WATCHING 26-year-old Ning Cai, better known as Magic Babe Ning, on stage as she pulls off stupendous tricks, you’d never guess she’s the sort for a quiet evening of reading.

But then, it would be no surprise that there is more to Ning than meets the eye.

The New Paper took a look inside her bachelorette pad.

Where is your favourite spot?

Michael Jackson had his favourite “Giving Tree”. I see myself as a cat, so this ledge near my window is like my cat corner.

Why is this your fave spot?

It’s comfortable to sit here. I know there’s a sofa near but I prefer this ledge. Plus, it doubles up as place where I can display my magic stuff.

What doyou do here?

I like to see the purplish-pink evening sky around 7 or 8 in the evening. It’s also nice to curl up with a book or even play PlayStation games from here.

How much time doyouspend here?

If I’m not working at the studio, I’ll be here throughout the evenings, reading one of Pablo Neruda’s books.

Any memorable moments that happened here?

Whenever my friends come over. They light up my life. We get together to watch DVDs, play board games and eat. And most ofthem sit right here on this ledge.

How long have youbeen here?

I moved to this bachelorette pad eight months ago.

What do you have here?

I am an Ikea fan, so the cushions and the rug are from there. I also display my beautiful props,the elegant yet lethal katana (a Japanese sword) and the sais (Japanese forked daggers).

These Bicycle poker cards are my favourites, and these magic books are the ones I read when I started out. As for the blinds, I chose them over curtains as I don’t like the “pompous” look of the latter.

And blinds are easier to clean.

Anything particularly significant?

The latest additions to this corner are my Merlin Award for Most Original Female Illusionist 2009, as well as next month’s Magic Seen magazine cover.

J C Sum and I are onthe cover for getting the Merlin Awards. It’s really an honour to be on the cover of the largest trade magazine in the UK, especially since we’re right after the issue with David Copperfield on it!

He is the first American to be featured, while we are the first Singaporeans.

It’s great to help put Singapore on the world magic map.

One word to sum up your experience being here?

Solitude. This spot is a quiet place for self-reflection. Is there anythingnewwith you? At the Merlin Awards Presentation, we did a teaser to our new stint at St James Power Station’s Boiler Room. JC Sum and I will be performing Sexy Magic/Urban Illusions from 26 to 30 Jan.

This article was first published in The New Paper.