Everyone else is left to the wayside, and your friend is all set to finally break out because he's been getting over thanks to your stable, since he can only go so far alone. For our purposes, let's call your friend "Kurt".

Yet here you are, still getting your own matches and your own support, but come match time, who's at your corner? Nobody. Your stablemates are nowhere to be found, but you're expected to be at their corner to draw heat on your group when it's "Kurt's" match. Any single title match you get through your stable, is always for the European Title. Why the Hades would you even want that when you're clearly at least Intercontinental Title material already, and more likely than not, World Heavyweight Title-worthy?

And now, the Royal Rumble is coming. Your stable is expected to win it, but on the eve of the event, "Kurt" all but tells you that you should go and take a dive for him to get the main event at Wrestlemania.

What's wrong with this picture?

.:The Problem With This Picture...:.

Is that clearly, a certain unfairness is happening. Instead of being helped by your stable, you are actually being held back because while "Kurt" and his manager are getting over as a duo, you and the rest of the nWo appear little more than supporting characters to him, despite the fact that it's you the crowd clearly wants with the belt around your waist.

Whenever he main events a PPV, who gets the bigger payday? He does.

Whenever he gets a title shot, who gets the TV exposure? He does.

Whenever you develop a cool new finisher, who gets to use it on TV? He does.

Whenever you get a tag match, who plays the "partner in peril"? You do.

So who gets the hot tag? He does.

He gets all the opportunities to grandstand, all the opportunities to get himself over, and you don't get anything but chump change and wins against jobbers in return for helping him out. It's ridiculous, and you really should wake up and smell the coffee.

Why the Hades are you putting up with it? Is it because Kurt is your friend?

In professional wrestling, or professional magic for that matter, when it comes to a clash of personalities, you have to realize, there are no friends.

This travesty has gone on for long enough. It's time to take a stand. No more of this being meek as a lamb and taking injustice all for the sake of friendship.

Yatta!!!

2008-03-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

.:I Did It!:.

Before we get into what I "did", let's link you to a couple of videos to give you the general gist...

Part 1
Part 2

It's 20 minutes of your life well-worth spending. Trust me.

.:Having Said That...:.

Well, the thing is, I performed exactly that very effect for Mindstorm practice last weekend. I'm definitely happy about having finally devised a way to subliminally program the audience to pick a specific paper, a specific page, a specific piece of the page, and a specific word, all through very carefully scripted wordplay meant to lead them to no other choice but to do exactly as I have surreptitiously directed them (subconsciously) to do.

I performed the effect twice in a day, using a bunch of newspapers I asked from Sonny Minoza, since we were performing at his house. Yes, no gimmicks or anything of the sort. The effect was nearly impromptu, which meant my scripting could've used a lot more work, but it proved sufficient, and definitely floored the kids I performed it for. Considering this wasn't going to be a visual smorgasbord, the fact that the effect made 12-year old kids really stare at me with mouths agape in amazement made me feel it was definitely one of the best effects I've ever performed.

Later in the evening, I performed the effect for The Story Circle, and while the word they chose wasn't as powerful as the first one, I had some refinements during the second performance that really made them sit and take notice of what just happened. I made sure that the apparent method was going to fry laymen and most magicians alike, mainly because of how I kept on describing to them what was going on and how I was eliminating various "explanations" people could come up with to rationalize what just happened.

Given the minimal amount of props needed (A bunch of newspapers to choose from, and something to write your prediction on.), this miracle of subliminal programming is just about next to none.

So as I said, "yatta"!

New Magic Post In My Main Blog...

2008-03-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

Just check the MisterVader blog out. :)

Sunday's Big Event...

2008-02-24T03:56:00.000-08:00

.:Tektite Madness:.

I had a combination stage and walkaround show for today, and it was a pretty strong effort, overall.

Admittedly, I had a bit of kinks to work out when I opened my stage show, but not only did the close-up segment of my performance compensate for that, I regained my bearings as soon as I began my Ring Through Rope Routine. The kids were fun to work with, although I was a bit worried they'd deform my Ring, since they were tugging at it pretty hard.

Nonetheless, my brief stage show really turned a lot of heads, and I'm glad it worked out pretty well, although my mentalism bits were still the effects that had the best reactions. The Blindfolded Rubik's was definitely finale material, and I'm glad that the people I performed it for appreciated that one. It's definitely something I love doing, especially since nobody in my circles is currently doing the effect.

I still have one more show next week, then it's going to be quite a ways before the next scheduled one, which is still in May. Perfect time for me to see if I can find any chances to actually go and do more mentalism in the future...

New Magic Post In My Main Blog...

2008-02-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

Normally, I post magic and mentalism stuff here, but this post was just too big to leave off of my main blog, so check out my thoughts on the Berglas Effect.

Two Shows. One Day...

2008-02-23T01:39:00.000-08:00

.:Now I Know How It Feels...:.

There was a time when Bing once told me about how it was to have to do multiple shows in a day, and now I know how it feels.

Considering that my oral exams with Dr. Kaelin was going to be a relative success, I was generally in high spirits about doing two shows in a row, since one was hosting and walkaround for a children's party, and so my usual bag of tricks was going to be sufficient, while the other was going to be a sorta stage mentalism show, which meant I was going to be in my element despite it being a stage show.

.:Bowl Me Over:.

It was a really great day in the bowling alleys of Eastwood, as Santino celebrated his 7th birthday. I met a few guests who were also there during Gianella's party, so it felt like a mini-reunion. The parents of the celebrant had me over to host a fun bowling tournament, and to award not only the top three bowlers, but even the two best bowling teams for the day. They pulled out all the stops. They had trophies, medals, and even loaded Power Cards for the winners. The food was courtesy of Magoo's pizza, so you know what to expect, although they had some Lechon on the side.

It was a pretty easy-going time for me, to be honest. Close-up magic was never a problem for me, so performing for kids and adults alike didn't intimidate me one bit, and the kids were charming to work with. They were every bit as nice as the kids during Raphael's party at Hard Rock were a pain in the whatchamacallit. Of course, that simply meant that I wasn't going to have any problems at all, and hosting the party with cooperative albeit enthusiastic kids was going to be loads of fun. I was tempted to bowl, even.

After two hours of bowling, the winners were announced, everyone went home with a loot bag, and I ended up with a disc that I needed for the Ring through Rope routine, courtesy of the celebrant.

Definitely one of the best children's parties I've ever performed for, especially since I did both magic and hosting for them.

.:Reedley's Freak Show!:.

Yes. I cater to skeptics and hecklers, too!

I hustled back to Reedley immediately after the walkaround, and found myself with only a few minutes to prepare before it became my turn to do something freaky for the school's Thanksgiving Day. This was despite a certain issue that happened the day before which we must not speak of.

Anyways, I had a couple of warm-ups by doing Sufoku and "Thinking On Your Feet", then followed it up with O.R.B.S., Plunge Of Death, and then Liquid Metal. By the time I performed Black Ops Hypnosis, everyone was sufficiently freaked out, and if I do say so myself, this was one of my better performances.

I'm a bit miffed with all the attempts to "break the code" of my performance, as it were, though, because it's rather offensive and disrespectful to me. To put it bluntly, I performed for free and for people's entertainment, and for them to adversely affect my performance by attempting to debunk it, well, even if their attempts were easily disproven, I found it a tad annoying.

Despite that, I got quite a lot of good feedback from my performance, and I definitely cemented my reputation as a mentalist that night.

Even then, I couldn't hold a candle to Mr. Vengco, whose mind-splitting performance really brought the house down, as he broke watermelons with his head.

It was an awesome time. Other than the slight annoyance, I had a great day all around.

Magical Recap...

2008-02-17T03:54:00.000-08:00

.:Feuds?:.

Meh. I think I'll pass.

.:The LEAP Of Faith:.

Last Monday was DLSU's alternative class day, and I was pegged as a speaker/lecturer for a good three hours about street magic. According to RJ, my contact in DLSU, I was going to teach basic street magic to some students, and while of course, the easiest thing to do would be to teach them card magic, I wanted to add a little something aside from that.

Cakit was there with me, which made my life much easier as he helped me brainstorm a few things, including something for Mindstorm, and this helped me finalize my routine for the upcoming show. At the same time, he helped me out during the lecture as well, particularly when demonstrating basic sleights like the double undercut.

Anyways, it was fun because even RJ showed off a bit of magic when he talked about the ZTE scandal (Something I still haven't mulled over enough to blog about, sadly.), and when it got to me, I opened with Mel Meller's "Thinking On Your Feet" to get myself warmed up. I proceeded to teach them some classic effects, opening with Ultimate Transpo, then moving onto "Wow" as if to "repeat" the effect, then teaching them a few self-working effects like the 26-card, 21-card, 8-card, and Glide effects, plus some 2-Card Monte to top it all off. In between routines, some card sleights, forces, and controls, were also discussed.

After having sated their appetite for card effects, I moved on to teaching them a couple of other effects, namely, The Ring Thing, and my own Sponge Ball routine. It was a blast, because they really had fun, and it was something that I was sure they wouldn't have problems doing at all if they had the necessary items.

I concluded the day with a bit of mentalism to just floor them and make them realize that there's a lot more to learn than just the stuff I taught them. I showed them O.R.B.S., Liquid Metal, and the Wizard Manual, and called it a day.

All in all, it was an excellent teach-in. Here's hoping that I've inspired a few potential magicians with this effort.

.:Saturday's Double-Header:.

Last Saturday, I did walkaround, and then a round robin of mentalism effects for P.E.N. Since the whole P.E.N. bit was just performers doing mentalism for each other, I think what would be more interesting to discuss would be the walkaround, because it was for a children's party at Burgoo in Rockwell.

I was particularly inspired before heading out that day, because my Beloved dropped in on me. It was so sweet of her to see me.

In any case, I did my magic for kids, but I concentrated a bit on mentalism, which apparently wowed the celebrant, Justin. I mainly did A LOT of PK, and lo and behold, the kids were so busy trying to do PK, I ended up performing for the adults instead, since the kids were so occupied trying to move stuff with their mind. It was a fun sight to see, five to ten kids staring at a knife, trying to tip it over a table.

That being said, I really only performed a few effects, and completely stayed away from playing cards. I had ESP effects, sponge balls, a bit of Liquid Metal, a few PK routines, a time-stopping effect, and of course, Positive-Negative for me to give out my calling card. The kids were enjoying it, but the adults were likewise impressed with the performance.

Surprisingly, my walkaround ended relatively early because the party moved to the moviehouse at 1:30, as they went to watch Spiderwick Chronicles. I had a great time there, and the kids enjoyed themselves with just a bit of magic from me, and their amazing imaginations to just simply fuel them further.

Mindstorm!

2008-02-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

.:Mindstorm Takes The Entertainment World By... Storm:.

Many searches have come and gone our way in Philippine television.

We've had searches for the next pop music idol. We've had searches for the next matinee idols. We've had searches for survivors and housemates and nearly anything else you can think of. Whether you call it a talent search or a reality show, we seem to have exhausted every single search we can think of.

Or so we thought. Be prepared as Philippine television will be taken on a mind-boggling journey with Mindstorm: the first Philippine search for the next big Psychic Entertainer.

Tentatively scheduled to air on July 20 this year on Studio 23, Mindstorm brings together seven of the Philippine's top Psychic Entertainers in a showcase of unbelievable feats of the mind, including telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, and hypnosis. These aren't your average fortune tellers from Quiapo: these are the upper echelon of Psychic Entertainers, all skilled and famed performers in their own right. They're hungry to prove their worth, and they are here to entertain you like no other performers could.

Mindstorm is not a simple competition: it's a showcase of skills that before we've only been able to imagine in our dreams. It's the chance for any of these seven individuals to make their mark on the Philippines as they take the viewer's breath away with feats that defy explanation. To say that you will be shocked and astounded is an understatement. This is a genuine exhibition you wouldn't want to miss out. No stooges. No camera tricks. No limits.

Judged by veteran Psychic Entertainers David Elefant and Sonny Minoza, Mindstorm guarantees a showdown of the best for everyone who wants to be amazed like never before.

Seven Psychic Entertainers. Three finalists. One victor. A night filled with awe and wonder over the mysteries of the mind. To miss out on this would be a crime.

The Trek Of Goodness...

2008-02-04T23:58:00.000-08:00

.:The Trek Of Goodness:.

Saturday marked yet another walkaround children's magic show for me, and I sure ain't complaining! It was a great party all around, and while I was supposed to entertain mainly the kids, the celebrant's mother wanted me to entertain the adults more, which I pulled off mostly by using Liquid Metal to good effect. People have seen magicians before, but rarely do they run into mentalists, at a children's party, no less.

What really made the show interesting was that Liquid Metal got the best reactions throughout the day. There was this kid in particular who was a bit shy, and wasn't too keen with the Sponge Balls, but once I did Liquid Metal, she did a double take, and next thing I knew, she was hooked.

I did a lot of the Sponge Balls, which amused both kids and adults alike, as well as a bit of card tricks, including Mel Meller's "Thinking On Your Feet", and of course, the usual mentalism staples like the O.R.B.S. effect (Blindfolded Rubik's Cube), and Liquid Metal, plus a little bit of Positive-Negative just for good measure.

.:Little Did I Know...:.

That I was actually performing for Mr. Chavit Singson and Ms. Angelu de Leon during last Saturday's show. I was really not thinking about it at all, but now that I had the time to recollect my thoughts... well, I'll be darned!

That, plus the fact that Balloon Creations liked my effort so much, meant that I found myself booked for four more shows up until May. No complaints there at all! Hehe.

It's A Heavily Booked Month!

2008-01-23T23:48:00.000-08:00

.:Finally, Progress:.

January has been a surprisingly good month for magic and mentalism, as I can count four bookings so far, with the potential for one more in the wings.

It's funny though, because most of my bookings have been for children's parties. That being said, I had no choice but to start learning some standard stage effects that they use for parties, which means I'm trying to bring my children's party magic up to par with my mentalism.

While I doubt that they genuinely are at pace with each other at this point, I can safely say that I've improved my kid's party magic a lot, what with some new effects I've been working on, such as sponge balls, Richard Sander's Fiber Optics, and a few touches from Mel Mellers all the same. This is a great month, and I'm having the time of my life learning new things. It's been keeping me from being stagnant.

.:Magic Club Adviser...:.

In case you didn't know, I was nuts enough to start two clubs in Reedley: a Philosophy club, and a Magic club. Being adviser to those two clubs is just really an amazing experience.

Sure, the Philosophy club is also great, especially since they're watching "Battle Royale" at the moment, but at the heart of it all, it's the Magic club that really challenges me to improve. I'm teaching them magic, and when you get down to it, I can't teach them if I'm not particularly good at it, so I've been working extra hard to make sure that I have enough material to teach them outside of plain old card tricks.

For the third quarter, progress with the club has been slow. I was limited to teaching them card tricks, so I was trying to get them to learn the mechanics of classic card effects, and struggled while they were figuring out how to do the Biddle trick. Do realize most of these kids have never been exposed to magic before I came along, so their knowledge of magic would mostly be limited to 21-card tricks and the like. I had to teach them Oz Pearlman's four effects from "Born To Perform Card Magic": the Biddle Trick, the Ultimate Transpo, the 2-Card Monte, and the Ambitious Card.

All in all, the students are managing, but when I left that behind to move onto sponge balls and ropes and rings, they were really enjoying the club more and more, particularly when I started giving them tips on where to get magic items that would be really useful to them and such.

They were especially amused by "Over The Head" when I performed it, mainly because the volunteer who was the subject of my routine had no clue at all what was going on, and there was much laughter when I made her cellphone disappear right under her nose.

I am really enjoying running the club. My students are all understandably over-enthusiastic, but despite that, it's all good. With kids I have to teach new magic to on a weekly basis, I have to learn new magic regularly myself, and I've been improving on that count very steadily, as I've really learned how to work sponge balls and at least a third of Fiber Optics already.

Yep. This is a really promising time for magic. Here's hoping I can sustain this all through the end of the year.

Yeba!

2008-01-17T20:44:00.001-08:00

.:Party! Magic! Yeba!:.

Last Sunday was a really interesting day for me, as I had a walkaround gig for sir Freddie of Neutral Grounds, where things went pretty well for the most part. It was a children's party, but the tables I went around were mainly the adult tables, since I didn't want to encroach on Wan Lu's performance, who was both host and stage magician.

In any case, it was fun doing my magic again after a long stretch of nothing but mentalism. Sure, I definitely had lots and lots of mentalism mixed in during my table-hopping, but once you whip out the sponge balls, you just know it's going to be more magic than mentalism, and that's just fine. I definitely have to extend my gratitude to TSC because some of the guys like Mike and Anthony really helped me learn a sponge ball routine in just one day.

It was awesome, to say the least, and I can't wait to get some practice in for my next booking, which is another children's party. It'll be the first stage show I'm doing for children in a bit, so I really want a new routine to accompany that.

Sir Freddie was pretty pleased with the results of my walkaround. The guests were especially amazed by Liquid Metal, and it was exceptionally amusing to find out that the mom of one of the people I performed for in ToyCon was actually the balloon lady at the party. It was really amusing because it was testament that it's a really small world after all.

It was even more fun when I demonstrated sponge balls to my magic class as well. Doubly so when I ended up doing “Over The Head” for them, and they were howling at the part where I made the volunteer's cellphone disappear right under her nose.

You had to be there to believe it.

It Was A Magical Saturday...

2008-01-12T22:05:00.001-08:00

.:Round Robin FTW!:.

Last night, The Story Circle had a very interesting gathering at the Rotary Club, what with all of us being required to perform something for everyone to see.

There were some notable performances, like Resemble's comedy routine (No magic at all!), Trycks's routine, and Cardician's. I was a bit happy about the routine I employed though, which was Mel Meller's "Thinking On Your Feet", a variation of the classic "Sam The Bellhop", except with jumbo cards and painful puns. I think the people were amused, for the most part, even if my performance needed work.

A big thanks to Anthony, Mike, Cakit, and Trycks for helping me out with working on sponge balls and other ideas for my show today.

Well, I'm off soon. Wish me luck! This ought to be good.

A Throwback

2007-12-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

.:Finally Putting This One Up...:.

One of my older videos. First time I was recorded on camera doing a performance...

Enjoy!

The Past Shows...

2007-12-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

Yes, this will be a mentalism-driven post.

.:Sapulso, Finally:.

If you still haven't seen the clip, you can check it out here.

Well, they finally aired the episode of Sapulso where I was featured as a mentalist along with street magician/former child star Lester Llansang and The Story Circle member Crizz. While we weren't shot together, it was fun watching the episode, definitely.

I met the crew of Sapulso a few weeks ago to shoot my segment, as I went through Starbucks Katipunan, UP Sunken Garden, and TIP Aurora to demonstrate a wide range of mentalism effects including Positive-Negative, Liquid Metal, PK Touch, and the ORBS (Osterlind Rubiks Blindfold Solve). It was a fairly lengthy shoot for a two to five-minute segment, but it was well worth it, as the results were pleasant and I got a pretty good reaction from the people. Mentalism is akin to Puroresu compared to Magic's "sports entertainment". In Japan, the audience isn't as rowdy, but you know they appreciate the show.

It was a really good run. I could've fixed some glitches here and there, but for the most part, I had no regrets. It's not everyday I get good feedback from my mentor, so I'm taking that for sure.

.:Kurismas Pangkalawakan:.

Last Saturday was party-time for Cosplay.ph, and I must say, it was a great party at Joy's place, and I've run into a lot of awesome members of the Philippine cosplay community, including "Hard Gay" Khel (I need the h in there to distinguish him from me. Heh.), Nissie, Jewel, Adz, Robert, and of course, Markpoa.

That being said, I walked into a trap, as I found myself part of group 5 (Starship Santas FTW!), getting myself involved in everything from doing macho dancing to dressing up one of our co-members for "Pretty Crossplayer", which was a riot and a half, as we saw things we unfortunately can't unsee.

After great food, great stories, a round of "Jeopardy" where nobody seemed to remember that you answer in the form of a question, I was called upon to do my routine. I didn't keep things long, and just went for some predictions, coins, numbers, and then following up with metal bending, and concluding the presentation with some mass hypnosis and a book test.

In any case, I made some new friends that day, and it was an awesome time, as I went off to meet up with TSC immediately after the party... although being browbeat by Jewel to get a Nintendo DS was an unusual way to cap my day off... heh.

When Skeptics Attack!

2007-12-16T19:01:00.000-08:00

This interestingly clueless tidbit just in...

"Mornings at ANC is just a show and like any other show they aim for high ratings, there is a possibility that the production crew are accomplices to the act, while the fact that the show 'maybe' shot live which removes the possibility of camera tricks and special effects for the fork bending it is still possible that the forks used are trick forks. There is also a possibility that the positioning of the glass of water was pre-determined"

Obviously, the person placing these suggestions is being facetious, because...

1. Trick forks? Who needs trick forks? This is just highly amusing.

2. Pre-determined glasses? I'm sure it was also a pre-determined cube done with a blindfold, right?

Skepticism with no amount of knowledge whatsoever? Just sheer hilarity. The best skeptics are born because they know better, not because they don't know a single thing.

Well, that being said, it's a bit sad that the challenge for the Psychic Entertainment Network under test conditions will simply be, well, put off for until next year.

.:DFA Sucks!:.

I'm sitting here, waiting for my chance to get my records at 2 in the freaking afternoon. Wonderful. What a waste of a morning here.

My TV Appearance!

2007-12-11T22:40:00.000-08:00

.:It's On YouTube, guys! Enjoy!:.

It's my TV appearance last Monday. Hope you guys like it. :)

So...

2007-12-10T23:43:00.000-08:00

Anyone watched last night? How'd you like it? :D

Once More, With Feeling...

2007-12-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

.:It's Tonight!:.

Don't miss out on Monday's telecast of my mentalism, at QTV-11, Sapulso, 10PM.

Hope you guys would enjoy it!

TV Plug!

2007-12-09T02:33:00.000-08:00

.:Still Exhausted!:.

That field trip really got me out of sorts, but I'm managing.

Nonetheless, don't miss out on Monday's telecast of my mentalism, at QTV-11, Sapulso, 10PM.

Hope you guys would enjoy it!

I'm A Bit Miffed Over This, But Hey, What Can I Do?

2007-12-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

.:I'll Be On TV Next Monday, December 10!:.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Sapulso episode yours truly will be featured in is happening next Monday, at 10 PM, still on QTV 11.

I don't know if I should be miffed that the show was postponed, or that next to nobody watched last night that they didn't even know it was postponed... =(

Yes, it's still the magic/mentalism feature, and I'm representing the mentalism side of the spectrum.

.:Nice Seeing You Again...:.

Hi Crissie! Bye Crissie! =P

Still Shilling For Tonight!

2007-12-02T22:07:00.001-08:00

Yes, I'm shilling again. I'll be on TV, Channel 11, QTV, tonight, at 10PM. Don't miss it!

My TV Appearance Tomorrow...

2007-12-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

.:Watch Out For Me Tomorrow On TV!!!:.

Don't miss out on Kapulso, Monday night on QTV Channel 11, at 10PM! I'll be featured as a street mentalist, performing as well as having an interview of sorts.

It'll be loads of fun, rest assured!

.:Thoughts On Things I Have To Accomplish...:.

1. A performance guide...
2. A frank essay on my thoughts on the state of Philippine magic, or at least, the magic groups I'm in the proximity of. It will step on a few toes, but it will all be honest and recommendatory, more than anything else.

Snide!

2007-12-02T05:33:00.000-08:00

.:That's Snide...:.

So I got my hands on Ellusionist's coin-in-bottle tutorials, "Factory Sealed", and "Bullet". It's pretty sad how the fall from grace for the E has resulted in them taking a potshot at former E-member Wayne Houchin (Now of Theory 11.)has led to them taking what I view to be a veiled swipe at Houchin at one of the videos.

At the start of "Bullet", I believe, Justin Miller stomps on a can and says that "bottles are the new cans", which is in allusion to "Sinful" by Houchin, a coin-through-can effect.

Not very amusing at all, E. Not. Very. Amusing. At. All.

.:Brushing Up:.

Treated myself to a whole day of watching instructional videos to brush up on my knowledge base, and it's done me a world of good, to say the least. Needless to say, I'm glad...

I'll Be On TV!!!

2007-11-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

.:Mentalism Feature!:.

Next Monday, December 3, I'll be on QTV-11 at 10PM, demonstrating some mentalism.

Hope you guys can catch me there! :)

Success!!!

2007-11-18T04:23:00.000-08:00

.:Talecraft FTW!:.

I had my mentalism demonstration using Talecraft at yesterday's Komikon.

It was a smashing success.

Will fill you in on the details next time, but I'm a happy panda.

Starting PEN...

2007-11-06T17:10:00.001-08:00

.:Time For PEN...:.

I met up last night with Nomer and David Elefant to discuss how things should go for PEN, and I must say that it's looking real good.

We'll keep you posted what's next on our agenda...

TV Appearance Here...

2007-11-04T02:02:00.000-08:00

.:And Here We Are... My TV Appearance...:.

Well, as you can see, it's not like I claimed any special powers. As I always say, my abilities are always in the realm of psychology and humanism, and hey, it works just fine for me.

Part one...

Part two...

Enjoy!

Press Release...

2007-11-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Much credit to Richard Osterlind for the format of this announcement.

What Is The Psychic Entertainment Network?

The Psychic Entertainment Network, or P.E.N. for short, is the tentative name for a collective of Psychic Entertainers. It is the first and only one of its kind in the Philippines.

What Is Psychic Entertainment?

Psychic Entertainment is the use of widely discussed skills of the mind, such as telepathy, psychokinesis, clairvoyance, and so forth. Unlike others, however, this is done mainly for entertainment purposes.

Psychic Entertainment is one of the most sought-after attractions in corporate events, trade shows, private parties, and even at times in mall tours. To say that there is a steadily increasing buzz about the craft is an understatement, and the credentials of these psychic entertainers with their own personal specialties, more than speak for itself. Collectively, they have done shows for the likes of SM North EDSA, SM Mall Of Asia, Podium, EDSA Shangrila, Hyatt Hotel, Eastwood City, I-Blog 3, Ayala Aeon, and the Philippine Toy Convention.

Who’s Who In The Psychic Entertainment Network?

Nomer Lasala is an accomplished Aura Reader and Psychokinetic who has been doing psychic entertainment for years. His ability to move objects with but a mere thought has been the subject of much debate and consternation among some of his contemporaries, who are practically unilaterally admirers of his work. One of his most well-known talents is metal bending, where he demonstrates his ability to move silverware without exerting physical force or the like.

Kel Fabie is the master of Remote Viewing: the ability to see through other people’s eyes. Through this gift, he has demonstrated in numerous public performances his ability to solve a Rubik’s cube blindfolded. Others who do blindfolded solutions require some time to study the shuffled cube before applying a blindfold. In contrast, Kel solves the cube by mentally visualizing the colors of the cube through the eyes of another person observing the cube with him. He applies the blindfold before the cube is shuffled.

Lei Sarmiento is a Wiccan who practices the art of the occult. He is also a member and writer for the Wiccan community in the country. His skill at gaining powerful insights into other people is also exhibited when he does Tarot card readings and the like. Few people can match Lei when it comes to his apparent connection with the intriguing and mysterious world of the occult and paranormal.

Sonny Minoza is a well-known Psychic Entertainer who specializes in Clairvoyance: the ability to foretell something before it even happens. With his nuanced performances involving psychology and outright uncanny intuition, his hit rate of getting predictions correct is as accurate as any quack fortune teller telling us that “the elections will be messy”. Given his impressive repertoire and resume, it is easy to imagine why he is practically a household name in the Psychic Entertainment circles.

David Elefant has been a Psychic Entertainer since the 1970’s, and he has written books on the topic in the past. His knowledge of the art is virtually unmatched, and his range of abilities is the stuff of legend. To describe his range of abilities to you would not do enough justice to his over three decades of experience as well as expertise in the field.

How Can We Entertain You?

Whether individually or collectively, these Psychic Entertainers are available for numerous different functions, including but not limited to parties, corporate events, trade shows, and lectures. Given the versatility of these Psychic Entertainers, they are capable of entertaining all sorts of people, from children to adults, in all types of venues, from hotels to trade floors, and are fully capable of incorporating some other forms of entertainment to further enhance the experience.

These performers have the ability to perform in several diverse albeit complimentary formats. They are flexible and adaptable and through this they ensure that clients maximize their entertainment investment, and reap unparalleled returns from the astonishment and profound entertainment of attendees.

In a nutshell, these Psychic Entertainers will pull out all the stops in order to entertain you and your attendees. Why bother with the same old song and dance routine? Think- and let your audience think as well! Give them an experience that they will continue talking about long after the party’s over.

Close-Up (Walkaround): The performer/s will approach tables or individuals and demonstrate their skills through a variety of simple tests in order to entertain them through feats of psychokinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, and the like. This is perfect for quiet dinner parties, or even in between sets of stage performers or entertainers.

Stage Show: The stage show typically follows dinner, and often as one of the highlights of any program. Here, the performer/s will conduct several tests of his skills onstage and ask the audience to participate as he does it. The stage show can also be confined into a parlor show, to demonstrate these skills even to children at children’s parties with more visual implements in order to attract their attention.

Trade Show : Whether as a booth where the performer/s will entertain your audience, or even as the attraction of choice at your hospitality suites, Psychic Entertainment at Trade Shows is definitely a big deal. Be it through various tests of skill, or even Aura readings or Tarot Card readings, these performers are fully capable of drawing traffic to your Trade Show.

Don’t Be Left Behind!

Don’t be fooled. Settle for nothing less. The Psychic Entertainment Network is available for bookings for a wide variety of audiences and functions, from stage shows to lectures to birthday parties. If you want top-notch entertainment that grabs everyone’s attention, then get in touch with us.

… In fact, we already know you want to get in touch with us. ;)

Success!!!

2007-11-01T02:20:00.000-07:00

.:The TV Appearance Of The Ages...:.

Well, guys, it looks like the Psychic Entertainment Network was a hit this morning at ANC.

Three guests were there: Nomer, David Elefant, and myself.

While I really wanted to do my effect on television in its unadulterated glory, the floor director didn't like the idea of me potentially drinking acid instead of milk, and so they opted to go for water instead. Be that as it may, the effect still worked to good effect, and it still had some measure of suspense to it. They even showed some clips of me solving a rubik's cube while blindfolded.

While David didn't do anything for the people on the air, his air of authority really helped carry the point across, as Nomer proceeded to demonstrate Liquid Metal to the hosts.

After the show, Nomer was literally swamped with text messages asking about us and if they could book us.

Well, looks like we're off to a good start. Perfect way to start off November, what with yesterday being an awesome day spent with My Beloved... we just pigged out on movies, as we watched three movies at home.

Lemme Reiterate...

2007-10-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

.:TV Appearance Tomorrow!:.

Tomorrow, I'll be making an appearance for an interview regarding psychic phenomena in ANC around 9:30 AM or so. I'll be doing the Acid Test, so this will be a doozy that you better not miss out on!

.:What Business Do They Have Exposing The Art?:.

Last Saturday, GMA-7's program, "Imbestigador", had a segment where they exposed several magic illusions including the Zig-Zag Lady, the Linking Rings, and even a locally devised effect known as "Burikadabra".

For a program that prides itself in bringing to justice the less desirable elements of our society, it boggles the mind why they would make it a point to disrespect the art of magic and expose these effects? Has it ever occurred to them that these people perform and keep a code of secrecy to preserve the integrity of the art? Or are they too concerned in exposing magic for no other reason than to just bring the craft down even further?

Programs like these are not unlikely to find themselves at odds with pirates: people with no regard for intellectual property and profit off of it. Isn't that what they just did here? Did they ever care about the livelihood of magicians whose credibility they undermined with their exposure? Did they even care that they were divulging ideas that they did not themselves own, and almost assuredly did not pay for either?

It's a slap in the face of an art that has made it clear that they deal in deception to begin with. People pay to be deceived. To even compare the art of magic to street hustlers and swindlers is an outright insult to magic as a whole.

What business does Imbestigador, a show meant as a public service, in sticking their noses into someone's decent, honest livelihood? If they want to do a witch-hunt of quacks and frauds whose claims bite off more than they can choose, sure thing, but expose magic wantonly and irregardless of the fact that people pay their bills through it? That's just uncalled for, especially when it even goes as far as to trample over intellectual property rights?

This isn't just a protest over something petty. It's a protest over a very unethical, unscrupulous, and willful exposure of an art whose key to success is secrecy, for no malicious reason, but simply to entertain. It honestly makes no sense why a reputable program like Imbestigador would go against its own principles of fair play and justice and flat-out ignore the welfare of magicians trying to make a living all for the sake of what? For the sake of ratings?

Count me in as someone who wishes to file my indignation against this program.

TV Appearance!

2007-10-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

.:A Discussion On Psychic Phenomena...:.

I'll be at ANC tomorrow around 9:30 AM, for the November 1 episode where I and fellow TSC member Nomer will be interviewed about psychich phenomena. =)

Awesome!

This Saturday, I'll be on Lovely Day as well, on GMA 7.

Random Update...

2007-10-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

.:Jon Stewart, The Green Lantern...:.

Picture from Shaft Agents...

.:Bookings Galore!:.

I'm booked to go and do magic every Sunday at Global Fun Carnival in Mall of Asia...

And then, I'm doing mentalism in The Block tomorrow and Tuesday. Real awesome, to say the least... I have a bunch of gigs after a long time...

It's Never Too Late...

2007-10-04T01:46:00.001-07:00

Finally, More Magic...

2007-09-28T00:16:00.000-07:00

.:Mixing Mentalism With My Children's Party Routine...:.

Let's face it. Children's party magic is expensive. You need lots of colorful, gaudy props, at times, even live animals, and compacted versions of stage magic effects just so you can keep the interest of kids going.

Mentalism, in contrast, is a relatively low-cost endeavor, which is ironic when you realize that it plays off very well in a stage setting.

That being said, last Sunday, I found a way to have a decent mix of the two going, albeit I have to admit that it wasn't perfect yet, it was, at least, interesting in that I knew for a fact that it worked well enough, since doing ORBS, Liquid Metal, and the Wizard Manual, while all very much mentalism effects, still captured the fancy of the children, even if some of them were preoccupied with me pulling their underwear from out of them. =P

The Weekend Report...

2007-09-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

.:Talecraft!:.

Well, after having given them ample demonstrations, it looks like I'll be doing a little something come the comicon for Talecraft. I've developed a mentalism finale that will suit their cards just fine, so I'm glad I have this opportunity.

Now, all I really need is to develop a proper story that I can use, and I'll be all good to go, for sure.

I can't believe how short my blogging has been lately! Blame work and Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for that, I guess, because that's what's been eating up most of my time lately.

.:Missing My Beloved...:.

I'm a bit sad I haven't been seeing her long enough lately... truth be told, she's had lots of free time, but I'm the one who's almost eternally occupied, sadly...

.:Guys, Guys, Guys...:.

... could you let up on teasing you-know-who? She doesn't appreciate the attention much...

.:Work Is Burying Me!:.

I'm bushed. I really am. Lots of stuff happened, and last I remembered, I was doing, of all things, a substitute class for P.E. for one of my three favorite classes!

I swear, that just really made me freeze for a moment.

I'm no slouch, but I'd be the last guy you'd expect to teach P.E. class, so I was really amused that I ended up doing substitution over the weekend, to say the least.

Now, time to get off the computer for a bit because I *really* should be recording papers already... gah.

Gah!

2007-09-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

.:Out Of Touch:.

How's the blogosphere lately? I've been so busy with work, I wouldn't know where to begin to catch up already!

Expect this trend to keep up for quite a while, where I'd only have one or two substantial posts a week, sadly...

.:TSC Mini-Gathering:.

Hung out last night with Nomer and Jake, and the ideas we've been exchanging have been awesome. The fact that the three of us had an inclination for mentalism really made for an interesting discussion that evening, so I was really happy about how things have been turning out.

Anyways, lots of stories were swapped, and there were oodles of comedic moments as well.

Weekend Report...

2007-09-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

.:PTC Day?:.

Last Saturday was the first time I took part in a Parents-Teachers Conference, and I must say that it was very interesting to say the least.

To protect the identity of my students, I won't mention any names, but let's just say that the whole gamut of requests was practically run past me, although I am glad that I got along well with most of the parents, and it was definitely a good, engaging time with most of them. Truth be told, I was really just glad to find the opportunity to meet some of the parents, and they have been very encouraging, and the students have been telling them about that other thing I do lately... so yes, there was also a bit of mentalism.

Well, it was a pretty great day, and hopefully, I continue on this fairly good trend of getting along with my students and their parents...

.:Bessie-Moo's Birthday!:.

Well, Estelle actually had her birthday last August 20, but despite that, she had her party last Saturday night, and it happened in RJTV bar. It was a laugh and a half, particularly since there were two magicians and a stand-up comedian in the festivities, and I must say that performing over-the-head with a confederate really slays your spectator.

That being said, I'm glad Estelle had fun at her party. I brought my A-game there, and I'm glad to hear how Jay has been complimenting me on the stuff that I've been up to. I had a similar congratulatory note from sir Bing last time I dropped in on him, so that has definitely made my day...

Apparently, my presentation style is so lively and engaging that my actual skill is of little relevance to the show already, since they're almost more interested in what I have to actually say! =P

.:Sunday Was Loaded...:.

Well, it was loaded in that I ran into some tournament players. I didn't even know there was a tournament yesterday, so I was just glad that I got to hang out with some people.

When Trade Shows Attack!

2007-08-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

.:When Trade Shows Attack: The 3rd Music And Arts Festival Aftermath!:.

Saturday and Sunday were days meant to wow the crowds in SM Megamall, as I went and took part in the 3rd Music And Arts Festival over the weekend, armed with my mentalism routine that's normally not meant for walkaround. That being said, both days were really interesting, albeit cosplayers were present during Saturday, but I managed to do magic for much more people on Sunday, even when I went down to the Neutral Grounds tournament area and did a blindfolded Rubik's solve that attracted the attention of a lot of people. I was genuinely surprised when I took the blindfold off and found myself practically surrounded, and soon enough, I displayed quite an interesting mentalism repertoire that I managed to pull off solely because I finally managed to be seated on a table to rest.

Saturday and Sunday were fairly fun days, to say the least, albeit I definitely wished I had better opportunities to approach people. I found myself on camera a couple of times, particularly when I ran into people from UniversiTV and JackTV. It was all good, really, and I can't wait until I start getting some new items for my walkaround to be a complete package and with as little props on me as possible. While I love using props since it proves to yield extremely visual magic, I think being able to come to a walkaround session with only a couple of decks of cards and maybe a few billets and coins and the like can really help minimize the clutter I feel when I do walkaround, since my walkaround involves bringing a book, a white board, a rubik's cube, two different blindfolds, and a gaggle of other props. Definitely one of the most elaborate walkaround routines money can buy, but obviously because it's almost a stage show brought down from the stage to the walkaround level...

Anyways, after everything has been said and done, it was a very fruitful two days for me as far as my magic goes. There were very appreciative audiences all around, and I'm definitely glad that I found the opportunity to really hang out in Megamall and perform to really just get my name out there in the open...

The Mentalism Workshop!

2007-08-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

.:Whoa, You Just Never Stop Learning!:.

Last Friday was the venue for The Story Circle's Mentalism Workshop, and considering how much I devour material on mentalists, that night was a refeshing and reinvigorating time for even the more veteran mentalists among us, like myself, TJ, Lei, and Nomer.

It was all about getting people used to the basic concepts of mentalism, and how it stands apart from the rest of the art, as I outlined in The Mentalist's FAQ, as taken from Richard Osterlind. So we talked about four of the most commonly used aspects of mentalism:

1. Telepathy - The ability to read a person's mind.
2. Clairvoyance - The ability to foresee something that has yet to happen.
3. Psychokinesis - The ability to move objects without employing physical force.
4. Suggestion - The ability to control or influence another person's mind, including but not limited to hypnosis.

Anyways, we talked about a lot of general concepts, such as the Q and A segment, the Book Test, the prediction, the 1A/1B principle, and so forth. What was really amusing was the fact that when they tried doing a representative version of Psychometry, and someone was thinking of a celebrity.

Turns out, I got it right when I made a guess... was this celebrity Maria Ozawa? Yes it was.

The funny thing was, I wasn't exactly the performer at the time. It was Lei who was doing the routine, but I just tossed an offhand joke which turned out to be a hit... heh.

Aside from that, we went about demonstrating a whole bunch of classic effects, and what really made the night awesome was the realization that mentalism really has a lot of hard work needed to make it work, because if the criteria for magicians would be technical skill and presentation skill, mentalism's technical skill requirement is so minimal, but the presentation skill requirements are astronomically high. In any case, it all works out for people who really put a lot of work into their craft, as would be the case in pretty much anything one would want to do, to begin with.

This was a really great seminar for people with a mild interest in mentalism, as well as veterans who'd want to share ideas and give themselves a chance to remind themselves of old gems they may have discarded only because they forgot about the effect already.

Kudos to the organizers of this seminar, Lei and Nomer. Kudos as well to all the people who went to the workshop and made this one a hit, since your thoughts and ideas are precisely what allows the craft to evolve into an art that is uniquely your own. It was a really great time for all the people involved, and who says mentalism is boring?!? Let this stand as living proof to all those naysayers:

I rest my case.

To All JackTV Or UniversiTV Viewers...

2007-08-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

.:I Have No Idea When I'd Show Up On TV, But...:.

... if you guys run into my TV appearance, can you guys let me know how it went? I'm supposed to appear on either or both of those channels because they caught me on camera while I was doing my walkaround magic at the Music And Arts Festival... =P

Thanks!!!

A Prelude

2007-08-26T23:27:00.000-07:00

.:Eventful Weekend FTW:.

Just to let you know what's been happening during the past weekend, here's what I was up to, before I mention details...

Friday:

- The Mentalism workshop with The Story Circle.

Saturday:

- Did some walkaround magic for the 3rd Music And Arts Festival at Megatrade 3.

- Spent time with a colleague at work, just bonding.

Sunday:

- Had a smorgasbord lunch buffet at Cafe Ysabel for my mom's graduation from Culinary class.

- Did more walkaround magic for the 3rd Music And Arts Festival. =)

The Mentalist's FAQ

2007-08-24T00:58:00.000-07:00

.:The Mentalist's FAQ:.

These answers are taken from the site of one of my biggest influences in mentalism, the world-famous Richard Osterlind, although I changed some answers to suit me personally, which I will note in blue font.

This is the resource to refer to if you want to know exactly what a Mentalist is.

What is a Mentalist?

A mentalist is an individual with the ability to identify and manipulate one or more of the parapsychological elements of the human psyche. I, like Osterlind, have specialized in the areas of ESP (Extra Sensory Perception), Mindreading, Psychokinesis and Suggestion.

Is a Mentalist a magician?

It's difficult to answer that question without raising some very tricky questions. Yes, most mentalists are also magicians. Yes, both mentalists and magicians seem to achieve things that seem to be outside the realms of reality.

But if the definition of a magician is one who "tricks" people through illusion or sleight of hand, then a mentalist is not a magician. When you watch a magician, you know he is fooling you, and the only barometer by which you are entertained is that you, despite knowing full well that you are being fooled, cannot pinpoint how he does it. A magician's implicit promise is a challenge to you: you will not catch him.

A mentalist, in contrast, is someone who "collaborates" with people to achieve their feats. If the person is in the least bit unwilling to aid the mentalist as he attempts to undertake a particular test, then there is a good chance that the mentalist will be unable to achieve what he intends to achieve. A mentalist's implicit promise is a collaboration with you: you will help him achieve the seemingly impossible.

Is a Mentalist psychic?

The term "psychic" has been a bit overused and abused in today's media. It conjures up everything from carnival fortune tellers to the infamous "Psychic Hot Line." I think it is fair to say that everyone has the potential to exercise some level of extrasensory or non-physical power. Much like a sense that can be sharpened to compensate for the loss of another sense or the way human memory can be expanded and sharpened, one's psychic potential is always an unknown until it is revealed and explored. The ability to focus on that potential and to expand its boundaries is at the heart of a psychic's extrasensory power.

Like Derren Brown, I emphasize that my skill in being "psychic" is less about being psychic in common parlance, and more a display of psychology, insight, suggestion, guesswork, misdirection, and showmanship. While I will make no claim of having special gifts that none of us can tap into, I can safely say that I am one of the few people who actively choose to tap into the vast well of the innate potency of the human mind, both as a Philosopher and a Mentalist.

Can you "read my mind?"

I have yet to see anyone outside of Hollywood who is truly able to read someone else's mind. Having said that, I believe - and demonstrate to an audience's delight - that it is quite possible to detect individual thoughts or thought processes, to explore them in context with other indicators or clues (verbal, non-verbal, historical, etc.), and influence what a person will think. This is called suggestion or "Power of Suggestion."

Can an individual prevent you from reading specific thoughts?

The human mind is an amazing thing. Just as there are widely varied levels of intellectual capability, people vary greatly in the degree to which they open themselves up verbally or non-verbally, consciously - or unconsciously. We always hear about how certain people are more susceptible to the power of suggestion. Others are reluctant to open themselves up to the concept of psychic energy and paranormal phenomena. The truth is, without someone who is willing to meet me halfway on stage, the mind retains its secrets like an iron box.

Do you ever use illusion in your show?

I am an entertainer. I love mystery and creating mystery. I always try to give the impression what I do is extraordinary. That involves using illusion in the same way as theatrical productions, movies and television. The goal of my performance is to create an environment that includes humor, awe, and wonder.

Are you ever wrong?

Mentalism is an art that requires a lot of attunement, and to say that I have a hit rate of 100% would be absurd. In spite of that, I would say that over the time since I have gone public, I have been steadily improving my skills to a very reliable rate, as most of the people who have seen me perform would know.

Do you ever teach any of your skills?

As a friend of The Story Circle, a good deal of them are privy to some of my work and my insights, albeit I am not alone in that department insofar as the members of TSC are all very aware of the workings of the mentalist. However, I am a teacher by profession as well, and welcome the opportunity to impart my skills to those willing enough to learn, and have used my skills to aid my attempts at elucidation in seminars and classes that I have been involved in.

What do you wish to accomplish?

As a Philosopher and as an educator, I am after the unlocking of wonder within those whom I do my mentalism for. In a world of cynicism where we seem to know how everything works, it is comforting to know that the very thing that tries to make sense of our world, our minds, is the very thing whose potency we understand the least.

As an entertainer, I desire nothing but the utmost entertainment of my audience. Whether through a humorous performance or a nerve-wracking crescendo, I am willing to pull out all the stops to make my mark as a Filipino mentalist, as an "ambassador" of sorts to the rest of the world in the realm of mentalism.

Sheer Hilarity

2007-08-24T00:40:00.000-07:00

.:Dan Michael: The Master Magician:.

Hi. I am Dan Michael. I believe that with magic, there is nothing impossible to the naked eye.

To see is to believe, and to believe is to dream, and to dream is to survive.

That is why I am the Master Magician!

I don't think I need to say anything else beyond that. Just watch and weep. Tin siykunds!!! =P

A Big Request, And Magic-Related Stuff...

2007-08-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

.:A Heads Up:.

After this post, I am considering if I should post exclusively in my magic weblog whenever I will do any magic-related press releases. When I do that, I will simply direct you via link to the Magikel blog, which I am hoping to make far more interesting in the coming weeks, albeit I'm still very iffy about showing a lot of my magic on video.

As much as I want everything to be found on my main blog or my LJ, it seems making a semblance of a break between my magic and the rest of my life would keep myself from ingratiating myself to readers who don't want to see me shilling myself for gigs, which I feel justified doing in the Magikel blog.

In any case, whether or not I will do this to establish a clean break remains to be seen, but do let me know what you think, because I really am unsure about doing what I intend to do, since I personally like finding all my posts in one place.

.:A Request To My Blogger Friends:.

For those who are willing to spare me some pictures, I am in the process of creating a brochure of my magic and hosting work for potential clients. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to request anyone willing to send me pictures if you've ever taken a picture with me in a blogger event, whether it be for magic, hosting, or just plain hanging out. I've been very shoddy with documentation, but I'm hoping I can still scrounge up some pictures and the like for a brochure.

Please provide me with a name and a website so I can fully credit you if the picture you send me ends up in my brochure. Furthermore, if anyone would be willing to make testimonials for me regarding my magic, that would also be much appreciated, be it via e-mail, or over the blogs itself.

I know this is a pretty big request I'm asking of you, but I really need it to get my publicity machine going. My e-mail address is at mistervader@gmail.com, so anyone who's so kind enough to help me out a bit would very much give me some cause for joy. =)

Thanks to everyone, in advance!

The After-Partymath

2007-08-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

.:So I Have This Friend Named Audrey...:.

Funny thing about one of my co-teachers, Audrey Tong.

Apparently, her middle name is Uy, making her Audrey U. Tong.

That's just wrong. =P

.:Must. Make. Weekly. Plan. First.:.

This is the last non-teaching day I have in Reedley, so now is a good time to make sure I acclimate myself to how a weekly lesson plan ought to look like.

Unlike Philosophy and unlike college teaching, high school teaching has an inherent amount of difficulty to it, marked by its incredibly rigorous way of dealing with students, in contrast to the generally more laissez faire method employed in college teaching.

For the longest time, I always said I will forever hold elementary and high school teachers to a different level of regard from even my favorite college teachers. Yes, my favorite college teachers are all brilliant and shaped me in unbelievable ways, but at the end of the day, what Ms. Rivero did for me in high school will forever be on a level all its own, regardless of how huge an influence the likes of Mr. Bulaong or Mr. Calasanz have managed to exert on me.

And now, I'm heeding one of the most challenging vocations on Earth: teaching high school. I can't even begin to tell you how daunting it is to someone like myself, but it's a challenge I will myself to face.

.:Taste Asia 2: When Sequels Outdo Their Predecessors:.

Picture taken from Aileen Apolo. Marcelle the host, and Sorsi, the head-banging rock star? You be the judge!

Taste Asia 2 was a success, much kudos to SM Hypermarket and Aileen, and I'd like to give a shout-out to my co-host, Sorsi, as we just really enjoyed hosting the event for the 400++ strong crowd composed of bloggers.

It was a fun-filled night, and congratulations to all the winners, of course including the likes of Anton Diaz, and the grand prize winner himself, Anitokid!. With so many raffle prizes to give away that we ran out of calling cards to draw from our fishbowl, practically everyone who came there did not leave empty-handed, or at least did not leave with an empty stomach. As I always do, I did some magic for the people there, although Tiffany promptly made my jaw drop by showing me how to really solve a cube. Turns out Tiffany is a speed-cuber, and she can solve cubes in a minute, flat. My best time, whether blindfolded or otherwise, is a mere two minutes, so much respect to Tiff for that feat.

In any case, it was an awesome night, and funny quips left and right were thrown throughout the event. The food was really great as usual, and the people were a joy to perform for, particularly when I actually did magic for the Taste Asia people already, including even the waiters, along with the management. It was a really good run, as I did a bit of Liquid Metal, some Ultimate Transpo, and of course, the Closeup Illusion. The Wizard Manual also served its purpose, and all in all, I was really on a roll, and hosting the event was quite an experience in itself. It did my heart much good as well when someone from SM Hypermarket told the people watching me perform that I wasn't a magician: I was a mentalist. Finally, the notion *is* catching on!

I hung out for a while even after the party to just talk to friends here and there, and it was all good. Much thanks to Shari for letting me hitch a ride home, and a happy birthday to her dad as well.

Again, a big shout-out to everyone who was there, and it was a really great experience! One can only hope this is just the second of even more events courtesy of SM Hypermarket.

You can be sure I'll be around to support them in any way I can. =P

Beginning To Understand An Ethics Of Deception

2007-08-22T01:01:00.000-07:00

.:Why Mentalism?:.

For someone who wishes to write a dissertation on the ethics of deception for his doctorate, it's a bit odd that the particular branch I specialize in would be mentalism, which is just a stone's throw from the charlatans of our times, the mediums and the quacks who try to pass off their abilities as genuine supernatural abilities that make their clients hang on to every single word they have to say.

While I do enjoy mentalism, I deliberately keep the opportunities for my audience to be influenced beyond my performance to a minimum, because I really do not want the kind of responsibility that comes with shaping people's lives through a reading of their personality that, while most of the time accurate, is still never foolproof. Reading a person involves psychology, insight, and quite an amount of guesswork, so the fact that you will influence a person, and unlike a teacher, cannot follow up on the effect you managed to catalyze in them.

As a teacher, if I would shape a student, I would have the ability to guide that influence in the proper direction, because I know I would deal with my students often enough to be able to do so. As a mentalist however, I have no such capability since more often than not, that will be the first and the last time I would ever meet that person. Thus, that being the case, I cannot help but underscore that while I certainly have the potential to read people to a tee when I do mentalism, I have little choice but to not rely on it as much lest I influence people adversely.

Despite that obvious conflict, mentalism is still arguably my favorite branch of the art, because it stands as arguably the last bastion of the art, insofar as in a world of special effects and made-for-tv magic, mentalism still holds the morally ambiguous distinction as one of the truest forms of the art that still remains, because of the simplicity of its nature and its dependence on an audience that is not out to see the performer fail.

I choose mentalism because it taps into the unexplored realms of the human person's abilities: it taps into the sense of wonder, yet at the same time is grounded in reality because in a time where everything can seemingly be summed up handily by science, the small nagging questions about clairvoyance, psychokinesis, and telepathy, still hold an allure all its own that few other things in this planet can hope to even approximate.

Mentalism may not require you to have knuckle-busting skill, but the kind of mindset you must constantly and consistently will yourself into when performing does not come easy, even for those with an innate gift for it, as it were. It requires restraint, subtlety, and showmanship all at the same time, and the mix one needs to endeavor into these three factors are unique to mentalism all its own.

Ultimately, as someone who wishes to specialize in ethics for Philosophy, mentalism proves to be a lived example of the fine line that only it manages to cross with much aplomb, that fine line between ethics and deception.

Wheee!!!

2007-08-22T00:29:00.000-07:00

.:And I *Still* Haven't Started Teaching...:.

It's Wednesday, and while I was introduced to one of my classes today, aside from the fact that I might be way in over my head in dealing with high-school kids, it would appear to me that I don't really start teaching until next week.

That being the case, I'm going to make the most out of my breathing room at the moment. I really am enjoying the company of my co-workers so far, and meeting the German intern Sven was really fun as well. I hit it off pretty well with most of the people here, especially with Benj, who also owns a PSP, and Audrey, who I just find so easy to talk to about anything and everything, considering we've really only been around each other for three days.

I like it here. And things have been making interesting turns left and right the last few days, so it's all good...

.:That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles...:.

Last night was the launch for the Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe branch in U.N. Avenue, as organized by Jayvee, and it was definitely a success. As always, the usual suspects were there, such as Ms. Noemi, Shari, Sorsi, and Karlo. I even met a few new people, like Nikki, who happens to be the niece of one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Dy-Liacco!

Anyways, I went there as I was tapped by JayVee to do a bit of mentalism for the people, and I came through with all-new material. I want to do another effect over, and I may get a chance when I get to host this Thursday for the SM Hypermart event tomorrow, as requested of me by Aileen, but at the end of the day, I was just glad to have entertained people that night, and slowly but surely, opportunities to take my show on the road have been slowly presenting themselves to me.

Blindsight, Liquid Metal, and of course, the Wizard's Manual were huge reaction-getters that night, even if I was actually using Liquid Metal purely for walkaround at that point, and no longer for stage. The owner of Mrs. Fields was visibly impressed by the effect, and even Nikki and I exchanged souvenirs: I got a copy of her book, The Yellow Paperclip With Purple Spots, and she got a Liquid Metal fork in kind.

It was fun hanging out with all the bloggers, truth be told, and the quote of the night just simply had to be:

Hindi ko naman kelangan ng lalaki, eh. Masaya na ako sa sarili ko.

So pinapaligaya mo ang sarili mo?

Pure gold, and to protect the identities of the culprits of this dialogue, I shall stay mum about it. Heh.

This week is definitely a loaded week for me. On top of my current gigs as listed in one of my recent post, I'm also going to do a children's party for The Ranch in Tiendesitas next Saturday. There are a few more projects here and there waiting in the wings, and it's all good, considering how just a week ago, I was lamenting the lack of gigs coming my way.

For better or for worse, when it rains, it definitely pours.

Randomicity...

2007-08-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

.:Saturday Night Magic:.

It was a fairly quiet night for the TSC last night, but it was all good. I did a bit of crashing for a few people at Megastrip, and my first go was when I did magic for some Persians at the behest of Drac, and as soon as he was introduced, he never let go of those spectators.

Meanwhile, I crashed for a couple more people, but I was also doing some magic for a new TSC member, Marla, who was particularly amused by mentalism, and towards the end of the night, me and the rest of the guys were just having fun doing comedy magic for each other, and unbelievably, Marla was actually amazed by the levitating ballpen effect! Heh.

Magical Plugs

2007-08-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

.:Shameless Self-Promotion:.

I was tempted to do magic for Quentin Tarantino when he was in town as well, but that would've solely been for bragging rights. It's not like a guy trying to get a drink in the Philippines while on tour would be particularly helpful to a guy like me... =P

Despite that, I ended up doing the unthinkable last Friday night while I was waiting for Sean: yes indeed, I hung out at Pilita Corales's restaurant, and I did magic for her and Kuya Germs! At this point, I'd like to think I impressed them well enough, and Kuya Germs was telling me he'd want me to guest at his show, Walang Tulugan, sometime soon.

Shameless self-promotion FTW!!!

.:Scheduled Appearances...:.

This week is a particularly loaded week for my magic, so anyone who's interested in seeing yours truly in action would be pleased to know that this is what I have lined up for the week...

21 August, Tuesday: Mrs. Fields relaunch at UN Avenue, 7PM.

23 August, Thursday: SM Hypermart, Mall Of Asia, 7PM.

24-26 August, Friday-Sunday: Music And Arts Festival, Megatrade Hall 3, 3PM onwards (Except Friday, where I'd probably be there only during the evening onwards.).

Hopefully, things would really pick up from here, because I've been going out of my way to really plant the seeds for me to really break into the scene, and with nothing but the best magic and mentalism effects in my repertoire, it's not a matter of how far I can go, but how far I'm willing to go.

Magical Thoughts...

2007-08-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

.:Genuine Street Magic:.

A few weeks ago, Carlo from TSC and I went and did street magic around Ortigas in the middle of the night, and it was definitely a hit! We went ahead and just walked around, and the reactions we got from the people was just awesome.

Nights like these, I’m reminded why I do magic in the first place… here’s hoping we can do more of that in the future.

.:And Finally, Sightless Vision Is Here:.

I finally got the Richard Osterlind blindfold and it just simply works like a dream. Last Saturday night, I demonstrated O.R.B.S. at least four times in a row at Starbucks in Araneta, and at one point, I solved the cube while being observed by a speed cuber, who was thankfully at least impressed from what I did.

That being said, I had a good run last night. Following after Leonard's magic really works out well for me, mainly because our routines are so widely different that the audiences don't feel bored despite seeing close to half an hour of effects already. I don't think Nomer and I would have the same kind of luxury.

Leonard's over the head routine was incredibly fun as well! It was really amusing seeing him floor his audience with the simplest of effects, and the high energy level of the performance really gives people quite a rush.

In any case, I've been designing a few effects, one of them involving Talecraft. Here's hoping that I can ask permission from the makers of Talecraft to feature the effect in a magic video. That'd be really awesome, since there's nothing quite like a mentalism effect where you construct a short story prediction from Talecraft cards your audience would pick.

Anyways, Starbucks Araneta was an awesome venue for The Story Circle. One can only hope that there's more where that they came from in the future.

.:Book Tests Galore:.

I'm currently going over the new book tests I acquired last Wednesday, and I think I'd like to give a review or two for the books I got. They're really awesome, for the most part, and I think it's high time I did some product reviews of the magic items I've been acquiring over time. It's the least I can do.

That being said, I got my hands on the following book tests:

1. The Wizard Manual, by Docc Hilford
2. Double Coincidence, by Devin Knight
3. The Dracula Book Test, by Black And Cherry
4. The Sherlock Holmes Book Test, by Black And Cherry

Those are the four book tests I got, in order of preference. I really like the Wizard Manual a lot, while the fact that the Sherlock Holmes book test doesn't stand on its own turns me off a bit. Regardless, it's all good, but I should've really gotten my own copy of the Dracula Book Test. I just ended up keeping it warm for Jay, really.

.:Pow Wow:.

Hanging out with the TSC people and Jay Mata has been giving me a lot of ideas for new effects, so we have the likes of a Talecraft story prediction effect, which just really goes over pretty beautifully, if only I can figure out one little hitch in the method...

In any case, Jay and I are considering how to improve stuff for our shows even further, and we kinda resolved to work on a better book for the Wizard Manual, as well as working on developing homemade versions of some other Osterlind effects, like Transparent Forces.

Bushed, As Usual...

2007-08-13T00:12:00.000-07:00

.:Frustration:.

For a magician, hecklers could be the worst kind of people you'd ever meet.

However, I am inclined to think otherwise.

I truly believe that the worst spectators around are the ones who practically destroy your props, whether by sheer carelessness or outright malicious intent to ruin you.

Last Saturday, I was treated to the rare privilege of performing, upon request by another magician, for a group of people containing two of the worst possible types of audience ever: the said heckler who had something to say every five seconds, and the blithering nincompoop who heavily damaged my Wizard Manual finale.

I cannot conceal how annoyed I am at the one who asked me to perform for his friends, because he knew in the first place that I was going to deal with a mouthy know-it-all in the audience, when I wasn't even going to do "magic", to begin with. I was going to simply do mentalism, and the bloody fool, in her desire to be the star of the show, was too stupid to remember the two words I asked her to remember on the page. My only vindication was when one of the other people asked me if I could turn her into a monkey, and I snappily retorted, "It's been done already."

Nomer, friend or no friend, I'm never going to do magic upon your request ever again. That was a horrible experience that just pissed the Hades out of me. The Wizard Manual does not grow on trees, so I'm being exceedingly nice in not asking for a replacement.

Le Sigh...

2007-08-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

.:And The Ink Has Dried...:.

... Yet somehow, I feel I'm getting the short end of the stick. I'm actually going to making less than I was making from WAVE with my new job, but I guess the normal hours should at least make up for it.

But I just wish I had more breathing room financially. Now, having gigs isn't a "nice-to-have", it's turning into a must...

.:That Took Guts...:.

I approached Pilita Corrales and Kuya Germs last night in Greenhills to give my calling card.

I should've prepared a demo... =(

Guh... Unemployment

2007-08-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

.:It's So Weird...:.

After three years, I'm *really* unemployed.

It feels so weird being unemployed, even if I happen to still be a student. I guess it just feels so unnerving, as if this isn't how it's supposed to be for me.

And now, I'm feeling the crunch. Until September, I have no source of income whatsoever, and it's been rather disorienting for me, since for all of my previous company's shortcomings, they were still a reliable source of income...

I know this seems rather blatant of me, but I am really calling on anyone who can help me out of this pickle, because this month may just very well get the best of me otherwise.

Most of you reading here know who I am, and what I do. I am an accomplished host and master of ceremonies, as well as one of the more high-profile mentalists out there not named Sonny Minoza or Erik Mana. I would really appreciate help from any of you who might be able to give me leads and contacts I could use, because I really want to take the next logical step in this "career" of sorts.

I am very much available for bookings, and all you need do is e-mail me at mistervader@gmail.com. I'd really, really appreciate it.

Thanks, guys. This is one of those times where I really can't just coast along. It's time for me to really step up...

Hodgey Podgey

2007-08-03T07:42:00.001-07:00

.:Hodgey Podgey:.

Magic items arrived, and I even took the time out to meet up with bloggers in two different gatherings, both involving Yehey.

That being said, I'm too busy to blog properly, and I know I've been delinquent for the past couple of weeks. I can't help it, really, and I'm disappointed in myself, too.

I've been marketing my shows lately, and I'm hoping that I get something out of that this month.

In any case, my thanks to my two favorite guinea pigs for effects I plan to debut, namely, Crissey and Shari. You guys have been a great help in allowing me to gauge how to routine my new stuff.

I'll Be On TV Tonight!

2007-07-24T12:54:00.001-07:00

.:The Sweet Life HP7 Launch Episode Is TONIGHT!:.

Check out "The Sweet Life" on QTV-11 tonight, 6:30 PM,as I will be having my fifteen seconds of fame as the magician at the Harry Potter 7 Book Launch they covered last Saturday in Fully Booked @ the Fort.

Lemme know how you like it!

.:Fully Booked Recap:.

So yes, I was booked at Fully Booked (I love saying that.) as the magician-on-call for the Harry Potter 7 book launch (Book Review coming next week, but I finished the ruddy book on the same day I got it.). I got there around 6:20, a good forty or so minutes before the store was going to open, and I immediately saw people in line, albeit not as many as we anticipated at the start.

I immediately got to work, and performed for the first six people in line. They were genuinely pleased with my routine, as one of them was genuinely floored even by my Ring Thing opener, and the Ultimate Transhypno effect was worthy of being a finisher for this group. Nonetheless, I capped my short routine off for them with Liquid Metal, and left it at that.

From there, I moved onto various people, and even ended up being interviewed by some people from QTV-11, and someone from Correspondents Asia, although I think they got disappointed to find out I wasn't a member of Hogwarts Philippines, which was mainly because I have a sinking feeling if I started joining NWA-affiliated organizations, I'd spread myself out too thin. I also love The Matrix, LOTR, Star Wars, and so forth, so if I joined PHP, it'd be a crime not to join the other groups. But I digress.

So in any case, I performed for the next couple of hours, including once for Hope and her cousin. I had some other performances here and there, but I kept my routine mostly the same as most of my walkaround bits everywhere else, since I knew that stuff has always served me well.

However, I knew I was merely gearing up for a short stage presentation, and I told Paolo of NWA about that. I was slowly building a reputation for Osterlind's Rubik's Blindfolded Solve (Henceforth, this effect shall be refered to as ORBS.), and I knew it had to be done.

With much fanfare and a few preliminary effects, I managed to pull the effect off smoothly, and with that, I capped my bit off, and went ahead to collect my bounty: among other things, I received a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for my efforts, and hopefully, a good deal of awareness that there's yet another magician/mentalist running around the metro... =P

Oops!

2007-07-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

.:Erratum:.

Apparently, my TV appearance on Channel 11 wasn't tonight, but this Wednesday night, around 6:30 PM. This is for the show "The Sweet Life", and features my magic gig last Saturday for the Harry Potter book launch.

That being said, hope you guys can catch it!

My Magic On TV! (Hopefully)

2007-07-23T00:04:00.000-07:00

.:The Sweet Life, QTV Channel 11, 6:30 PM:.

Hey, guys! I might be on TV tonight, or tomorrow night, because of the show I did for the Harry Potter book launch at Fully Booked last Saturday.

Lemme know how it turns out, since I have class!

Thanks!

Magical Update...

2007-07-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

.:Booked At Fully Booked!:.

I'll be there at the Harry Potter 7 launch of Fully Booked in the Fort. I know it's way too far and way too early at7 in the morning, but I'm sure there'll be a lot of people there. Perfect opportunity for me to build my rep up...

I'm still looking for bookings. Here's hoping I find a few more by August...

.:Pre-Show: A Call To A Gellasenheit Of Wonder:.

Well, as I mentioned, I was booked on a Friday the 13th by Sir Nonoy and his wife, as there was a birthday party they wanted me at, the 79th birthday of the man fondly known by his grandchildren as Lolo Etong. Unlike most of my other bookings, I was going to do a pure mentalism act, and I was fairly glad I finally got the chance to flex my muscles in this endeavor.

So I got there at Kamay Kainan early enough, and I was preparing a few of my items, which is why I brought a jacket with me, which was purely going to be for walkaround. I had a few decks of cards, and of course, my ring for the De'Ring + Ring Thing routine, as well as some effects for my calling cards. Soon enough, dinner was served, and as I was famished, I made sure to fill up before even starting. Performing on a competely empty stomach is not good at all...

Food was great. It was a buffet of Filipino cuisine, so you have everything from Bistek to Liempo to Kare-Kare. That was really awesome.

In any case, walkaround was a very simple matter of course. I usually do this stuff, but I had to give everything I did, barring De'Ring, a mentalist edge. The Ultimate Transpo was a demonstration of low-grade hypnosis, and it worked very well. It was a setup for my attempt at mass hypnosis later on in the night.

This was a unique experience because the kids in attendance, the standout being Alwin, were genuinely interested in mentalism. Normally, mind-reading is a concept lost on kids because they're more likely to go for the visual and spectacular magic, not the subtle yet mindboggling effects mentalists do. The fact that I personally endeavor in both allows me to experience the differences firsthand.

That being said, there was ample anticipation built up by my walkaround routine. It was only a matter of nailing the stage show when we finally get there.

.:The Main Event: Mission Accomplished!:.

Let me give credit where credit is due. Much gratitude to the five main originators of my act: Richard Osterlind, Max Maven, Banachek, Morgan Strebler, and Devin Knight. I picked and chose the best elements of these five upstanding mentalists, resulting in last Friday’s program. Of course, my thanks to the people who directly led me to these esteemed people: Mr. Bing Lim-It, and Dr. Ronnie Moraleta.

Unfortunately, just so I don't give away the contents of my routine in public, I will simply say that I've done a lot of effects that were meant to floor the audience present, and I'll let their glowing comments speak for itself instead. I'd want to keep people on their toes so they don't know what to expect from my show except that it's going to be one Hades of an experience for them.

I'm glad they enjoyed the show, and I can only hope that there's more opportunities for me to amaze people this way to come.

Prelude To Friday The 13th

2007-07-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

.:Hey, Jay!:.

My thanks to Jay Mata for lending me his Pegasus Page copy of The Prestige. I must say, he did a pretty brilliant job at it, not to mention the few other stuff he constructed himself, which is just perfect for my next booking...

.:Speaking Of Booking...:.

Yes, blogging works! This Friday, I'll be doing a mentalism show for a birthday party, and I have prepared a stunning repertoire meant to really floor everyone. I'm going to take a page from Derren Brown's book and just run with it... ::winks::

So for anyone else who wants to add some pizazz to their parties, I'm still available for bookings (As I usually am.). It's time to unlock the boundaries of the mind, courtesy of yours truly. Feel free to reach me via e-mail at mistervader@gmail.com. =)

Wish me luck on Friday! I have a packed show!

.:Thanks, Crissey!:.

I owe Crissey a bit as well for being my willing guinea pig for my take on Black Ops Hypnosis.

I haven't perfected the effect yet, but the fact that Crissey *did* forget what just happened made me smile. Looks like I got things down to pat for the most part...

Looks like I have a finale for tomorrow's show.

.:Friday The 13th? Pah!:.

I'm... not... scared... Aja!

Taste Asia: The Party

2007-07-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

.:Bloggers Assemble!:.

So last Tuesday night, at the behest of Aileen Apolo, I headed off to SM Mall Of Asia where the bloggers got together. My memory is failing me, but I remember running into quite a few popular bloggers, and I'll do the link-loving thing when I get a comprehensive enough list. Heh.

In any case, I came prepared with a short but sweet mentalism routine that was designed to really make an impact: Disposable Color, Nile Derivation, Lightning Box, Liquid Metal, Fork Flower, and the Blindfolded Rubik's Solve. Sorsi and JayVee were hosting, so it was definitely going to be a hilarious program whatever happened. After Aileen spoke up, Sorsi mentioned to the SM people that someone has been swiping their forks, and they're going to find out what this guy happened to do with these forks, and that was my cue to go up and do my schtick.

In any case, for a taste of one of my favorite acts that night (The Osterlind Fork Flower, here's a thousand words (Ergo, one picture...), originally from Karla Redor:

The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you!

And of course, Much thanks to Alliver and PJ, who were my “eyes” when I solved the rubik's cube for my finale. This time, the picture is originally from Alan Racoma:

I'm blind! Blind as a bat! How blind is a bat?

Well, it was a success all the way, and I managed to complete the cube quickly enough. Shari was her usual self, just staring in utter disbelief at the fork bending at her behest. Her brother, Robby, was more of the same. During dinner, I ran into a lot of other bloggers, and even a lot of other people I knew from outside of blogging. All in all, it was a really eventful night, and even latecomers like Rico and Sasha were welcome additions to the celebrations. One of the earlybirds would naturally be Ms. Janette Toral, and with blogging celebrity Ms. Noemi Dado, this was a star-studded event, to say the least.

Taste Asia's food was eclectic, considering how they had everything from sisig to siopao, and just about everything in between. The food was splendid, and with the mix of food they had available, there was definitely something for everyone, to say the least.

All in all, the party was a veritable success. One can only hope more of these events turn up soon enough, seeing how well-received it was by the blogging community.

Congratulations to all the people who made this possible! This was just a really awesome meeting of the minds!

And, as ganked from Aileen: Link-Loving galore!

An Apple a Day
Pinoycentric
Zoul1380's The Daily Me!
Misteryosa
Project Manila
Ramblings of a Princess
Sexy Mom
Ceskypooh's World
Keysinunez.com
Bambastic
Single Brown Mommy
Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?
Touched by an Angel
Teacher Julie
Bababa ba?
Ultradust
The Thumbsucker
Mimi and Karl (Cliquebooth owners)
Jerico
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Wonder

2007-06-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

.:The Sense Of Wonder: The Philosopher-Mentalist's Harmony:.

"We see the world, not the way it is, but in the way we are."

- Talmund

It's easy to get lost and jaded when you have nothing but angst to fill your waking moments. When you just feel like there's no cause for you to get up out of bed, and nothing is driving you any longer.

As a magician, I have learned that my ability to entertain lies in my ability to unlock a sense of wonder in my audience. There are times I achieve this, there are times I simply don't. While doing the best magic show I can could certainly unlock wonder in a lot of people, there will always be the skeptic or even the heckler who wants to prove he's better than me and act unimpressed, all the while figuring out whether quietly or otherwise how this or that effect works.

It's a very subtle dichotomy: how receptive your audience is to the concept of magic, and how good your execution and persona while performing happens to be. For the most part, you can rest assured that even the most skeptical of audiences would at least begrudgingly respect the most skilled prestidigitationist, but not everyone can channel Chow Yun Fat in "Lord Of Gamblers", so relying on pure skill and cheek would sometimes be insufficient.

Magic is viewed, as is any other thing, with varying degrees of acceptance or skepticism, not merely because of what you can do as a magician, but also because of how the audience thinks. While this is common sense to any performer, some people still overlook this, and end up getting into a one-upsmanship contest with a given spectator.

The moment you do this as a magician, you pretty much have conceded defeat already. No matter how good you are or how bad the offending spectator is, in trying to compete with them, you defeat the purpose of helping them unlock their sense of wonder. Instead, you're now just flat-out trying to show them up.

In knowing our motivations, our passions, and the things that drive us, we see that a sense of wonder does not necessarily rely on how old someone is. While it's true that children are in general more entertained by magic than adults, and women more than men, and drunk more than sober, this does not mean that performing magic for sober adult men will never pay off. Believe it or not, despite my personal preference of usually selecting a group which is predominantly female, the best reactions more often than not come from the few male spectators in the group.

As I am taking up Epistemology under Dr. Angeles in my Masters for Philosophy, she emphasizes that a sense of wonder is something that allows us to dwell, to linger, and to focus on something. In an age of fast food and fast cars and fast internet connections, there is much to be said about a deliberate and conscious effort to slow down and smell the proverbial roses from time to time. In having a sense of wonder, anything we do never ceases to be exciting. Even the most repetitive of routines can be made spectacular simply by finding the discipline to dwell, linger, and focus. This ability to dwell is precisely what Heidegger endorses in several of his writings.

The key to developing a sense of wonder is habituation. In allowing one's self to find the small miracles in the simplest of things, in allowing one's self to find elegance in the seemingly crude, then one embarks upon a path only the most serious of magicians genuinely take: that of learning to astound even themselves.

It’s easy to be jaded because of what we see in the world. It’s easy to take the worst in what we see and ignore that which is good or beautiful or worthy of praise. It’s not that a magician is a bad performer most of the time, it’s that the jaded magician does not see himself as the broker of wonder. He sees himself as an employee, or as an amateur, or sees magic merely as a means to an end, and the way he views his craft lends an impact and an aura to his performance that most of the audience catch on to. This is what sets apart any regular street magician from a David Blaine, or any regular stage magician from a David Copperfield. These two famous prestidigitationists have an intrinsic sense of wonder in the very things they do. In short, the audience’s sense of wonder is inextricably tied to that of the performer’s!

Yes, I am a magician, but even I must learn how to have a sense of wonder. It’s easy to brush off another version of, say, the ambitious card routine, as a trick “I’ve seen a thousand times before”. Yet why does such a simple yet elegant routine still persist to this day. There is a reason why the Ambitious Card is a classic, and there is a reason why the classics are still popular even now. To ignore the basics in favor of the so-called new and cutting edge is to bypass a seemingly tedious but genuinely rewarding aspect of the craft: mastering the fundamentals.

The sense of wonder for a magician is in finding the amazing and astounding even in the simplest of effects. Before even attempting to do Bill Goldman’s “Free Chance”, knowledge of a key fundamental move must be mastered first. Even I found myself guilty of bypassing learning this very basic move in favor of doing the effect right away, often taking away from the overall impact of the routine. While learning swivels, undercuts, and other seemingly mundane principles would appear boring to the eager magician, those who have a genuine sense of wonder learn to appreciate how the most effective effects are usually the ones with the simplest principles behind them.

Who here doesn’t appreciate the unbelievably simple yet elegant forces at work in Anthony Billan Co’s Mindbender? To those who find that upon “killing the fairy” they are disappointed, I feel dismay for them. Mindbender is one of my favorite effects not just because it is very impactful and happens right before the spectator’s eyes, but it’s also because what makes it work is just so brilliant that it’s a surprise nobody published the effect sooner!

It’s not just the spectators who need a sense of wonder. We as magicians do not have absolute control over that, to begin with.. We ourselves need to have a sense of wonder in our own routines, no matter how many times we’ve done it in front of a mirror before. We have to learn to believe our own hype and learn to view our effects with the same kind of enthusiasm we wish our spectators to meet us with. Unfortunate is the prestidigitationist who looks at the “correct” hand while doing a French drop. A pox on the elite who look down on the novice and destroy their confidence instead of helping them learn.

In having a sense of wonder, we learn to sell ourself. In believing in our own magic, we not only take the audience on a journey, but go with them with the same wide-eyed awe that we wish to imbibe in them.

The real world is full of jaded people who can’t see beyond what they tell themselves to see. There ought be no room for that for the prestidigitationist, lest he be no different from the hoi poloi that he hopes to uplift through his simple means.. Let the magician be the key to unlocking a sense of wonder in those whom they deal with, and be the advocates for those who wish to dwell, linger, and focus.

Videos Galore...

2007-06-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

.:Coincidence With A Cube:.

There are 42,000,000,000,000,000,000 different configurations for a rubik's cube. Simply put, if you can see 1,000 combinations a second, and with only about a few million seconds in a year, it would take you about 30,000 years to see every single combination possible.

With these numbers, it boggles the mind how there can only be one combination to solving a cube. It becomes even more boggling when two people can come up with the exact same combination just by shuffling a cube behind their backs, as if some kind of psionic link between them exists.

This is Coinci-Cube, and you'd be loath to miss it.

And just because I feel like it, I'm embedding it here for you to see it as well...

.:Thanks, Crissey!:.

As I mentioned, I made new friends last Tuesday, as I hung out in Ateneo after class, and one of them is Crissey.

In any case, I did a bit of magic for her and the rest of the people there, and of course, one of the highlights of my routine is the now-infamous Liquid Metal, as done by Morgan Strebler. This is definitely a show-stopper, and I'd have embedded it had I asked permission from Crissey sooner.

In any case, if you want to see this awesome fork bending routine for yourself, feel free to check out the videos HERE, then HERE. Hope you jabronis like it.

And, oh, since you all know I'm not exactly the richest guy alive right now, if you want to book me for a magic show, just get in touch with me over at my e-mail, mistervader@gmail.com. I can do mentalism routines, street magic routines, even children's party routines. All you need do is ask.

Finally! This Blog Is ALIVE!!!

2007-06-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

.:Don’t Miss Out On ToyCon ’07, Because…:.

Kel Fabie is more easily recognized as Kel the Mushroom, one half of the Insomaniacs at WAVE 89.1, from Tuesdays to Fridays, 2-6 in the morning. However, he has been slowly building a name for himself in quite a different path.

As a friend to quite a few members of the Philippine Cosplay community, he has been seen hosting last year’s TOEI-nty Group Cosplay competition at Eastwood City, and has been a constant presence in other conventions such as UP’s AME Matsuri, Hero Channel’s Hataw Hanep Hero, and the recently-concluded launch of Mangaholix in SM Mall of Asia, to mention a few.

Lately, however, Kel has been making quite a name for himself as a magician and mentalist, having performed for parties and audiences organized by the likes of Richard Merck, Mapua University, and presidential daughter Luli Arroyo, and his unique and versatile brand of prestidigitation has extended to the Philippine cosplay committee, as he has performed “crash magic” (The term “crash magic” is courtesy of The Story Circle.) for the people on-the-spot, for the entertainment of those watching.

No stooges. No pre-show setup. Obviously, no camera tricks. Kel Fabie’s repertoire will amaze and astound you, and baffle the mind, as he tells you that anything he can do, you can do. All it takes is unlocking a sense of wonder and gaining an insight into the human psyche. From cards to rings to forks, you will be entertained and astounded at what he has to offer, and all you have to do is show up and watch!

This year’s Philippine Toy Convention will be the next venue for Kel’s “crash magic”, as he does walkaround magic for the audiences on Saturday and Sunday, culminating in a rare onstage appearance as he performs his show-stopping effects, topped off by one that must be seen to be believed! Don’t miss out on it, because all you have to do is go to the ToyCon, and you get grade-A mentalism along with the other excellent highlights of the convention, all for the price of entry!

Get ready to unlock your sense of wonder.

For those interested in booking Kel Fabie for shows, get in touch with him via e-mail: mistervader@gmail.com.