Singapore: A taste of magic

In the famed Lion City, the journey, says the modern Marco Polo in me, begins not with a single step, as Confucius puts it, but with plenty of "lah." Before you know it, you are captivated by the country’s sights and sounds. You punctuate the journey with fond memories and — you guessed it right — with phrases that often ends with "lah" and bingo! You’ve finally mastered the art of Singaporean slang.

This writer flew to the lion city upon the invitation of television’s premiere destination for excitement and adventure, AXN Asia. Like its millions of viewers worldwide, the typical AXN viewer does not just watch – they get involved. Active, young adult thrill-seekers in more than 100 million homes in over 50 countries around the globe are charged by the power of AXN’s original programming line up. And for this particular journey, a group of journalists gathered in this sunny day in Sentosa Island to catch the behind-the-scenes sneak peek of Mondo Magic Singapore, an AXN original production.

Sentosa is a must in your itinerary when visiting Singapore. The island is quite accessible to visit and you must allot at least a day of sight-seeing for this. You can visit the Underworld Water to get a closer look on how diverse marine life is; catch the breathtaking views across Singapore, Sentosa and the Southern Islands by riding in the Sky Tower and see the country’s full glory from 131 meters above sea level; or you can take the cable car if you wish to get high and test your stamina in heights or visit pocket places like Butterfly and Insect Kingdom.

But if you’re tired or wish to forget your cares, then bask under the sun or on the fine sand of Siloso Beach. You’ll have a visual treat of bodies all lined up for a tan. You can also maintain your groove by playing volleyball or kayaking or you can simply binge on a food trip and quench your thirst by having a martini as the sun sets.

This is also a venue to meet people of varied colors and views. A phalanx of individuals from different cultures converge and interact on this part of the island. No wonder why AXN’s Mondo Magic chose this place for the Singaporean edition of the show featuring top notch magicians Chris Korn and JB Benn who both flew in from the US to shoot this AXN original show.

The duo treated beach bums and island visitors to their Houdini-like magic tricks as the cameras captured the stunned reactions of the crowd. Chris and JB showed their trick treats from transforming a card to an orange to bending coins and switching coins from one palm to another. With many years of magical experience, Chris and JB’s magic expertise is not only their forte, their passion also lies in getting involved with cultures and people from other parts of the world.

Mondo Magic, which is shown on AXN every Tuesdays at 10 p.m., is a popular street magic reality series where viewers get to embark on a magical journey with live magicians as they astonish and intrigue passers-by. This AXN original is part of the million joint project between Sony Pictures Entertainment Network and the new Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

Set against the exotic backdrop of iconic Singapore landmarks such as Raffles Hotel, Merlion Park and Sentosa Island, Mondo Magic Singapore is a classic example of how a proven formula can be adapted and re-created with a unique Asian flavor to be marketed in both Asia and markets outside Asia.

In Mondo Magic Singapore, legend, fact and folklore are creatively interwoven for viewers to enjoy the special "I am there" experience. Mondo Magic is a journey to the very soul of Singapore – a place where cultural diversity, unity of values, adventure, perseverance and honor converge like nowhere else in the world. If seeing is believing, then this is a show not to be missed.