Auto Focus   2004-09-05

The art of buying and selling.

Marlene and I have been busy sweating it out in the teaching trenches all summer. We've been racking up the hours, racking our brains for new and exciting games to play with the students, marking piles of homework on a daily basis, and trying to find a balance somewhere between intense hyperactivity and sheer exhaustion. Thankfully, the summer semester has come to a close.

With just enough time to catch our breath — one delicious day filled with absolutely nothing — we've launched into the fall semester. So far it looks to be just as busy, if not busier, than the summer semester.

No rest for the terminally in debt. In the quiet moments late at night, however, we can hear our bank accounts patting their growing bellies. The sound at the end of the tunnel.

We've sent the first pigeon home with a bundle of green strapped to its ankle. With a portion of the remaining, discretionary funds we enlisted the help of Juno and Brian hit Bo-Ai Road. All roads to cameras lead to Bo-Ai Road.

There's a section of Bo-Ai Road tucked in behind Taipei Main Train Station and Ximenting dripping with camera stores. It's a section of road home to some of the most ruthless and cunning proprietors in the world. It's camera paradise if you know what you're doing, and camera hell if you don't.

You can do one of two things on Bo-Ai Road: window shop, or bargain with the devil.

Window shopping on Bo-Ai Road is like swimming with sharks. You circle each other. You test the waters. You smile and pay attention to the rows of razor sharp teeth smiling back at you. The store proprietors are happy to field questions in broken English and let you caress the cameras, all the while pouring honey in your ear. You have to lash yourself to the mast as soon as you push the doors open and wade into the cool showrooms. Heaven help you if you should be lured onto the rocks. If they draw blood you'll soon find yourself walking out the door with half the camera you need at twice the price you expected.

They say the best defense is a good offence.

Juno was born to bargain. She's ruthless. The bigger the challenge, the better the sport. If there's a bargain to be had she'll flush it out. It doesn't matter what's on the block, she'll just keep pushing until the price dips down, and down, and down. Just when you think it couldn't go any lower, she'll push some more.

Bargaining is a delicate dance. There are rules to follow and steps to adhere to if you want to do it correctly. It's not a quick, slash and burn operation. If you've found someone who's willing and able to dance, it's a tango that can take quite a while. I've bargained before, but quite honestly it's not my thing. I don't have the disposition or patience for it.

Brian's a "go to" man. When you need information about, well, anything, Brian'll whip up an answer for you lickety-split. He doesn't like to bargain, but he knows exactly how much is too much to spend on a camera. Extras? He knows what the store proprietors can afford to throw into the deal. They may complain you're bleeding them dry, but Brian knows better.

Juno knows next to nothing about digital cameras - she just loves the taste of blood. With Brian acting as her shadow, she danced for hour after hour with owner after owner on our behalf. It was a sight to behold.

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