Series IX, Roll 3 (Pentax ZX-5n, T400CN):

Joshua Tree National Monument:


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Frame 32

Series IX, Roll 3 (Pentax ZX-5n, T400CN):

China Basin, San Francisco: Under Rte. 280


Frame 2 - Under the 280 freeway

Series IX, Roll 1 (Fujica ST605n, Tri-X):

West Indian Carnaval, New York: In September 2005, I found an old roll of film in my Fujica. The Fujica's light meter wasn't working anymore, so I transferred the film out and put it into the Pentax K2 and finished shooting the roll, anxious to get it done so I could develop it and see when the roll of film was from.

It turns out that it was from this day, when I went into New York with an old high school friend, Liz, who I have since lost touch with, and we went to the West Indian Carnaval in Brooklyn. I was able to pinpoint the exact date because I often keep notes of what I do on any particular day in my appointment book, usually for photography reasons, but sometimes just to make a note about a day to try to remember it in the future. I think these notes were taken for photography reasons.

This roll of black and white spans the longest amount of time of any roll of B&W film I have, from September 2000 to September 2005!


Frame 1 - This shot isn't West Indian Carnaval. It looks like mid-town Manhattan, but I don't remember it or what we were doing there. Come to think of it, there's no evidence that this was the same day as the Carnaval excursion. It may be from a different trip into the city on a different day.


Frame 9 - I wanted to go to West Indian Carnaval to maybe catch some real steel drumming - orchestras 50 to 100 people strong. Unfortunately, there were only a few smaller groups present. The main steel drum event, Panorama, occurs on the Saturday night of Carnaval weekend. I didn't make it to a Panorama until September 2004. It was incredible.


Frame 10


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Series VIII, Roll 16 (Pentax ZX-5n, T400CN):

Japanese tall ship, sailing into San Francisco Bay: shot from the Golden Gate Bridge


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Frame 35

Series VIII, Roll 16 (Pentax ZX-5n, T400CN):

Frame 17 - Pacific Ocean from Seacliffs.

Series VIII, Roll 15 (Pentax ZX-5n, T400CN):

Frame 32 - China Basin, San Francisco

Series VIII, Roll 15 (Pentax ZX-5n, T400CN):

Frame 25 - Construction site, maybe in SoMa.


Frame 26 - Mission Street, Mission District.

Series VIII, Roll 15 (Pentax ZX-5n, T400CN):

Frame 18 - Rosalie at home plunking on her cello while watching probably baseball, as we often did.

Series VIII, Roll 15 (Pentax ZX-5n, T400CN):

Construction of the new Ferry Building plaza area on the Embarcadero:


Frame 11


Frame 12

Series VIII, Roll 15 (Pentax ZX-5n, T400CN):

Diamond Heights, San Francisco:


Frame 2 - Close to where I moved to in Noe Valley.

Series VIII, Roll 13 (Pentax ZX-5n, Tri-X):

Chinese Cemetery, Colma, CA: Maybe Hoysun Cemetery or Golden Hill Cemetery


Frame 31

Series VIII, Roll 13 (Pentax ZX-5n, Tri-X):

Beach at Fort Funston:


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Frame 21 - high tide and stormy conditions.

Series VIII, Roll 13 (Pentax ZX-5n, Tri-X):

Golden Gate Park:


Frame 6 - John F. Kennedy Drive, close to the ocean.

email - Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Dear yu-feng,
This is my last day here and I haven't done Sompong's exam yet. I've wasted the whole week here.

I visited my brother in Philadelphia on Sunday, but as I was getting into the car, I learned that my parents changed their plans and were also going. That really ruined my trip. Visiting my brother with my parents is completely different from just visiting him myself.

But family is just not worth getting mad or defensive about. With family, everything is set in stone and no one is going to change, so there's never a better way to handle problems. The only alternative to getting mad and defensive is ignoring it.

superficial lives they lead, empty, lifeless. They've spent their entire lives making money money money so that they can enjoy it now in their old age. NOW they're starting to have fun. They travel twice a year, they have their entertainment center at home, sing karaoke, do dancing, and it is just so pathetic. I don't know about the dancing, but the singing and the music is just so empty, no emotion, no heart. What you do your whole life is the center of your life. For them it was making money, and it shows in what they do now, it's all money centered. They have the disposable cash and what they do now for fun is an expression of spending it. Singing is not about singing, dancing is not about dancing, traveling is not about traveling, it's all about spending money that they've worked so hard to earn.

I feel like I was just an obligation, an expectation. They had to raise kids because that's what is expected of them. Do I love my parents? Hell no. I appreciate them and what they've done, I respect what they do and won't criticize them or show disapproval to their faces, but I certainly don't love them and won't cry when they die. I'll go to the funeral because it's an obligation and to pay respects and say thank you. But just because you're grateful, doesn't mean you love them.

All they've given was money. No knowledge, wisdom, or heart. They can't tell me what to do or pressure me. They can talk all they want, they can tell me what I should do, what they want me to do, where I should go, who I should be with, and it has no effect on me.

Series VIII, Roll 11 (Pentax ZX-5n, Tri-X): Walk along the Palisades, Englewood Cliffs

Allison Park, Englewood Cliffs:

Frame 3 - Not to be confused with Allison Park in Englewood, which is adjacent to the Flat Rock Brook Nature center.


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Frame 9 - This fence borders Allison Park. For high school track, when we ran to the George Washington Bridge along the Palisades, we would run past the park and along this fence which led to the path that continues to the bridge.

The path to the bridge:

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Frame 12 - the path goes by a gas station off the Palisades Parkway. People have fallen of the cliffs at this point and died when the restrooms at the gas station would be locked and they'd go looking for a place to go after dark.


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Frame 19 - They developed that area on the Hudson for recreational use. I don't remember what was there before or if that large piece of land was even there. It may be landfill. Growing up in the area, I went down to the boat basin relatively often, and there is a path along the Hudson that leads to where that land is. I remember walking down that path, but I don't remember what was at the end.


Frame 20 - It's strange how after September 11, 2001, any image of the World Trade Center takes on new meaning.


Frame 21

Series VIII, Roll 11 (Pentax ZX-5n, Tri-X):

New York City Anonymous:


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email - Geneva, Switzerland

Dear Feng,
Four days in Geneva are way too much. It is a city I would never want to live in. it's way too boring. every new section I find, there's nothing interesting. today is my last day and I think I'll spend most of it here at the UN and listen to what is going on. This morning was interesting. Representatives from Eritrea and Ethiopia were yelling at each other about the war going on between them this summer. The situation is tragic, but I was distracted by the ear thingie. I kept on switching to the other languages to see how the translators were keeping up with their yelling. They seemed to be doing well, even the Mandarin translator, but maybe they were leaving a lot out. Every seat in the room has those ear thingies. I was trying to steal one for you, but it's permanently connected.

For today I'm just going to sit in on more sessions and go to another lunchtime meeting. I'm not sure what I'll do after the UN, I hope I'm not bored to death this evening. I think I'll take a long walk down the river that drains Lake Geneva, River Rhone. It looks pretty nice, so if I have film left in my camera I'll finish it. Tomorrow I'll wake up and go to the airport since my flight is in the morning.

ok, if I don't e-mail you later, I will from New Jersey.

Series VIII, Roll 10 (Pentax ZX-5n, Tri-X):
United Nations:


Frame 24 - Just a hallway. I was just wandering around the U.N. building. I don't think there was anything special about this shot, I just wanted one from inside the building.


Frame 25 - Exterior shot. Again, I don't think there was anything special. I liked the lines. I didn't even note where this was around the U.N.


Frame 26 - Another exterior.


Frame 27 - No idea what this was or where it was. I wish I had some description for it.


Frame 28 - Inside the Sub-Commission hearing room. Obviously not in session. Obviously after wandering around and outside, I found my way back in and up on this balcony, but I didn't take note how I found it or got there.

Geneva Photostroll: I left the U.N. because I had nothing more to do there and didn't know anyone. I had the rest of the afternoon and evening and went for a long walk.


Frame 30 - I think this is the River L'Arve. I vaguely remember this hill I climbed to get this shot. That fountain in the background is in Lake Geneva and is in other shots I took around the lake.


Frame 31 - I think this is the River Rhone from all the greenery.


Frame 32 - This is where the L'Arve and the River Rhone met. I didn't get the swirls created by the confluence of the blue and brown waters. It was a remarkable sight, better captured in color, although you can sort of see the difference in tone. The clear, blue, fast-moving River Rhone is on the right in this shot, the slow, muddy, brown L'Arve is on the left. The negative is flipped, so in reality it's the opposite. I was way up high on a railroad bridge that I found my way up to, and you can see the shadows of the arches on the water.


Frame 35 - 'Nuther shot of the Rhone.