Roll 283
Ilford FP4 Plus 125
Cosina AF-35 38mm f2.7
Developed & scanned by DEP Lab
2025/8/27
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If there's one word that defines 2026 for me, it's acceptance.
I'm about seven months away from turning 40. Somewhere along the way, it became clear that I'm no longer the same person I was in my early twenties.
It's not just about income. My health, my energy, and even my interests have all changed.
There's a road bike sitting at home. A 2017 Giant TCR Advanced 2 with a carbon frame and a 34T cassette, built for climbing. Cycling used to mean a lot to me. These days, I have to admit that the passion just isn't there anymore.
Over the past few years, I've been traveling abroad frequently with my family. Nagoya in 2023. Tokyo and Kumamoto in 2024. Chicago in 2025. Hokkaido in 2026. Every trip has been meaningful, and expensive.
With that kind of frequency, saving money simply doesn't happen.
Not long ago, I was talking with my mom at the dinner table about household expenses. There's a government sewage project happening near our home, which means we need to cover an unexpected cost of over NT$80,000.
I couldn't afford it.
So I asked her for help. She paid it upfront, and starting this April, I'll be paying her back monthly through the end of the year.
She agreed without hesitation. But she also told me something I haven't been able to shake off. She believes I should always have at least NT$3 million set aside for emergencies.
She's right. Most months, after covering all necessary expenses, I end up breaking even.
So it really comes down to a simple question. Do I need to earn more, or spend less?
The answer is both.
I also have to admit something else. I can no longer afford to travel abroad as frequently as before. Travel matters, especially for a child. But having financial stability at home matters just as much.
And between the two, the answer is obvious.
There are many things to accept in 2026.
Work is one of them. I need to accept that my body will age. My thinking will slow down. My eyesight will get worse.
There's a real possibility that I won't be able to continue doing web design all the way to 65.
It won't happen suddenly. It will be gradual.
So I see two possible paths.
One is to push harder while I still can, and earn ahead for the future.
The other is to build additional income streams. I've always kept this option open. Recently, I've started taking on photography work for clients, mainly interior and spatial photography.
I haven't formally charged for it yet. But realistically speaking, my sense of composition and aesthetics has reached a solid level. I could start pricing my work independently.
However, both web design and photography rely heavily on eyesight. In terms of risk, they don't really diversify anything.
Which means I need to keep looking for other possibilities.
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This camera, the Cosina AF-35 38mm f2.7, was released in 1979. It belongs to the first generation of autofocus film cameras, around the same time as the 1977 Konica C35 AF.
The one I have seems to have issues.
I'm not sure whether it's an electrical problem or a focusing issue. But at this point, I have to admit that I don't have the energy to keep testing it over and over again.
Work comes first now.
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#1
Testing autofocus through glass. Old cameras never fail to surprise me.
#2
Beyond this wall is the riverside. The summer I graduated from junior high, I came here with friends to drink. I honestly don't remember if I actually drank or not.
#3
Taken by my son. He shoots fast. Much faster than most adults. No hesitation, no second guessing. Maybe that's one of the advantages of shooting film.
#4
Also taken by my son. I suspect this was when the camera started failing. Otherwise, why is it out of focus?
#5
Wanhua. A mix of old and new layered into the same frame.
#6
Our car, a Nissan Kicks. No window tint since day one. It's been seven years, and I still think it was the right decision. The view is always clear, and the light is exactly what I want in a photo.
#7
Today we dressed up for my son's kindergarten appreciation banquet. I used to think dressing up was troublesome. But growing up made me realize that it's a way of showing respect. No matter the occasion. I always try to teach my son this. Be someone who respects others. Don't be selfish. Even something as simple as being late is already a form of disrespect.
#8
The beauty of low ISO black and white film is how it reinterprets light and shadow in ways our eyes can't directly process.
#9
At the banquet. I'm grateful for the two teachers who have taken care of my son.
#10
A camera that just won't focus.
#11
Traffic and vignetting.
#12
An unusual focusing distance.
#13
At the night market. Playing goldfish scooping with my son.
#14
At this point, I had already noticed that the focus distance wasn't changing at all. So I kept testing. These were taken while the house was a mess.
#15
Test shot.
#16
Still testing.
This roll, shot with the Cosina AF-35 38mm f2.7 and Ilford FP4 Plus 125, didn't turn out the way I expected.
But that's part of it.
Sometimes the camera doesn't work.
Sometimes things just don't go the way you planned.
