Marcel Oudejans, magician and corporate entertainer, has been invited to give a presentation at an international magic convention in India at the beginning of May. Marcel received a personal invitation from one of the top illusionists in India, Gopinath Muthukad, who will be hosting the convention. Vismayam 2008 will be held from 1 to 4 May at the Academy of Magical Sciences in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala.

Marcel will be speaking alongside notable presenters such as Jorge Blass, an illusionist from Spain who has appeared in a number of television shows, and Reed McClintock, a pioneering close-up and stand-up performer from the USA. The conference organisers have billed Marcel as a “new-generation magician” and a “leading figure in the corporate entertainment sector”.

At just 26, Marcel has made a solid name for himself in the events industry in South Africa. He has a host of satisfied clients, including the likes of Old Mutual, First National Bank, Woolworths and IBM. One detail that makes his style of business unique amongst magicians is that he offers a 100% money-back guarantee to any client who is not satisfied with the performance or service they receive – and so far not a single client has invoked this guarantee. He has been performing professionally for over 10 years, and his witty sense of humour, comic timing and evident enthusiasm have stood him in good stead.

Marcel’s speciality is close-up magic, which allows him to involve the audience in his performance. His performances to date have included corporate dinners, cocktail parties, wedding receptions, product launches, birthday parties, train trips and concept presentations, where he has amazed guests by bending forks before their eyes, causing bank-notes to hover in the air just above their hands and appearing to read their minds. The fact that his performances require no stage, sound equipment or special lighting makes them incredibly versatile.

Vismayam 2008 is expected to draw a large number of both international and local magicians – there are estimated to be around 6,500 magicians in India. The organisers promise that the festival will showcase a mix of traditional Indian street magic, ethnic magic and modern western magic. Being selected to speak at the convention is indeed a privilege – speakers will even be honoured with a special title by the Kerala Ministry of Culture.

For more information on the conference, visit www.vismayam2008.com.
For more information on Marcel Oudejans, visit www.corporatemagician.co.za.

Press release prepared by August Sun Projects

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• I’m an optimist.
   
• I have seen throughout history, that no matter how much a human can be hurt physically & emotionally, that the human spirit survives. I have learnt that despite the odds, the most powerful adversaries, the most evil ideologies & the world’s most devastating tragedies, that hope, love & trust will always remain.
   
• I believe that optimism can change the world.
   
• I have the unwavering hope & belief that tomorrow with be better than today.
   
• I believe that, despite what the rest of the world wants me to believe, that hope, love & trust are alive.
   
• I will strive to live day-to-day with the belief that the world is becoming a better place.
   
• I will be happy, I will live each day to the fullest.
   
• I acknowledge that I may be unhappy from time to time, because this is natural. However, I will be a winner not a whiner. I acknowledge that happiness & optimism are not mutually exclusive. I will strive, despite unhappiness, to reject fear & choose to be optimistic.
   
• I understand that undesirable things happen – this is the way of life. However, I will not believe that desirable things are there to make my life unhappy forever. My response to an undesirable thing is my choice. I will choose to be optimistic, despite being sad. I will not dwell. I will not take misfortune personally.
   
• I will not be blindly optimistic; ignorance is not acceptable. However, I now understand that although undesirable things may cross my path, I may chose what they mean to me. That choice will be determined by my will to be optimistic. The facts are real, they have no emotion.
   
• Problems will happen: however, by being optimistic, I will find solutions. Problems are not indication that things are wrong: that are an indication of things that can be done better. With optimism, I will focus on the solution instead of being part of the problem.
   
• I only share that which will encourage optimism in others. I will disregard pessimistic opinions: they will stop with me. I choose to only share that which encourages and enlightens others around me.
   
• I accept that not everyone will agree with my choices. I have not been put here to please them. Others may not like me but they can respect my choices: I cannot please everyone, only myself. I experience pleasure & joy when I embrace hope, love & trust.
   
• I know that the media makes a choice when releasing news; they make more money when they sell to the pessimists. I will choose to be optimistic & will therefore avoid this negativity at all costs. I will chose to be be affected only by news that displays hope, courage, love & the truth. It is in my power, & therefore my responsibility, to only spread news that encourages hope.
   
• I believe that love is most powerful force known to man. Pessimism can only bring fear, doubt & mistrust. I know that fear is the opposite of love & that most people are not afraid of dying, but of truly living.
   
• My success at the end of my life can only be determined by the number of days I was truly happy. Optimism is my choice & only being optimistic will ultimately make me truly happy.
   
• I wish this for my fellow South Africans: that we although may live in a country that, despite it’s problems, that all our people may be optimistic & live in the hope of a better world. Our shared past clearly demonstrates this belief that tomorrow will be better than today – today that truth is clearly evident. Let us never forget that those that inspired this optimism; let our leaders show us that hope, love & trust so that we may together create a better world for our children.
   
• This I will teach to my children, my children’s children & all that may cross my path: Have faith, tomorrow will be a better than today.

‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?

‘You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of god that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others.’

- Marianne Williamson in Return to Love: Reflections on a Course in Miracles

Will you choose to walk this path with me?

Can you embrace this pledge me with? I am optimistic & know that if you & our fellow South Africans could share our hope, love & trust, that we can make South Africa as great as it deserves to be.

By sharing this with as many fellow South Africans as you know, you can indicate that you wish to uphold this pledge.