Singapore Tourism Board: Telling the Singapore Story in Australia (Singapore Social)

One of the greatest project I undertook this year (though it is really early in the year), is with Singapore Tourism Board.

The idea was to craft a routine with the iPad to curate and give a taste of what Singapore is to the Australians in Sydney and Melbourne.

There were a few things that was uniquely Singapore, the food, the night life and our outstanding cocktail bar scene.

I wrecked my brains and stretched my imagination to come out with a cogent story and routine with the iPad. I was delighted to be confirmed and given a chance to fly to Sydney and Melbourne for the first time (I know it is hard to believe that I have never step foot on Australian soil before!)

We traveled to a bar in Sydney located in the Shelbourne Hotel. It was a delight to see motifs of Singapore in a foreign place.

I engaged the guests who signed up for a cocktail and food pairing course by winner of Master Chef Australia Sashi Cheliah (who is a Singaporean based in Australia).

In the picture above, I do some magic with one of his creations, the spicy pork belly and the chili crab sliders.

I also crafted a piece featuring cocktails from 2 of the World’s Best Bars which are located in Singapore, Native and Operation Dagger. It was a pleasure working with fellow craftsmen dedicated to their craft.

Amongst other things, I also did some of my iPad Magic to warm up the guests. It was a real treat for me to perform for the Australians who reacted wildly to the magic.

We then flew to Melbourne to perform at the Albion. This was where I got to meet Aussie footballer Danes Swan.

He thoroughly enjoyed the magic, so much so that he posted a video of me performing my magic on his Instagram, getting raving comments of my wizardry!

View this post on Instagram

Just got mindfucked by @alexander_yuen . Very impressive. @thealbionrooftop

A post shared by Dane (@danes84) on Feb 23, 2019 at 10:58pm PST

The atmosphere in the Albion was more relaxed and less formal. The guests were ready to experience Singapore and have fun. I had so much fun sharing my magic with them!

For a first timer in Australia, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Even more so when I get to share with the audiences a piece of Singapore. This made me feel proud as a true blue Singaporean. This is something that I will always cherish.

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Alexander Y. is Asia’s Top iPad Magician, who has been invited performing in several countries such as Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, India. He is known for his storytelling and magic, allowing him to not just capture the eyes of the audience, but also their hearts. Though it was his first time in Australia, he is already in love with their seafood and wine.

Got a story to tell? Contact him at alexander@ipadmagician.org

Taming the IT Monster: A Project for Hewlett Packard Enterprise

"Innovative solutions need to be presented in innovative ways."

This was the mantra I adopted when I was handed over the HPE project which required an innovation, entertaining and educational performance. 

The objectives were simple but challenging:

1. Create a short act with the IT Monster 
2. Showcase the tagline of Tame IT
3. Audience interaction required

These pointers were given to me through a brief from the client. On its own, it will not make a good story to present as there is no arc, plot and resolution. I added more pointers to supplement the storytelling arc.

1. Create a short act with the IT Monster 
2. Showcase the tagline of Tame IT
3. Showcase the problems when there are inefficiencies in IT **
4. Showcase how HPE solves this problems**
5. Audience interaction required

With that, we are now able to craft an antagonist and a hero in this story. 

In this performance, I used motif of jammed cogs in a gear system to symbolize inefficiencies and how with HPE we will be able to get a well running system.

I used other symbols like the lightbulb to represent innovation and the light from the bulb to tame the IT Monster.

This performance was extremely well received by the international guests as it was their first time seeing such a performance!

While I am unable to share the full performance in public, I would be happy to share it with you if you are an events producer or a potential client interested to see my work :)

Drop me an email at: alexander@iPadMagician.ORG

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Alexander Y. is Asia’s Top iPad Magician and Storyteller. He believes that the experiences are best experienced as stories. With good stories, memories are forged and emotions are struck. In his free time, he enjoys movies from Christopher Nolan and Spike Jonze. 

For any enquiries, do contact him at alexander@ipadmagician.org

A Magic Plateau: Taking a Different Step in the Same Direction

At some point in time, we all face burnouts in our career. It would feel like we have hit a point where things start to get stagnant; you come in to work, reply emails, send emails, wait for emails, craft proposals and then send more emails. This happens in all jobs, including mine. 

While the cycle for me to feel burnout is substantially longer, the last time I felt a burn out was in 2014, every time that it does hit me, I would take a step back to think, "What can I do differently, that will push me towards the end goal?". This question is important for me as an artist and a self employed entrepreneur. I cannot allow myself to detract too far from my artistic goals. The most common solution to a burnout is to take a long vacation, and that, I do not have the luxury of. 

In order to take a step back from the daily grind, (my routine largely consist of overdosing myself with coffee, replying a ton of emails, crafting a ton of proposals (in which most would be ignored or stolen by competition), coding my iPad Magic Apps (most of the time I am just pulling my hair trying to figure out that ONE thing) and the occasional meetings where I do enjoy), I had to make myself fall in love with the craft of magic again. 

I took on small directorial roles in creating magic shows. Last year, I designed a show consisting of 3 Magicians who performs together like a boyband: The Strangers. This show took over 8 months in terms of conceptualization, casting, rehearsing and troubleshooting. We had been very lucky to get the support of a large number of past clients and events partners for our show. 

While it is easier to coach and design a show for a team who sees you as their mentor, there were challenges to be faced. Overcoming these challenges prepared me for a project that I undertook in late 2017 [Cue Suspenseful Music]:

I took on a project to design and direct a magic show that cast the BOARD OF DIRECTORS of a company. 

I knew this was not going to be an easy feat since it would be different coaching a cast who were used to telling others what to do. Also, their interest in magic might not be as strong as the students under my wing. Another thing that hinted me that this was not going to be an easy task, was the fact that the main client (one of the director of the company), lamented that many other magicians had turned down this challenge (or opportunity).

The whole process began in November and the performance was to be in February. One of the challenges we faced was to find a suitable timing for rehearsal, since all of them have to allocate time outside of work for this, coming to a common time was tedious. Thankful, we were able to settle on a common regular timing. 

We utilized our studio space for our weekly rehearsals. With the help of my fellow trainers, the learning of the magic was one of the easiest part of the process. 

One of the biggest challenge we faced was to impart theatre techniques to them. Given that they were not in the performing arts, they were not well versed with movement, space and vocal effects. As a director, I had to balance between the drilling of these techniques while bearing in mind the limited time span and their capacity. At the end, everyone did exceptionally well and the show was very well received by their colleagues (If you don't believe me, see the video towards the end).

It was a tremendous joy to see the cast grow from shy individuals to charismatic performers on stage. Such skills are transferable to their careers when they are to do presentations or to meet clients. 

Here is one of the pieces performed that day which incorporates elements of their company's core values and magic:

Taking on this project also taught me the patience and given me the learning experience in crafting meaningful magic. Imparting performance skills to them, sharpened my own. They say that the best way to learn, is to teach; and that is definitely true.

Here is one of my favorite pieces of the show as it serves to inspire the audiences, motivate them to overcome adversity:

So to all that are feeling a little bit unmotivated at work, try something new, try something different. It might be harder at first, but at the end of the day, you will enjoy it!

After the event, we had a strong commendation letter from our client:

Hi, Alexander and Kim,

Sincerely, and on behalf of my colleagues, I thank Metaillusions team for the relentless coaching throughout the months of preparation.

It was a journey travelled with much challenges & frustrations at times from conceptualising to learning to the final moments, as we have members dropping out, we neglect and only to catch up with the practices at the 11th hour etc, and I witnessed how you and your team bore with us during this period and never stopped giving reminders again and again, only to make sure we succeed.

Thank you, Alexander, for the efforts in studying our personalities and customising the roles for us, I am impressed by this segment of the entire process.

There were a couple of genuine miscommunication and misunderstandings which I so appreciate our resolving them together.

Thank you, Kim, for patient guidance despite our constant forgetting of the lines and theatrical techniques.

There were just so many of us with different gaps during the training sessions, I really don’t know how you did it, but you did it.

Thank you, Anderson, Yuqi & Douglas for accommodating our rehearsal, and seeing to stage preparation.

Not easy, but you all made it work.

I am not sure if you still remember I once shared with you that another company actually gave us up after understanding our performing needs and diversified profiles.  Metaillusions took up this mission (which I thought was almost impossible) and made it a success.  Besides the concrete leadership, Metaillusions has a great team.  The young men are disciplined, humble and embrace accountability; as a HR practitioner it has been a long time since I last encountered such professional young generation from this new era.

Honestly, there were some slips during the actual performance, and I personally wished it could be better.  But well that was the best we ever could be at that very moment and I am 100% sure my team gave it all.

So once again, thank you, gentlemen.  On a personal capacity, you helped me see the other side and real side of magic, just like how the sun rises in the morning which is one magical moment that we all take for granted.  Indeed I appreciate magic is all around us so long we can see it.

Metaillusions, you create magic!

Here's wishing Metaillusions a fabulous 2018 & beyond!

Regards

Director, Corporate Services

Woohoo, and very touched!

Watch how the pieces are seamlessly and beautifully crafted into a performance, here!

Keen to learn magic? Want to have a show designed for your company's special night? Or even incorporating magic into your presentations? Look for the professionals, drop us a line!

HERE!

Signing Off 

Alexander Y 

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Alexander Y. is Asia’s Top iPad Magician, who has been invited performing in several countries such as Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, India. He is often sought after by clients who wants their brand stories to be told in a fun, engaging and memorable way. He enjoys watching artsy movies, his favorite directors include, Christopher Nolan, Spike Jonze, Michael Gondry.

For any enquiries, do contact him at alexander@ipadmagician.org

Yes Bank: India Conference for 1000 Guest in Singapore

After my bouts of iPad Magic stints around India, I was specially requested to perform for an international India event in Singapore. This was an event organized by Yes Bank of India. The event itself hosted more than 1000 guests, held in the lovely Grand Ball Room of Mandarin Orchard.

It was a terrific crowd, and I was commissioned to create a customized segment where I would make their logo appear. 

Here is it:

Want more impact with branding and customization?

Enquire here!

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

iPad Magician 

iPad Magic at Heineken F1 Fashion Party!

The moonlit open area was bustling with noise. Many were eating, drinking and chattering amidst the sea of people. I was at Lau Pa Sat, performing for Heineken’s Formula One Fashion Party!

The iconic heritage site, Lau Par Sat, was remarkably transformed into a fashion runway with a unique twist! Famous models Sheila Sim, Angie Watkins, Hanli Hoefer and Jason Godfrey wore clothes by Singapore's leading design talents, Sabrina Goh and Amos Ananda. The show was even curated by fashion show producer Jeremy Tan! I began my performance with a group of friends, showing them my interactive iPad Magic!

The crowd was amazing! Everyone was hyped about the upcoming Formula One events that were to happen that weekend. Since it was a Heineken event, I also added something extra into my iPad magic routine!

The audience went crazy when I took out the Heineken bottle from my iPad. Some girls even screamed! The night was filled with laughter and looks of amazement!

Overall, I had a great time performing at Lau Par Sat. The people there were very welcoming and it was wonderful performing at somewhere I love to eat!

Signing off,

Alexander Y (Asia's Top iPad Magician)

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Alexander Y. is Asia’s Top iPad Magician, who has been invited performing in several countries such as Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, India! He is often sought after by clients who value the finer things in life. Booked by luxury brands all over the world, he is the choice of luxury entertainment. 

For any enquiries, do contact him at alexander@ipadmagician.org

Singapore Magician at HP's DaaS Launch Activation

When it comes to customized magic, my motto is simple:

Don't Tell Them, Show Them.

Instead of adopting a one-way dialogue, I engage my audiences through magic. Using magical effects, I exemplify product features and showcase them to the audiences. Take a look at the diagram below, it might look very technical at first, but with sufficient thought, it can be simplified by magic.

For this HP DaaS activation, the objective of the performance was to:

1. Excite the staff about this new service that HP is offering
2. Educate them on the key features of the service
3. Quiz them on the services with prizes

The way I got around designing the magic was to first understand the brief and develop a script that is cogent. After that, I would think further about how I can show these concepts to the audiences. For example, the DaaS service allows quick and efficient disposal of HP's technological products at the end of the cycle, to showcase this, I make a deck of cards disappear in the hands of an audience member while reiterating the disposal component of DaaS. The training I have as a psychologist have helped me in such divergent thinking. This is something that needs to be improved in most Singapore magicians. 

Being a skilled professional who dresses well certainly made it easier for me to perform in this corporate environment. Since impressions are formed within the first few seconds of interaction, I made sure that I was well dressed and introduced myself with a pleasant demeanor. Of course, being able to perform amazing magic is a must.

With the help of an amazing team from PMG, we were able to quiz the staff and gave them prizes that were thematic to the activation.

In sum, it is not just enough to be able to perform strong magic in such environment. One must be able to understand reports and briefs, communicate effectively and engage audiences visually and intellectually.

The DaaS-ling team from HP!

Signing Off,

Alexander Y (Corporate Singapore Magician)

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Got a product or service to launch and be activated? Want someone to "Show your products instead of telling" them?

Let me help you with it!

Drop me an email at info@metaillusions.com

Hear from you!

Technology, Innovation, iPad Magic!

30 years ago, magicians were doing magic with frames, boxes and confetti. 30 years later, some magicians have not progressed from there. Magicians might add a modern touch by adding a technological device like an iPad or LED lights. But ultimately, the content, the style of magic, the music and the movement all screams out old school.

Perhaps for sentimental nostalgic reasons, some audiences actually do prefer an illusionist who performs in a style of the 60s, where objects fly around from with no rhyme or reason. 

But for the modern and intelligent audience, is this satisfying?

If you are looking for a modern and intelligent act, look no further. The iPad magic that I create is meaningful, visual and engaging. I design all my own apps, so you can be sure you are getting high quality iPad Magic. The animations in the iPad will look natural because it was designed from scratch. 

There are alternative methods of doing iPad magic via an app bought from iTunes, but... I don't think you want to go there. The perks of designing your own app:

1. Fully Customizable
2. Editable
3. Tailored for perfection

Don't take my word for it, check out this video here!

For booking and enquiries, drop me a message at:

info@metaillusions.com

Signing off,
Alexander Yuen (iPad Magician)

Tempur Mattress #Weightless Campaign

Some weeks ago, I had great pleasure conceptualizing a routine for the launch of Tempur's flagship store at Nassim Road. It was amazing working with professionals from Tempur and Word of Mouth Communication. 

View fullsize

The idea was to create a sequence to showcase what weightlessness would visually look like. I received the brief for the campaign and two things came to my mind almost immediately. I wanted to create the illusion of weightlessness with a person, and I wanted it to mirror Tempur's logo. 

With that in mind, I created a sequence with other weightless illusions to give a general feel of weightlessness. Also, the music I chose are relaxing and soothing. Nothing too rock or metal to break the illusion of lightness.

The result? Pretty awesome! Check out what others had to say about it:

Mattress-testing with #zerog bed base at @tempursg flagship store #tempursg #sleepingbeauty @superadrianme #lightnessofbeing #weightlessness @alexander_yuen demonstrates the #lightness of sleeping on #tempur

A video posted by @lionnel_lim on Nov 5, 2015 at 6:36am PST

What a delightful way of illustrating the weightlessness of the Zero-G beds. Congratulations on the grand opening of your flagship sleep sanctuary, Tempur! @tempursg #tempursg #weightless #zerog #beds #interiordesign #tempurbed #interiordesigning

A video posted by #RenoTalk (@renotalk) on Nov 5, 2015 at 2:51am PST

What is the 'weightless' feeling when you sleep on a Tempur bed? It's like magic and floating on air... 🔮🔮 #tempursg #tempur #tempursleepsanctuary #storeopening #nassimroad #weightless #sleepwell #soshiok #igsg #igers #instapic #instagram #instadaily #instaphoto #picoftheday #photooftheday #pr #pragency #womsg #wom_sg #womcomm #wom_sgpr #wordofmouthpr @tempursg

A video posted by WOMpr (@wom_sgpr) on Nov 5, 2015 at 7:29am PST

The full sequence is here, for your viewing pleasure!

Oh and one last thing before I end this post, I met ex-National Swimmer Joscelin Yeo! Happy!

Hope you enjoyed the magic! Have a concept you want to showcase, write to me! My team and I will find the best way to showcase your concept in a visual and compelling manner!
 

Signing off
Alexander Yuen