MUSIC TO HER EARS. AND HIS TOO.
May 20, 2008 by Jan Shim
Three days ago, I took the kids out to town to look for a gift for mommy’s birthday. It isn’t the easiest thing to do and while I pride myself on my ability to come up with an idea this Feb 14 including previous V Day, birthdays however are more personal. In fact it’s so personal that it’s often difficult to find the right gift.
© Jan Shim Photography
So I asked Jamie and Jewel what they thought of the APPLE iPOD. There was an immediate nod of approval from Jamie (knowing his real reason behind that quick decisive reaction) but Jewel in her usual I-DON’T-KNOW pout decided it would be better to just go along with our decision (we had been on our feet for a rather uninspiring while).
© Jan Shim Photography
So we’ve made up our minds and got the silver one to match her car and personality (and my budget). At this point, Jamie excitement became obvious. Afterall which curious 10 year old boy isn’t excited about new toys? This birthday gift is as much my wife’s as it is his by virtue of being son!
© Jan Shim Photography
APPLE is well known for its aesthetics and attention to detail. The second generation iPOD has just become our first APPLE product and I have this troubling and nagging feeling that it won’t be the last!
This shopping was an exercise to teach the kids value of sharing. We’ve introduced Money 101 a few years earlier through the excellent game of Monopoly. Not just any Monopoly but the Uniquely Singapore Monopoly that I found so appropriate a tool for the kids.
Read more in TEACH KIDS MONEY AND PROPERTY OWNERSHIP.
In a rather ironic situation, I ended up learning a thing or two about kids psychology. Perhaps it’s a boy thing. Jamie had the idea that chipping in for a gift meant he was a share holder and have access to the Nano anytime he likes. In this context it works out in his favour but it the situation fails to properly teach him otherwise. So I had to give the iPOD a “PG” rating by explaining to him that it’s for mommy to use when she’s out trekking.
Careful… Apple’s strategy is very cunning.. get you hooked on a little apple product and slowly assimilate you into their big bad ass macpro 8 cores…
I think that the nano is really cool.
I’m using first gen white nano. (guess its limited edition now)
Works great especially when you’re jogging alone.
Hi Jan, Wah, lately you use the 100mm f2.8 Macro (Just guessing, if I’m not wrong) for your recent post. Good detail there, have you tried the MP-E65mm?
Keep up the good work.
You guessed right. It’s that time of the month!
Funny you mentioned the MP-E 65mm that I researched online today. There was a time I was bothered by the 12-inch minimum focusing distance of the 100mm Macro and wanted to much closer and I hadn’t realised Canon has a lens that allowed 1-5X times close up. I cannot cost justify the purchase as there’s simply no viable stock photography market in Brunei. You’d have to have sold quite a significant number of images for EASI CARD use to par the cost of this lens. The upside is that my Speedlite Twin Lite 24EX can be mounted on the MP-E65 without requiring any adapter.
There were several SUSHI shots I made with the 100mm Macro where the MP-E 65mm would have made a real difference! For some reason, the new Excapade Sushi menu hasn’t yet been rolled out. Not sure what the hold up is.
Jan, you can see the photo taken using the MP-E 65mm by our own bruneian here: Lens Review: Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x
If you want to join our small community of photographer, please do so, so you might wanna give us some tips. BTW, David Cheok also join as our member.
P.S. Jan, can I have your contact number? If yes, can you just e-mail it to me?
Thanks for the link. The MP-E 65mm is an impressive lens and as a “true” Macro lens sample photos I’ve seen so far are evidence of its worth. I’m keen to explore the world beyond the realms of my 100mm’s reach and limits. However, being a manual focus lens it would be quite a challenge to be master especially the subjects I would use it on aren’t exactly inanimate! And confirming my suspicion against my experience shooting the 100mm in Manual mode and the numerous testimonies about the MP-E 65mm, the rate of keepers is going to be very small even when shooting with macro flash.
You can find my phone contact in one of the images here.
very sweet gift
an ipod can be a very personal gift for someone who enjoys music