Talk about coincidence! Just after I've been reading and airing my thoughts on Street Magic. I get to do my own old school street magic performance. Scheduled as a performer at the TCS Take the City Walk 2007 - Celebrate Singapore, Celebrate Family, I had gingerly prepared for a half an hour stage performance. Due to rain, the Padang was really muddy. Especially the area directly in front of the stage. There was no way anyone could watch my show or any other performance unless they stood, like, 30 metres away.
I decided to perform in the middle of the Padang, on the cricket patch that was covered up so nicely with a big green canvas. (Not a very glamourous performance!) Families gathered round to to watch the show, sitting and standing less than 3 feet away. I quickly changed my show line-up to work the crowd. All's well that went well! Everyone had loads of laughs and loads of fun.
Thank God for the friendly audience. A big thanks to all the friends that came to support me during the show! Couldn't have done it without you! :)
Yours,
Priscilla
Monday, August 20, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Take the City Walk
I was so busy, I haven’t spoken about our novel time at the “Take the City Walk” on 28 July.
This walkathon is a fund-raising event to support programmes for the needy and disadvantaged under the care of TOUCH Community Services. Where Project SMILE graduands came in was the carnival at the finishing line of the Walk.
The students were tasked to perform magic at the carnival as a part of the programme. The carnival had the right atmosphere to test the skills and creativity of this batch of Project SMILE students. It was noisy, there were a hundred things going on, and our 'street magicians' had to compete with a balloon castle, a free popcorn queue and game stalls offering attractive prizes.
But were they intimidated? No way! They carried themselves like professional street magicians (although I knew quite a few of them were nervous!) They mesmerized the crowd with their pocket card and rope tricks. Pretty soon, they were swallowed by a huddle of brand new fans, who clamoured for more. After tantalizing them with promises of more magic treats, they rallied the carnival participants to watch the stage magic show by yours truly.
With such a tough opening act in their magic career, I would certainly say that this batch of Project SMILE students graduated with flying colours. Don’t you agree?
This walkathon is a fund-raising event to support programmes for the needy and disadvantaged under the care of TOUCH Community Services. Where Project SMILE graduands came in was the carnival at the finishing line of the Walk.
The students were tasked to perform magic at the carnival as a part of the programme. The carnival had the right atmosphere to test the skills and creativity of this batch of Project SMILE students. It was noisy, there were a hundred things going on, and our 'street magicians' had to compete with a balloon castle, a free popcorn queue and game stalls offering attractive prizes.
But were they intimidated? No way! They carried themselves like professional street magicians (although I knew quite a few of them were nervous!) They mesmerized the crowd with their pocket card and rope tricks. Pretty soon, they were swallowed by a huddle of brand new fans, who clamoured for more. After tantalizing them with promises of more magic treats, they rallied the carnival participants to watch the stage magic show by yours truly.
With such a tough opening act in their magic career, I would certainly say that this batch of Project SMILE students graduated with flying colours. Don’t you agree?
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Project SMILE in China
I am taking stock after the Shenyang trip.
This trip had been a huge challenge to me. I had never taught a Project SMILE class on this scale before, let alone in Mandarin! Help! As most of you know, Chinese is NOT my forte (and that is putting it mildly?)
Well, I SURVIVED! I not only survived the trip, but to my surprise… I actually enjoyed myself. I managed to teach two out of three c1assroom sessions and anchored an entire community service in Mandarin. But I didn’t do it by myself. I had a kick-ass team of volunteer magicians who helped me every step of the way. (You guys were awesome!)
I remembered how, in 2006, TOUCH Community Services International (TCSI) and Liaoning’s Provincial Communist Youth Party partnered to bring Project SMILE to Shenyang. As Chairman of TOUCH, my dad personally taught magic to 50 of their varsity students.
It was such a successful collaboration that they not only invited us back to teach magic; they also invited my dad to be a guest speaker at Shenyang Technological University and Dongbei University. This is one of the rare occasions whereby China has given an outsider the liberty to speak to their youths about life values.
Wow, I gotta stop a moment to appreciate the immensity of this privilege -- we were allowed the extraordinary opportunity to speak into China’s next generation.
In retrospect, this trip has been very meaningful to me on many levels. Not just Dad’s speech to the varsity students, but through the entire Project SMILE. From the experience of serving the community, our students were able to understand how they as individuals can make a difference.
Their act of kindness of performing magic and spending time with the elderly during the community service segment brought immeasurable joy to the elderly, so much so that it evoked strong emotions in the students themselves.
I always knew that Project SMILE is a great way to get people involved in serving the community, but this particular Project SMILE has taught me that EVERYONE OF US CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Yours Magically,
Priscilla
This trip had been a huge challenge to me. I had never taught a Project SMILE class on this scale before, let alone in Mandarin! Help! As most of you know, Chinese is NOT my forte (and that is putting it mildly?)
Well, I SURVIVED! I not only survived the trip, but to my surprise… I actually enjoyed myself. I managed to teach two out of three c1assroom sessions and anchored an entire community service in Mandarin. But I didn’t do it by myself. I had a kick-ass team of volunteer magicians who helped me every step of the way. (You guys were awesome!)
I remembered how, in 2006, TOUCH Community Services International (TCSI) and Liaoning’s Provincial Communist Youth Party partnered to bring Project SMILE to Shenyang. As Chairman of TOUCH, my dad personally taught magic to 50 of their varsity students.
It was such a successful collaboration that they not only invited us back to teach magic; they also invited my dad to be a guest speaker at Shenyang Technological University and Dongbei University. This is one of the rare occasions whereby China has given an outsider the liberty to speak to their youths about life values.
Wow, I gotta stop a moment to appreciate the immensity of this privilege -- we were allowed the extraordinary opportunity to speak into China’s next generation.
In retrospect, this trip has been very meaningful to me on many levels. Not just Dad’s speech to the varsity students, but through the entire Project SMILE. From the experience of serving the community, our students were able to understand how they as individuals can make a difference.
Their act of kindness of performing magic and spending time with the elderly during the community service segment brought immeasurable joy to the elderly, so much so that it evoked strong emotions in the students themselves.
I always knew that Project SMILE is a great way to get people involved in serving the community, but this particular Project SMILE has taught me that EVERYONE OF US CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Yours Magically,
Priscilla
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Qian Qian Shou
It's great to be back!
I've just finished conducting a two-day intensive Project SMILE for 150 students at the Thousand Linking Hands (Qian Qian Shou) 2nd Shanghai Summer Camp in July. Man, was it challenging to coach in Mandarin! Despite this, I enjoyed every moment teaching the Shanghai students!
The slogan for this mission is very poetic and evocative.
Linking Hearts Linking Minds Linking Hands
心 心 相 印心 智 相 通心 手 相 连
Qian Qian Shou (千牵手) is a project spanning three years that aims to bring a thousand youths from Singapore to Shanghai to serve the various communities across China in 2008. This is our second year conducting the Shanghai Summer Camp. This camp prepares the youth for the culmination of 千牵手 in 2008, by training them in both Service-Learning and Project SMILE.
Qian Qian Shou (千牵手) aims to impart the heart of serving the community to all participating youths. During the camp, they are guided to plan Service-Learning projects, which will then be executed at various locations with the help of the host social service groups.
Magic was introduced as a tool to engage the community, but it made a greater impact than we initially thought. Last year, the campers were trained by my dad whom they called "Kwang Lao Shi". He had shaped an ordinary piece of tissue into a flower and presented it to one of the campers whose birthday was on the day itself. This participant was visibly touched by the gesture; she not only received the tissue flower with tears in her eyes, but she understood the underlying message of the flower, which was that she was special.
Many of those trained in Project SMILE last year came back as trained leaders to spearhead their group's Service-Learning projects. First-timers at this year’s camp were brought through two days of intensive Project SMILE lessons. But they learned fast, with the help of their magic facilitators.
It is evident that last year's camp had instilled in the participants a desire not just to serve the community, but to excel in it. And the excitement is building up to the final camp in 2008.
"The Service-Learning training helps us to prepare fully for the projects. The 6 steps to victory over social ills also equip me to build a community (of like minded volunteers) for service. This is the key to success.”
Leon Lee, Shanghai Participant
"I learnt Project SMILE in 2005 back in Singapore, and I didn't expect to be a magic facilitator... I was very stressed. But on the first day, after I revised and listened to Priscilla's teaching again, I managed to recall my past lessons and helped my group. I feel that, as I teach others, I learned the tricks better myself."
Sze Yung, Group Magic Facilitator
Armed with their newly acquired skills, the students are all set to serve the community through their meticulously planned Service-Learning projects complemented with their magic tricks.
We take our (magic) hats off to these new members of the Magic Circle who have bravely taken up the challenge! I'm sure they will do us all proud!
Yours Magically,
Priscilla
I've just finished conducting a two-day intensive Project SMILE for 150 students at the Thousand Linking Hands (Qian Qian Shou) 2nd Shanghai Summer Camp in July. Man, was it challenging to coach in Mandarin! Despite this, I enjoyed every moment teaching the Shanghai students!
The slogan for this mission is very poetic and evocative.
Linking Hearts Linking Minds Linking Hands
心 心 相 印心 智 相 通心 手 相 连
Qian Qian Shou (千牵手) is a project spanning three years that aims to bring a thousand youths from Singapore to Shanghai to serve the various communities across China in 2008. This is our second year conducting the Shanghai Summer Camp. This camp prepares the youth for the culmination of 千牵手 in 2008, by training them in both Service-Learning and Project SMILE.
Qian Qian Shou (千牵手) aims to impart the heart of serving the community to all participating youths. During the camp, they are guided to plan Service-Learning projects, which will then be executed at various locations with the help of the host social service groups.
Magic was introduced as a tool to engage the community, but it made a greater impact than we initially thought. Last year, the campers were trained by my dad whom they called "Kwang Lao Shi". He had shaped an ordinary piece of tissue into a flower and presented it to one of the campers whose birthday was on the day itself. This participant was visibly touched by the gesture; she not only received the tissue flower with tears in her eyes, but she understood the underlying message of the flower, which was that she was special.
Many of those trained in Project SMILE last year came back as trained leaders to spearhead their group's Service-Learning projects. First-timers at this year’s camp were brought through two days of intensive Project SMILE lessons. But they learned fast, with the help of their magic facilitators.
It is evident that last year's camp had instilled in the participants a desire not just to serve the community, but to excel in it. And the excitement is building up to the final camp in 2008.
"The Service-Learning training helps us to prepare fully for the projects. The 6 steps to victory over social ills also equip me to build a community (of like minded volunteers) for service. This is the key to success.”
Leon Lee, Shanghai Participant
"I learnt Project SMILE in 2005 back in Singapore, and I didn't expect to be a magic facilitator... I was very stressed. But on the first day, after I revised and listened to Priscilla's teaching again, I managed to recall my past lessons and helped my group. I feel that, as I teach others, I learned the tricks better myself."
Sze Yung, Group Magic Facilitator
Armed with their newly acquired skills, the students are all set to serve the community through their meticulously planned Service-Learning projects complemented with their magic tricks.
We take our (magic) hats off to these new members of the Magic Circle who have bravely taken up the challenge! I'm sure they will do us all proud!
Yours Magically,
Priscilla
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