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Here's another video for those who just love mind magic

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After seeing this video, I would like you to leave your comments below. Thank you for watching.

Venturing into New Grounds

I am known as a close up card magician. I am really into cards more than any type of magic. Lately I have been rereading other books on magic theory and more on presentation points. Most of this books are more on mentalism and this has made me think that I could incorporate more of this mind-reading and mental effects into my routine.

There are two things which made me venture into learning mental effects. One is my left wrist had an injury and I might now be able to do card tricks and other sleight heavy close up magic if this injury becomes worse. This is also why I really do not write much in my blogs anymore.

Also what pushed me into venturing into mental effects is that I am seeing very bad mentalism acts on TV. Acts that supposedly come from psychic powers from the performer who is claiming to have honed it through the years. I mean why the hell should I believe him when all I see is him duplicating drawings which could be easily done. As for his other effects, all of these are readily available in the Internet.

I really couldn't forget how he did White Star by Jim Crithclow (a Titanic themed act) to people who might actually be to young to know about the ship or even to see the movie. I mean if this was done 13 years ago then it might have an effect. However for teenagers, I mean do they even give a damn about it?

The worst thing that he did which bothered me a lot is that he claims to talk to the dead. I mean if you brand yourself as a mentalist, then you shouldn't brand yourself as a genuine spiritualist. Capitalizing on grief and emotions from the relatives of the dead is really very disturbing especially when you talk about the ethics of magic. I think that the network airing the show should reconsider about continuing a show with an obvious charlatan who claims to have powers.

Anyway, with all that ranting, I just hope that people I could show to more people what does really mentalism look like without any claims of possession of supernatural or paranormal powers. I want to share an experience of real magic and astonishment instead of sharing something which you obviously know is fake.

Two New Magic Videos

I have two new magic videos of my live performances during a get together with friends. Watch and enjoy these two new videos and I hope you subscribe at my YouTube Channel.

Jordan's Live Magic Show Part 1

Jordan's Magic Show Part 2

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I Hate Mentalists who claim they are real psychics ahem Nomer

I have read in a news article that a local TV station here is doing a special on one mentalist here in the Philippines named Nomer Lasala. I have to say it it is interesting but at the same time full of BS because of the fact that the one who will be performing claims that he could do psychic phenomena.

I've seen this guy a lot of times on television, he does the standard mind reading, spoon bending and other mentalism routines. I think he's okay but claiming that he could do it because he has psychic powers is really nothing else but BS.

In the article he said “I was in a hurry because the school bus was already there and when I looked at my lunch box, it slid towards me,” he offered. “Although I cannot do it (telekinesis) now.” It really sounded like Uri Geller to me when he was asked to do a live performance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

If this guy claims that he has psychic powers, I could say that his powers come from most of the magic DVDs or effects that are available in the market. Watch the video below. This video came from his own YouTube Channel and I should say that even before him, David Blaine had done this and the exposure for it on YouTube is way too many.

Another thing I hate about him is that he has this video talking about bad things in magic. You are a mentalist claiming to be a psychic so don't pull other magicians down with your stupid statements. Magic Tricks are really about deception above all but magicians use it to entertain not to make people fearful of it nor to make people believe that the lies behind it are the truths in life.

Also please stop claiming to be a psychic and just perform and stop telling those stories wherein you have those psychic abilities. If ever you are reading this, I could tell you that most of the things that you perform could be duplicated with known methods in magic. Bending spoons, reading minds, psychic touches as well as the ones shown in your video above are all from known commercial magic effects. So please drop the BS and just perform, stop claiming to be psychic and just be a mentalist that performs and leaves people happy.

I think when I see his new show, I'll just laugh at him and in the process I might blurt out each commercial effect or known magic method that he is using. We'll see where his show will go.

365 Days of Magic

Cross Posted from A Magically Ordinary Life

I came across Eric Leclerc's YouTube Channel while searching for some magic by Caleb Wiles. It has been a long time since I have watched some good magic and I am enjoying that someone like Eric Leclerc actually shows good magic on YouTube. There are a lot of magicians on YouTube but I haven't seen anything like Eric Leclerc. Take a look at one of his videos below.



I really find his magic engaging and fun to watch. I love seeing how he interacts with audiences with all his witty jokes and fun antics. I think his comedy is one of the best among magicians.

His shows on his channel are part magic and part tricks but definitely all entertaining. The best thing that I love about his videos is his quotes and words of wisdom at the end of each video. Words of wisdom that make you smile after hearing and thinking about.

I have always wanted to post new stuff on YouTube but for now I am content watching other magicians' videos and maybe practicing my stuff even more. Maybe soon I'll start posting my own magic videos.

Stop Performing Half-baked Tricks

I admit, this is how I have been when I was a beginner in magic. After learning a trick, I practice a little then perform it almost immediately. It was okay at first but after learning the more complicated tricks, I find myself struggling in performing and end up "flashing" a couple of times. It wasn't really a big problem back then but as time went by, I had tougher audiences and this was not helpful at all in performing. It has affected my confidence as a magician and it results to a mental block. This problem is obviously not only my problem, but a problem of magicians as well. I've seen a lot of magicians performing (actually murdering) a very good trick.

This is why now before performing any trick for audiences, I practice it everyday and if I think I am ready, I perform it in front of my family and my friends. If the trick goes well then I will perform it one more time to the toughest audience there is in my magic, who is no other than my girlfriend who sees if I'm doing it well. Her silence is good enough but when she laughs then I know that the trick has gone good.

So have someone who could provide you the proper critique when performing. It may be a magician, but I prefer a non-magician because after all, the one you would be performing for most of the time is a non-magician.

Happy 137th Birthday Houdini

I came across today's Google doodle and I was surprised that it commemorated the birthday of one of the most famous and successful escape artist of his time, Harry Houdini.

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What I want in a magic book

As you may know, I learned magic from books and I have a lot of books and e-books on magic. Unfortunately, I don't find all the material that's in there useful. There are just a lot of bad tricks in there that are not really performable in shows.

There are a lot of bad magic books out there. Some have bad photos, bad instructions and the worst is a lot has bad tricks in them. With a lot of bad things in a lot of magic books, I really can't blame those who prefer to learn from videos.

The solution I could see is to include the following things in the description of a book.

1. List of tricks with descriptions.

This may not be applicable to beginner's magic books but for intermediate or advance books (especially e-books) this would really be helpful. I have books that contain over 50 tricks that are most of the time essentially the same. I think having descriptions would help us to know if your book is really worth buying.

2. Simpler instructions

Okay here is something that not all may not agree with me. I have to say that most e-books have instructions that contain a lot of jargon. Well they expect you to know how a sleight for a trick is done however they don't even care to explain how it is done. Even worse is that they keep on using acronyms or abbreviations for a sleight mentioned at a beginning of the trick. Example of this is something like "DL top two cards then do the DS then cull the rest..." I wish they include even a simple explanation or method for any necessary sleight for the tricks.

3. Clearer pictures

Here is a problem with a lot of books. Either they have bad drawings or really blurry pictures. I really have to say that I hate e-books with bad photos that you can't even understand if a picture is explaining something necessary. Also something related with this is that if a photo is placed beside a text only to see that the photo is for an instruction for another page. I think that if you can't place a good photo, don't place it at all.

I just have to say that these are the things that I wish I could see in magic books. In this way I could really appreciate not only the tricks in it but also the magician who took the time to write a book.

A tip to be a successful magician: Interaction

One thing I noticed with good magicians is that they are able to maintain a certain level of interaction with their audiences. They are able to make their audiences participate and interact with them that they are not just performing but leaving the audience an experience.

This brings me to think that magic is not just performing but having interaction to leave your audience with an unforgettable and magical experience. Though I heard a lot about the magic moment within a performance, I think a more magical moment is what you leave with them to be remembered.

This is something that I've been thinking of, since I'm seeing a lot of not so good magicians on TV. You can't even say they are the best in technique and their performances are not really that magical. To top it all most of them don't dress properly especially that one of them has too much make up.

Yes I know that Stage Magic is a different thing altogether but performing and interacting properly with the audience should still be seen. Especially that you keep on performing with the audiences behind you that inadvertently gives away the secret.

Anyways, what I really just want to say is that, magic should not be about you or them, it's the interaction between you and your audiences, the experience that something magical is happening, not the experience of being tricked.

A Magical New Year to all

I'm just hoping that everyone would continue to stay magical all throughout the year 2011. I'm so happy that we have another year to look forward too despite the fact that I am very busy with work. Hopefully for 2010 I'll get the time to practice more magic.

Hoping to post more here soon.

"Sleight"-ly Heavy Magic

When I was starting in magic, I always believed that I should learn all the sleights to become very good with my craft. In time I learned these sleights and through the years, I favored those that looked more natural and much easier to do.

I remembered before that my DLs were really very obvious, until I worked out a way to make it look more natural. It even helped me do a perfect TL and now it almost goes unnoticeable even by the most scrutinizing viewer.

Now I've learned to abandon the other "fancy" sleights that I have learned (e.g. Clip Shifts, Hypnotic Cuts, etc.) for more natural ones and those that could be done slowly. I favored those, since in this way I could focus more on the presentation which is what magic is all about.

I'm not saying that we should all go for self-working and no sleights magic tricks, what I'm saying is that when it comes to sleights, the best ones are the ones you are comfortable performing with.

The 2 out of 8 rule

I've read a text by Scott Adams on his Book The Joy of Work. This is about bringing humor to the workplace. He cites that if there are 2 of at the 6 types of humor then it would really be funny. I think that the same rule could be applied to magic.

In Magic there are eight basic effects namely:
1. Production
2. Vanish
3. Transformation
4, Transposition
5. Levitation/Animation
6. Prediction
7. Penetration
8. Restoration

I think that a trick with one of these effects is good but having at least two effects in one trick makes it a powerful one. The simplest example is when doing a vanish and producing the vanished item in an unexpected place. Another example, when I do a coin transposition in a participant's hand trick, I could use a transformation first before revealing the coin has transposed from one hand to another.

However there are tricks that are exception to the rule. These tricks are usually of the prediction nature. Prediction alone is a very powerful effect. Adding the other effects only arouses suspicion when obviously applied and thus changes the whole nature of a trick.

In my opinion by combining two effects for a trick makes it a standalone piece that could be used for routines. However don't forget to add less powerful tricks, since magic is not all about powerful tricks it's about combining the right tricks to achieve a good routine. Adding the "in-betweens" makes a routine more interesting and more memorable to participants.

Performing for laymen

I really don't like the term "laymen" being used in a wrong by some magicians. It gives a sense of mediocrity and usually that what makes a bad magician. The term laymen was used to describe the people who don't know how an effect works and that's what give that false sense of security to some magicians. The "Don't worry they don't know" is really just a sorry excuse for not mastering the effect itself. Relying on that thought sets your mind to be okay to do mistakes that might reveal how the effect works in the process.

For this I thought that instead of thinking of doing it for "laymen", how about thinking of performing it for a magician? Always assume that they know what you are doing and in that way you would be force to do it in a better way. Putting this into mind, you would not fall into a false sense of security and your audience would find you more entertaining.

I hope that this have given you a better insight on how to perform better in the future.

Magic E-books for learning

I actually download a lot of e-books over the internet. Unfortunately not all are good material and worse some are really just a waste of money. I'm writing this post to give fellow magicians advice on the things to consider when buying an e-book.

Tip # 1: Always buy from a reputable site

Buying an e-book is the next best thing on how to learn from books. Getting it from a good website and not from torrent downloads, not only supports the magician who spent time and effort, not to mention cash, in building a great website, but also protects your computer from malware and other viruses.

Tip # 2: Don't get too tempted with the "blurb"

A blurb is more like a testimonial on what the book is all about. Mostly they are true but sad to say some are really exaggerated. Also be careful when reading an e-books description, what you should look for is the content of the book. Try to look if there is a preview of the contents and if possible a description on each effect in the book. In this way you could see what your money’s worth before buying the book.

Tip # 3: Buy a book that suits your level

Most e-books on magic either teach one effect (usually priced from US$1-5) and those that teaches a lot (from US$10-20). Usually I go for the one with more material as it offers me a variety of things to learn and usually it has better effects than those that teach only one. Also if you’re going to buy one make sure that you have a good grasp of the basics in magic as most of these books expect you to know already what the sleights that are mentioned in the book.
I hope these tips help before you go purchase and e-book.

The importance of knowing and doing well a lot of sleights or moves

I am currently reading two new magic books containing more advanced material for both card and close up magic. Reading these books made me realize the importance on how when I was just starting to learn, I tried to learn a lot of moves rather than the effects themselves. I invested a lot of time studying, dissecting every effect into each move, memorizing them and applying them to other effects (both original and adapted) so that it would be more convenient and natural for me when doing it.

I added a discussion on what I think are the most essential (most useful in a more exact sense) sleights that a magician should learn. I added the discussion since I am seeking more opinions and insights on what else should a magician learn so that he/she could improve his/her act.

I was really thankful that I learned the moves and practiced them a lot since it helped me understand new-learned effects better and made it easy for me to perform something new with minimum practice.

Product review: Sleight of Hand and a Twist of Fate by Joshua Jay

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I really think that Joshua Jay is one of the best magic mind out there. His effects are really stunning and the originality of his ideas really make it suit the magician of today. There are a total of nine effects on a 65-page e-book and I think it's worth every cent of it. Honestly, I think this book is suited for intermediate level magicians as some of the terms listed as well as the effects need a better basic understanding on the fundamentals of magic. The photos provide a good view of the methods, however the text related to it could have been explained more clearly. Over all this e-book gave me new insights as well as powerful effects that I will surely add to my repertoire.

The e-book is available for US$15.00 on Vanishing Inc Magic

My MAGIC Inventory

For the past few years that I've been doing magic, I never thought that I'd collect things related to it. I'm surprised that my magic stuff filled up one big box and I'm thinking of getting another one just in case my collection grows.

With all that I collected through the years, I shared the best and worst experiences in magic with them. I hope that someday I'll become better and share only the best with them.

Been on a magic Break once more

It's becoming hard for me this past few days to get msyelf to practice magic. It seems like I don't have the energy to do it mainly because I can't find myself to explore magic.

It's really hard to do some magic especially when the mind is stressed with other things in life. Maybe I can use some magic to get the stress off but maybe I'll just have to wait again to be bitten by the magic bug.


Until then,

Of calamities and reliefs

For those who want to have an idea how the storm wreaked havoc on our country you could check this photo set.

With the recent calamity that hit our country it was a relief that all the people I know who live in those affected areas are well and good. Though some may have experienced damage and loss of property, they were still thankful that they were still alive and hopefully they could start all over again and recover from this tragedy.

What happened to us is just another reminder that everything that we have and everything that we could see could vanish so fast like a coin in a magician's hand. However when things vanish in nature's hand, the effects are devastating and irreversible.

Well what happened over the past few days reminded me on how life could be so mean but even if that's the reality it can't be denied that life is still beautiful. Especially that we see that in the worst times true kindness just shows. It's just like watching a magic trick; you see an effect though you know there's trickery involve yet you enjoy it because you are entertained.

If only magic were real, I would have done something to make it easier for those who have been hit hard by the storm. For now the only magic I can do is bring back at least the smiles to their faces.

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