I LIKE magicians. I really do.

Magic requires showmanship akin to art if done well.

But the notion of using magic to woo doesn’t quite do it for me. To me, it borders on the cheesy.

Besides, how would it be possible to have a one-size-fits-all wooing strategy?

When master magician Derick Ho, 27, showcased several Art of Seduction Magic tricks for me, all he got was a “blur” reaction.

That appeared to frustrate him a little.

Case in point: Mr Ho performed a card trick dubbed Fated.

With a deck of cards fanned out in front of me, he asked me to choose two cards that represented him and me respectively.

Joker

I picked the joker since he seemed like a fun guy with tricks up his sleeve.

But his face fell when he heard my answer.

He said the joker card had already been removed from the deck and that he would be represented by the king card and I, the queen card.

Here’s how the trick works: Two queen cards are lost in the deck and Mr Ho would shuffle the cards until I stopped him.

A king card will then be placed on top of the deck.

The deck is then shuffled again, and another king card placed on top of the deck.

Mr Ho then spread out the deck and revealed that the two king cards have “found” their queen card.

He explained: “This has a hidden message because it shows the girl that we are fated. I will always find you and you will always find me.”

Still cynical, I asked: “What if the girl feels that a number card like three better represented her?”

Mr Ho replied: “No, you are my queen.”

While the thought was sweet, I thought the mushy lines just seemed trite.

Another trick he showcased was the Crazy Man’s Handcuff’, where rubber bands that seemed locked together and stretched over his hands appeared to “melt away” as he deftly moved his hands.

This trick lets the magician hug the girl he wishes to impress.

First, he does the trick seated in front of her and as she “can’t believe her eyes”, he moves in closer to repeat the trick. Then he repeats the trick again, this time standing behind her with his arms encircling her so that the rubber bands are in front of her face.

Hey, presto, you got a hug.

That too didn’t impress me.

I like my personal space and if the guy was not someone I knew well enough, it would be a turn-off.

Mr Ho performed several other tricks – together with sappy lines – but I was still unmoved.

But when he did not deliver any lines and just performed magic, that proved more impressive.

Towards the end of his showcase, he relaxed and did a trick where he seemed to pull an endless waterfall of cards from his mouth.

That made me laugh out loud.

And here’s my own line: Sometimes it’s better when you’re not trying too hard.

– Shree Ann Mathavan

This article was first published in The New Paper