Use your iPhone as an external HD...

Alrite, so you probably have an iPhone and besides syncing it with iTunes, there's nothing that you can do to moderate (add/remove) the files/folders in the phone....heck, you can't even use it as a USB thumbdrive and as a result, you are carrying a USB thumbdrive everywhere you go so that you have the files you are working on with you...and most likely, you are yearning for a larger capacity out of your thumbdrive as you are always running out of space......

But now, there's solution for that!! You can now use your iPhone as an external HD...making full use of the 16GB flash memory that you have with you...

Before this, I was using iPhonebrowser to store files into the phone or even saving some important backups (SMS, Notes, Contacts etc) from the phone into my laptop. The good thing is that iPhonebrowser is FREE, but the problem is that you need to install it into your system and you need to have .Net Framework 2.0 in order for it to work. So you can't use it everywhere you go as not all computers are installed with iPhonebrowser and most probably you don't have the admin right to install it onto public computers such as those in the library or the cybercafe.

So recently, I came upon this software called iFunBox which does the same thing and a bit more. Again, iFunBox is a free software for you to use and the best thing is that you can just run it on its own without having the need to go through the whole of the Install-first-then-run process. Not sure if it needs .Net Framework 2.0 to run since my system already has that when I started using it.

The home directory when you open iFunBox. All supported Apps will be shown.

iFunBox offers the following features, which totally pawned iPhonebrowser handsdown at the moment IMHO:

a) Total Control of iPhone File System - manage your iPhone FileSystem files, add in Summerboard/Winterboard themes, copy backups from phone to your computer, edit your carrier logo and lots more....things that iPhonebrowser can do.

Mod your iPhone to the max!!!

b) Hi-Speed General Purpose Storage - the program will create a new folder called "general_storage" under your /Media folder and you can use that folder for your general storage purposes....nice :-) You can actually do the same thing with iPhonebrowser but I prefer the more user-friendly and slick interface of iFunBox, no pun intended :-)

The 'thumbdrive' folder to store all your files/data. I even save a copy of iFunBox there :-p

c) Backup Movie and Music from iPhone - now this is one thing that makes iFunBox to have an upperhand over iPhoneBrowser. With iFunBox, you can view all your songs and movies in the iPod function of your phone, video clips in iPhoneVideoRecorder (if you have it installed) and stuff from some other commonly-used apps so that you can make the necessary backups or even adding new files to them....nice touch there...kudos to them :-)

Media list lets you backup all your songs and videos in iPod


Videos captured using iPhoneVideoRecorder

d) Flexible Batch Wallpaper Uploader - basically what it does is that iFunBox is able to convert mutiple pictures that you want to upload as built-in wallpapers on the phone. Not that much of use to me personally, but some people might just find it handy :-)

Add your favourite photos/pics as part of the default Wallpaper list. Conversion to .png is automated :-)

In order to have iFunBox wherever you go, what I do is that I save a copy of the program in my email...and whenever I need to use the software using a public computer, I just download it off my email and I can use it straight away...easy and efficient...but that is just my humble 2 cents...you might have a much better approach to that and do leave a comment if you do :-)

Pics will be posted once I get some decent screenshots :-) Stay tuned...:-)


Oh and Happy Birthday Dad!! :-) Thanks for everything and love ya :-)



Cheers

You only live once...

Time is like a river
You cannot touch the same water twice
Because the flow that has passed will never pass again
Enjoy every moment of life.

Treasure your life... Cherish your loved ones around you... You only live once and golden opportunities don't knock on your door twice...


5 months to go and I can't just give up like that....I can do it :-)


Cheers

My lament...

The time is now 5.36am on a Saturday morning and I've been awake for bout 2 hours. I don't know if I should blame the chinese tea that I took during dinner (just that 2-3 small cups) or about this something that I'm going through....it's not the first time that I just startled out of my sleep and stared at the ceiling for hours cracking my brains on something or simply playing cards with myself when I just don't want to think of it anymore.

Well, being the 'Thinking Man' me, sometimes I tend to think too much before making the final decision...and I do mean I think too much......way too much.....simply because I don't want to make a decision only to regret it later in my life...and sometimes, being too careful is not a good thing...and this time round, the decision came in too late...One good example is that I sometimes do regret why I didn't take up the offer to study in Singapore after my SPM...and that remains as one of the biggest regrets in my life, but I could always console myself that I'm not doing that bad either now with my pursuit for a PhD...but as for the thing on my mind now, I think it's one of those in the top 3...and at the moment, there's nothing that I can think of to console myself, except that a silver lining will show up someday to make up for it...what crap is that??!! Blimey!!

It is during times like this that I don't even know who I am!! Sudden lack of confidence and logical/analytical thinking is just not me!! It's as though my soul has wandered off somewhere in search for salvation itself...leaving my brains to function without any conscience....thinking but endless thoughts which end up to nothing...hanging questions to be answered... The only good thing is that I manage to hide it so well that mom doesn't realize it :-p Just don't want them to worry too much about me...but I'm not sure how long I can hang on this way haha

Wow! Never thought that these few paragraphs took me more than half an hour to write...haha maybe I ought to go back to sleep....don't know....was thinking of going out for a drive or at least a jog till the sunrise...will see...the cans of Carlsbergs in the fridge are quite tempting but I'm not the type who would shut down my brains by means of alcohol...there's a bottle of 100Plus though haha

Alright....enough of craps....thanks to whoever you are for reading the nonsense above :-) I shall end my post with a quote from The Matrix movie....really can't think of any other movie...sorry...

"Life...it seems is not without a sense of irony..."

~Morpheus~

Sorry...no cheers for today...

Sunrise....sunset...

Great scenery to appreciate nature and especially if am able to appreciate together with loved one(s). Good day to you who are reading this :-)

Sunrise taken from the window of my office (was alone :-p )

Sunset in Taman Connaught (en route to dinner with family :-) )

Cheers

Cute breakfast

My parents went to the pasar malam last night and mom offered to buy something for me for breakfast today and guess what?........

Cute baked egg cakes in the forms of Doraemon, Pokemon and Hello Kitty :-p

Well....children will always be children in every parent's eyes :-)

Thanks mom....love ya :-)



Cheers

IFAC World Congress in Seoul, South Korea

Alrite....finally found some time to blog about my trip to Seoul. Went there to attend the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) World Congress which was held from 7th till 11th July and also to present my research findings there. Was lucky to be able to secure the Young Author Support Program which provided me with a US$1,000 grant (sungguh bangga betul :-p ) So let's cut the craps and time for some pics haha

6th July (leaving Malaysia)

Woke up at 5.30am to rush to KL Sentral to check in at 6.50am (flight at 8.50am) and took the KLIA Express to eerrrr....KLIA...duh! And was so happy a friend who woke up at 6+ just to SMS me and keeping me company till the time I boarded the plane.

Somewhere above the clouds between Malaysia and Hong Kong

Was transiting at Hong Kong

Somewhere above Hong Kong

The place where a small apartment costs HK$1,000,000....so crowded!!

Thought that this looks nice :-) "I believe I can fly....."

Touched down at Icheon Int Airport around 6pm...still holding on to my poster :-) Quite tired after the flight...so just took the Airport Limousine (in the form of an express bus) and headed straight to the hotel and was done for the day.

7th July (Day 1)

Registered at the congress, went around looking at the demonstration booths with interesting robots and other stuff before heading to the General Assembly (was invited to represent Malaysia :-p ) for a good lunch (nice sushi and nice red wine) :-)

Using magnetic force to suspend a metal ball in the air

A helicopter model used for simulation, control and design purposes...interesting

The General Assembly. Sorry was too busy eating didn't capture the food :-p

Me from Libya??? hahahahha

The glass pyramid outside the COEX which looks like The Louvre to me :-p

After the General Assembly, adjourned to attend some seminar sessions before proceeding to attend the Friendship Night - Dinner Cruise on Han River, yeah....was invited to that too haha

Han River...water was dirty but people are still skurfing on it....eeewwwwww

First dish of the night - Raw salmon with salad....Ichiban

Second dish - Beef with King Prawns and Carrots....but didn't eat the beef though

Performance by Hwang Jin-Yi (tried googling but found no info :-p was expecting TVXQ haha)


Fruits in season....that's what the menu said. The one before this was Salads in season..I'm sure you can guess what they were :-p


Still sober


The boat


One of the bridges connecting the 2 sides of Han River...and each of them had different colours!!


Great dinner on the first night

8th July (Day 2)

Was not interested with any sessions so was away touring the city with Jen Nee and her husband. First stop was the "Jonker Street" of Seoul where they sell souvenirs and the likes.

The Rose Line thingy like the one in Paris??? Nah....I don't think so :-p

One for the album :-)

Next, we visited one of the famous palaces in Korea. We visited only one simply because they all looked the same so much so that if you visit one, you'd have visited them all haha

Main entrance

The main palace building

Never know what species is this but they were all over the place

The Secret Garden is not so secretive after all :-p



Our tour guide who was fluent in English (most Koreans don't speak English :-( )

Went straight to lunch after that before heading off to Seoul Prison and then to Dong Dae-Mun to shop for souvenirs for family and friends.

Hard-boiled eggs had never tasted so good before

Main meal - Rice in soup with Kimchi!!


Seoul Prison

The artificial river at Dong Dae-Mun

One of the many shopping complexes there. Managed to get pretty nice ear-rings, bangles, necklaces and other female stuffs for all the ladies in the family.

East Gate

Dinner - Cheese rice with seafood and Kimchi!!!

That wraps up Day 2. Busy walking all day with all the shoppings and visitings that my leather shoes cracked at the base!!

9th July (Day 3)

Presenting my work today so couldn't go out visiting....at least not until after my session :-p

Main Plenary Hall

Me and my supervisor, Dr Edwin with our poster

Lunch under "The Louvre" I showed you earlier

Cold noodle with sashimi (and it's super duper spicy!! Exciting!!)

Spent most of the time at the COEX Mall doing some shoppings and to buy a handbag for a friend.

One of the shops offered real aesthetic shopping experience for its customers...the dry ice effect


Interactive games for shoppers, especially kids, to play football on the floor!! Image provided by a projector on the ceiling. Great invention!


Ibis Hotel - my 'home' for the week :-) Highly recommended. The time was 8pm but it's still so bright!

The room is equipped with a very hi-tech toilet to enhance your 'experience' haha

Close-up view of the control panel :-p

The room and Edwin's bed after taking his afternoon nap

Room 618...I was here :-)

No pic of dinner for today simply because I had McD :-p


10th July (Day 4)

Had Roti Boy...yup you read that right....for breakfast today :-)

Instructions in BM??? WOW!!!

Was being good boy attending the sessions in the morning before heading out for lunch and went on to visit the COEX Aquarium at half the price :-) The rest of the time was spent at the mall again and managed to grab a pair of ear-rings and another bangle for sis. Really felt so weird getting all those looks from people these few days when they saw a guy shopping for female accessories. Maybe it's not their custom for guys to shop for female stuff....:-p

Chicken cutlet rice


2-headed tortoise....I actually made a wish haha but what wish cannot tell la :-p

Saw the turtle and ran straight away to capture this photo...not many of them around

Walked back to hotel after shopping (just 5 mins walk) to get myself cleaned and sterilized for the Banquet Dinner later.

Thanks Dr Edwin for all your support and guidance along this tough road :-)

Raw salmon with ginseng....hehehe

Pumpkin Porridge...quite nice to me actually


Next up...Australian beef with cheese and seasonal veges and this time....I'm...


.....eating the beef, hoping that Korea is outside the jurisdiction of my God :-p


The sin being committed....hahaha


Red wine with beef.....mamamia!! Double sins!! :-p


Orange mousse French gourmet style :-)

and........

Edwin after 2 glasses of booze....hehehe "I feel certain lag while turning my head.." Typical Control Engineer even when feeling 'high' haha

11th July (Last day in Seoul)

Being my last day here....didn't do much....was shopping at COEX Mall again (where I got my Sennheiser MX 55) and getting ready to pack and return to KL. So was attending sessions for the rest of the time before going to the Farewell Party...

Lunch - Rice with sashimi salad....


Farewell Party...but they ran out of food and booze quite quickly but I still managed to get my hands on 1 red wine, 1 white wine, 1 beer and 1 orange juice...all on empty stomach :-p

Starbucks yeah!!!!

Beautiful final sunset bidding me goodbye :-)

Seafood salad at Outback Steakhouse with fellow researchers

That wraps up the day practically. But since we needed to reach the airport at 6+, we actually stayed awake all night online surfing the internet and just took power naps :-p

On board the bus to Icheon Airport at 5+am and the sky was already so bright....was traveling along Han River :-)

Really enjoyed my trip to Seoul except hating the fact that South Koreans are a bunch of puffers who smoke like chimney everywhere they go. Other than that, I like the food here and also the fact that they are much better drivers than Malaysians (duh!)...truly a city life to me. And not to mention also the booze that I took in Seoul for 1 week was more than what I took in the previous 2 years :-p Won't hesitate to go back there one day for another visit :-)

Hope you enjoyed looking at the pics as much as I enjoyed the trip :-)



Cheers...from the monk who drank booze and ate beef in Seoul :-p