Okay, I just had to post this one. If I was still looking for a handydandy digital camera, I’d have second thoughts buying that pink Sony Cybershot, and consider buying a white Canon Powershot E1 instead.

I know it does look like something a teenager would ask her parents for her birthday, FIIINE, I’m juvenile with gadgets that way. I love cute things!

Here’s what Gizmodo’s saying:

“It’s no optical slouch though, despite its simple looks, with 10-megapixels, 4x optical zoom and optical image stabilization, macro mode, ISO80-1600 (with 3200 scene mode) and a 2.5-inch TFT display. It also takes AA batteries for convenience and weighs just 0.35-pounds.”

Yep, there’s a catch. AA batteries ain’t gona work for the camwhore that is me. But for an eyecandy that’s only $200, I’d say it’s worth the buy. :)

Image also from Gizmodo.

Funny how writing/blogging used to be my reason for existence (because I lovess doing it and it pays the bills), but now my two blogs and my photoblog are gathering up cyberdusts because of my negligence. (And because I’m preoccupied with work too, yes.)

But all of that will change. I am determined to blog more often. Starting.. uhm.. soon. :)

Sounds familiar, I know right. Pff. I’ll try my best. :P

[Date backtracked. I forgot I had this in my draft.]

There has been a lot of talk about Advanced SEO, and SEO turning to the “dark side”, since SMX Advanced in Seattle where (borderline) black hat tactics were given an unusual amount of air time. It has gone around for a while already, but here’s a delayed coverage of what some people said/are saying.

Lisa Barone on Traditional White Hat SEO being the ‘advanced’ SEO

In other words, don’t be so quick to let go of the traditional search engine optimization techniques in favor of the big Web 2.0 buzzwords. White hat SEO is evolving and is all the advanced SEO you need to rank well in the search engines and bring targeted visitors to your Web site.

..and her controversial “SMX Goes to the ‘Dark Side’ Coverage”

To me, advanced search engine optimization is about analytics, it’s about siloing, it’s about perfecting your site architecture so that you don’t have to even worry about tactics like cloaking for conditional redirects. There have to be other white hat advanced search engine optimization techniques out there.

Aloha Digital Marketing, on black hat techniques that were discussed at SMX Advanced:

I will say this: at least I know they exist and what techniques other might be using against me. I have knowledge of it now, and it makes me wiser to the games others might be playing.

Some rant found at YOUmoz :)

I think I should be able to CHOOSE to be a whitehat, I should know exactly what my target is, and I shouldn’t have to GUESS whether or not I’m doing something wrong.

Give me an advanced understanding of how Google works, and I’ll invent advanced white hat SEO. Until then…I’ll be getting my fix of advanced knowledge from the only side that has something to offer: the dark side.

A comment on that rant above :)

As an advanced SEO I think you need to know and understand the black hat tactics of the world. But most of those are not advanced either. They are just really imaginative ways of manipulating the system. Being black or white hat is all about intention in my book.

A lot has been said about Advanced SEO — it has been an endless discussion which started whoknowswhen. More than a year ago, Oilman already spoke in defense of SEO being “stupid easy”, and IMO, his argument is still mostly the same stuff SEOs fuss about until now.

As for me, I’m with Lisa B when she said that traditional white hat is advanced SEO, and probably the most you’ll ever need. It’s enlightening to know how blackhat SEOs maneuver their way around it, and to get a glimpse of the dark alleys and shortcuts they pass through, but in the long run, the public roads, no matter how crowded and traffic-congested they’ve become, is still the surefire way to get to the destination. I’d take the latter anytime.

Hey, I’m in love. *jump, jump* :)

Been waiting (and canvassing and asking around and trying to order everywhere) for this for quite a while, and now, the sweet, sweet time has come. :) (I knowriiight, I didn’t bother checking out any other Holgas. If I must have one, it’s gota be the Holga CMY.)

I knew I had my name on it. :)

Now leme figure out how this works. It’s my first Holga, ye ye.

TJ, Lauren, Steve, tara! Let’s shoot! :)

Edit. By the way, her name is Holga Banana. Aka. Bolgana. :p (Sounds gay, I know right.)

I may have gotten the best buy ever with my Nikon D40 (priced at P24,000 when I got them August last year), but of course I knew that investing on a digital SLR also means investing in good lenses and accessories eventually. Level-up. I still consider myself a beginner at these things, and I’m really glad to find websites such as Kenrockwell, which, as you may have noticed, I’ve been generously linking to because I’ve always thought his materials are really helpful. Anyway. Here are my latest Nikon toys. :)

Nikon 55-200mm VR

Last May, I’ve finally got myself that Nikon 55-200mm VR lens I’ve been so wanting to have. I would’ve opted to buy the 18-200mm (who wouldn’t?) but it costs almost as much as my D40, heh, so yeah, the choice was pretty easy for me to make. :P

Two things I love about this lens:

(1) Depth of Field. It allows focus on an object, making everything else blurred (at least the farther from the focal point, the more blurred).

and (2) Being able to take *real* candid moments ala sniper shots, as well as shoot profiles without having to point the camera to people’s faces.

I have a few more test shots here and there. No post-processing done on all photos, I’m sure it will look even lovelier with some adjustments. :)

Right now, it’s my brother who’s having more fun with it than me. I just don’t have time anymore for this. :( Maybe soon, I’ll have time. No wait, I’ll make sure I’ll have time soon. (That’s better.) :)

Thinking of getting yourself a 55-800mm? Steve’s selling his because he just got himself teh 18-200mm. *dies of envy* Go see if it’s still available! Go go go! :)

Nikon SB 600

Also, I got myself this little baby. I was originally planning on getting an SB400, and I really didn’t plan on getting one so soon — especially since I don’t have a need for it at the moment anyway. But Ninong Dave was in Hong Kong recently, and you can really get cheaper gadgets and accessories there if you know where to look. So yep, there goes my gullible self.

I haven’t tested this one out though. (I know right, I’ve had it for about a month already!) I’ll get back here with a post once I’ve trial-tested it. Meanwhile, Kenrockwell also has an in-depth review of the SB600. Go check it awt. :)

Two more items off the list, yay. But I’m broke already, so I’m gona have to ceasefire on my expenses, like now. *dies* :P