Tsunami...

Mengapa Lempeng Bumi Bertumbukan?

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INDONESIA memang area gempa. Hal itu karena nun jauh di dasar samudera kepulauan di negeri ini, terdapat tiga lempeng, yakni Eurasia, Indo-Australia, dan Pasifik, yang bila bertumbukan akan menghasilkan gempa tektonik.

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Itu baru gempa tektonik, Indonesia pun kaya akan gunung berapi yang tercatat aktif dan yang belum ketahuan aktif tidaknya. Aktivitas gunung-gunung itu pun berpotensi menimbulkan gempa yang disebut sebagai gempa vulkanik.

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Bisakah kita yang tinggal di Indonesia ini terhindar dari gempa? Secara ilmiah, fenomena alam tersebut tidak bisa dihindari. Sebab, lempeng-lempeng bumi yang ada di negara kita itu merupakan bagian dari kerak bumi yang bergerak aktif. Pergerakan itu dipicu antara lain oleh air laut dan samudera. Perlu diketahui, 71 persen wilayah bumi kita ini terdiri atas laut dan samudera, atau dengan kata lain berupa air.

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Pergerakan lempeng-lempeng itu antara lain menimbulkan gempa bumi. Mengapa lempeng-lempeng itu bergerak dan bahkan bertumbukan? Lempeng-lempeng itu sebetulnya bagian dari kerak bumi yang terdiri atas berbagai jenis bebatuan. Pergerakan itu berlangsung terus selama berjuta-juta tahun usia bumi. Bentuk gerakan berupa lipatan, pergeseran, dan patahan. Setiap gerakan, menghasilkan antara lain benua, pegunungan, pulau-pulau kecil.

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Tentang pergeseran lempeng, pergeseran memang tidak bisa dihindari sebagai bagian dari evolusi bumi. Efek dari pergeseran itu adalah berupa getaran yang disebut gempa. Gempa terjadi karena ada perpindahan massa dalam lapisan batuan bumi. Kekuatan suatu gempa bergantung pada jumlah energi yang terlepas, saat terjadi pergeseran dan tumbukan.

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Pergeseran tersebut memang memungkinkan terjadinya tumbukan. Ada kalanya pergeseran itu menyebabkan perubahan bentuk yang tiba-tiba, sehingga terjadi ledakan dan patahan yang menimbulkan gempa hebat yang disebut sebagai gempa tektonik. Keadaan itu tidak bisa kita hindari karena memang bagian dari evolusi bumi.

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Hasil dari gempa dimaksud antara lain menghasilkan lipatan bumi. Bentuk dari lipatan bumi itu tidak serta-merta terlihat secara fisik. Sebab, untuk membentuk satu kali lipatan dibutuhkan ratusan juta tahun Tentang lipatan itu, sepanjang sejarahnya, bumi telah mengalami empat kali periode lipatan.
Itulah yang pada akhirnya menghasilkan pulau-pulau baru dan menghilangkan pulau-pulau yang pernah ada.

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Karenanya, tak mengherankan, apabila diukur setiap tahun, suatu wilayah daratan ada yang berkurang dan ada yang bertambah.

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Tentang posisi Indonesia, ada yang menyebutnya sebagai efek dari lipatan Alpin. Lipatan itu merupakan periode lipatan bumi yang keempat yang sampai sekarang terus bergerak aktif. Secara geografis, lipatan Alpin membentang dari Eropa, Asia hingga Indonesia. Lipatan Alpin sudah dikenal sebagai kawasan yang tidak tenang secara geologi, karena pada proses pergerakannya selalu memunculkan gempa bumi dan gunung berapi.

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Tentang gempa yang terjadi di barat Aceh dan menimbulkan gelombang dahsyat tsunami, hal itu merupakan akibat dari tumbukan lempeng-lempeng bumi yang menimbulkan gempa tektonik di dasar laut. Bisa dipastikan, menurut NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), setiap gempa tektonik yang terjadi di dasar laut, akan menghasilkan gelombang Tsunami. Beberapa wilayah di dunia yang rawan Tsunami, biasanya dilengkapi dengan pos atau kantor yang dilengkapi pencatat getaran/gempa, seismograf.

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Selamat dari Tsunami
Bagaimana menyelamatkan diri dari Tsunami? Bagi masyarakat pesisir, atau yang tinggal di wilayah pantai, sebaiknya memang memperlengkapi diri dengan pengetahuan tentang gelombang dahsyat yang tingginya bisa mencapai 30 meter itu. Sebetulnya, Tsunami bisa diprediksikan. Ingat, sekali lagi, setiap gempa di laut, berpeluang menghasilkan Tsunami. Patut diwaspadai, bahaya dari Tsunami bisa berlangsung berjam-jam setelah hempasan gelombang dahsyatnya yang pertama terjadi. Itu karena sifat gelombang yang datangnya bergulung, tidak serentak satu kali hempas.

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Bagi Anda yang tinggal di pesisir dan yang menyukai wilayah pantai sebagai tempat berlibur, waspadai gejala Tsunami. Bila tanah tempat Anda berpijak bergetar, segera lari ke tempat yang lebih tinggi. Hal itu karena kita tidak bisa memprediksikan berapa menit yang dibutuhkan gelombang laut menjadi bergulung tinggi membentuk Tsunami.

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Kemungkinan Tsunami datang minimal dalam waktu lima menit setelah getaran yang dirasakan. Tetapi di kawasan Kepulauan Hawaii yang juga sering dilanda gempa vulkanik, karena banyak terdapat gunung berapi di dasar laut, Tsunami muncul sekitar beberapa jam kemudian. Kekuatan gempa di dasar laut yang besarannya lebih dari 6 Skala Richter, biasanya berpeluang menimbulkan Tsunami.

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Bagaimana apabila saat terjadi Tsunami Anda tengah berada di laut, di atas kapal? Getaran gempa barangkali tidak terasa karena kapal yang bergoyang-goyang, tetapi biasanya kapal-kapal pesiar dan kapal-kapal yang dilengkapi peralatan yang modern, tentunya dilengkapi alat komunikasi. Petugas pelabuhan biasanya akan mengumumkan bila telah terjadi gempa di dasar laut.

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Untuk mengantisipasi Tsunami pada saat sedang naik kapal di tengah laut, Anda diminta segera mengenakan pelampung, terjun ke laut lepas, dan membiarkan diri Anda mengapung di atas air, pasrah mengikuti datangnya gulungan ombak. Jangan melawannya, ikuti saja arus ombak! Hal itulah justru yang memungkinkan Anda selamat.(Berbagai sumber/N-5)

You CAN take it with you

This very interesting article is taken from Newsweek issue: December 27 / January 7: Periscope by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop

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I dream of owning it all. A big condo. A silver Mercedes. All the latest gadgets. And I've just found out how to do it. The catch? I have to be dead.

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My fater has always nagged me to sort out my affairs and prepare a will. Tend to my afterlife, he says. But i've put it off. Too creepy. Now another birthday has rolled by, and at long last I've decided he is right. It's time.

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So it was that i delicately raised the subject with a few Singaporean friends. A revelation! Rather than morbidly worrying how to divide my meager possessions among my nearest and dearest, I can do what they do - revel in dreaming about what goodies I should take with me into the Great Beyond. You can't take it with you, as the old saying goes? nonsense. Taoists send off their dead with anything (and sometimes everything) they could conceivably require. yes, the Mercedes. And the color TVs with karoke, too.

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Not really, of course. These are paper facsimiles of things - houses, cars, what have you - that mourners burn to send as smoke (along with you, the dearly departed) into the afterlife. I'd oftern seen them hanin in shops and assumed they were just toys, not paying much attention. Now I pass Mr. Nam's religious-paraphernalia shop with more care, realizing that I could be window-shopping for eternity.

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Alas, Mr. Nam is something of a relic. Taoist (here) tradition is fast disappearing in Singapore. Blame it on the economy, perhaps, but only one in 10 funerals theres days is conducted along Taoist lines.

Most locals opt for the simpler Buddhist version: a few monks' chants with fruit and vegetable offerings. "I know people who have switched from Taoist to buddhist because they don't want to spend the money", another shopkeeper tells me.

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Even in the afterlife, it seems, condos don't come cheap. The deluxe version (four meters long) can cost $800. (Two maids are "thrown in" to keep the ash and soot out.) It's also very clear that ancestors know their Nikes from no-name flip-flops. "People are quite specific about their choice of brand," says Mr. Nam, adding that Mercedes outsells BMW when it comes to the dead and that Nokia phones are preferable to Samsung.

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As for myself, I plan to go out with a bang, or at lease lots of smoke. I'll reserve the gaudiest offerings - full-size planes, yachts and cars with "chauffeurs." Already I'm advising friends on which little extras will keep me happy and entertained. Want my spirit protection - or, better yet, my gravelike silence on certain indiscretions? Put a little treat in the fire for me. From fine cognac to sexy red lingerie (you never know whom you'll meet) to Game Boys for those lonely nights, Nam's has it all - including such mundane items as cigarettes, cans of beer and spare dentures.

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On the day I visited, he was jovially packing four large chests with $65 worth of gold and silver paper money. All of which would soon go up in smoke. He proudly pointed to the "customs" declaration banner, presumably to be collected by the proverbial bargeman over the River Styx, ensuring that the package gets to the right ancestors. "Bank of Hell" money had also been thrown in to distract evil spritis, who reputedly have a penchant for the finer things in life. It seems that even in death you must beware of thieves. The only problem: you have to pay for all this phony loot with real money, hard earned in the here and now.

rain rain

Photos were taken few weeks ago, raining - Sunday afternoon.


Playing in the rain - fun, fun!


children are posing to the camera - action!

Apologize?

Things a woman should never apologize for :

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1. Never apologize for pursuing what makes you happy. Even if you need to quit your job, transfer schools, or move across country, always do what you really want.

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2. Never apologize for using proper English. Keeping it real doesn't mean speaking Ebonics.

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3. Never apologize for giving your best in a relationship that just didn't work out.

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4. Never apologize for being successful. Only haters want to keep you at their level.

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5. Never apologize for crying. Wear waterproof mascara and express yourself.

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6. Never apologize for ten pounds you need to lose. People who truly care about you will accept you as you are.

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7. Never apologize for being frugal. Just because you save your money instead of blowing it on the latest fashion emergency doesn't mean you're cheap.

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8. Don't apologize for being a single mom. Babies are a blessing.

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9. Never apologize for treating yourself to something special. Sometimes you have to show yourself some appreciation.

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10. Never apologize for leaving an abusive relationship. Your safety should always be a priority.

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11. Never apologize for keeping the ring even if wedding bells won't chime.

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12. Never apologize for setting high standards in a relationship. You know what you can tolerate and what simply gets on your nerves.

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13. Never apologize for saying NO.

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14. Never apologize for asking for what you want in bed. If you don't, then who will?

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15. Never apologize for wearing a weave. You bought it so it's yours.

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16. Never apologize to your new friends about old friends. There's a reason she's been your girl from day one.

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17. Never apologize for ordering dessert. Or more than one dessert.

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18. Never apologize for dating outside your race. Just because you found Mr. Right across the color line doesn't mean you don't love your brothas.

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19. Never apologize for not knowing how to cook. Even if you can't burn like Grandma you know how to order good take out.

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20. Never apologize for your taste in clothes. It's your style.

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21. Never apologize for changing your mind.

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22. Never apologize for exercising your right to choose. It's your body and your right.

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23. Never apologize for making more money than your man, you work hard and you deserve to get paid.

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24. Never apologize for being you!

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"KEEP YOUR HEAD UP AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD"

health: sleep, bold

My brother told me that our sleeping position should follow the earth magnetic axis : from North to South - this supposedly will improve body's circulation & health in general. However, this link says that the magnetic field is from South to North. ???

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I am trying to find any info on the connection between coffee and baldness - still unsuccessful. It is said that applying coffee in your scalp will make hair healthy. In the meantime, you can read this very useful site about HAIR HEALTH.

AR 6

Happy that I finally have time to update my blog. Super busy lately.

This favorite show on TV, Amazing Race 6, keeps me going on Sunday morning....

Have not decided what is the best team - but i do like the sisters, however they were eliminated on the 'hay fever' road block :(

My brother is staying with me while waiting for a job offer to show up. Hope good things will happen SOON!!

To grow old together

On my wedding day, I carried my wife in my arms. The bridal car stopped in front of our one-room flat. My buddies insisted that I carry her out of the car in my arms. So I carried her into our home. She was then plump and shy. I was a strong and happy bridegroom. This was the scene of ten years ago.

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The following days were as simple as a cup of pure water: we had a kid, I went into business and tried to make more money. When the assets were steadily increasing, the affections between usseemed to ebb. She was a civil servant. Every morning we left home together and got home almost at the same time. Our kid was studying in a boarding school.

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Our marriage life seemed to be enviably happy. But the calm life was more likely to be affected by unpredictable changes.

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Dew came into my life. It was a sunny day. I stood on a spacious balcony. Dew hugged me from behind. My heart once again was immersed in her stream of love. This was the apartment I bought for her. Dew said, "You are the kind of man who best draws girls' eyeballs. Her words suddenly reminded me of my wife. When we just married, my wife said, "Men like you, once successful, will be very attractive to girls."Thinking of this, I became somewhat hesitant. I knew I had betrayed mywife. But I couldn't help doing so. I moved Dew's hands aside and said, "You go to select some furniture,O.K.? I've got something to do in the company." Obviously she was unhappy, because I had promised her to go and see with her.

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At the moment, the idea of divorce became clearer in my mind although it used to be something impossible to me. However, I found it rather difficult to tell my wife about it. No matter how mildly I mentioned it to her, she would be deeply hurt. Honestly, she was a good wife. Every evening she was busy preparing dinner. I was sitting in front of the TV. The dinner was ready soon. Then we watched TV together. Or, I was lounging before the computer, visualizing Dew's body. This was the means of my entertainment.

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One day I said to her in a slight joking way, "Suppose we divorce, what will you do?" She stared at me for a few seconds without a word. Apparently she believed that 'divorce' was something too far away from her. I couldn't imagine how she would react once she got to know I was serious.

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When my wife went to my office, Dew had just stepped out. Almost all the staff looked at my wife with a sympathetic eye and tried to hide something while talking with her. She seemed to have got some hint. She gently smiled at my subordinates. But I read some hurt in her eyes. Once again, Dew said to me, "He-Ning, divorce her, O.K.? Then we live together." I nodded. I knew I could not hesitate any more.

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When my wife served the last dish, I held her hand. "I've got somethingto tell you," I said. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. "I want to divorce." I raised a serioustopic calmly. She didn't seem to be much annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, "why?". "I'm serious." I avoided her question. This so-called answer turned her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, "you are not a man!"

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At that night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer, because my hearthad gone to Dew. With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. I felt a pain in my heart. The woman who had been living ten years with me would become a stranger one day. But I could not take back what I had said. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer.

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A late night, I came back home after entertaining my clients. I saw her writing something at the table. I fell asleep fast. When I woke up, I found she was still there. I turned over and was asleep again. She brought up her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but I was supposed to give her one month's time before divorce, and in the month's time we must live as normal life as possible. Her reasonwas simple: our son would finish his summer vacation a month later and she didn't want him to see our marriage was broken. She passed me the agreement she drafted, and then asked me, "He-Ning, do you still remember how I entered our bridal room on the wedding day?" This question suddenly brought back all those wonderful memories to me.I nodded and said,

"I remember".

"You carried me in your arms", shecontinued,

"so, I have a requirement, that is, you carry me out in yourarms on the day when we divorce. From now to the end of this month, you must carry me out from the bedroom to the door everymorning."

I accepted with a smile. I knew she missed those sweet daysand wished to end her marriage with a romantic form.

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I told Dew about my wife's divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. "No matter what tricks she does, she has to face the result of divorce," she said scornfully. Her words more or less made me feel uncomfortable. My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. We even treated each other as a stranger.

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So when I carried her out for the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, "daddy is holding mummy in his arms." His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sittingroom, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly, "Let us start from today, don't tell our son." I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for bus, I drove to office.

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On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. We were so close that I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this intimate woman carefully for along time. I found she was not young any more. There were some fine wrinkles on her face.

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On the third day, she whispered to me, "The outside garden is being demolished. Be careful when you pass there."

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On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I seemed to feel that we were still an intimate couple and I was holding my sweetheart in my arms.The visualization of Dew became vaguer.

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On the fifth and sixth day, she kept reminding me something, such as,where she put the ironed shirts, I should be careful while cooking, etc.I nodded.

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The sense of intimacy was even stronger. I didn't tell Dew about this. I felt it was easier to carry her. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. I said to her, "It seems not difficult to carry you now."

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She was picking her dresses. I was waiting to carry her out. She tried quite a few but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, "All my dresses have grown fatter." I smiled. But I suddenly realized that it was because she was thinner that I could carry her more easily, not because I was stronger. I knew she had buried all the bitterness in her heart. Again, I felt a sense of pain. Subconsciously I reached out a hand to touch her head. Our son came in at the moment. "Dad, it's time to carry mum out." He said. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had been an essential part of his life. She gestured our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face because I was afraid I would change my mind at the last minute. I held her in my arms, walking from thebedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, as if we cameback to our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad.

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On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. She said, "Actually I hope you will hold mein your arms until we are old." I held her tightly and said, " Both you and I didn't notice that our life was lack of such intimacy."

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I jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my decision. I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door. I said to her, "Sorry, Dew, I won't divorce. I'm serious."

She looked at me, astonished. The she touched my forehead.

"You got no fever." She said.

I moved her hand off my head. "Sorry, Dew," I said,"I can only say sorry to you, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of life, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I understand that since I carried her into the home, she gave birth to our child, I am supposed to hold her until I am old. So I have to say sorry to you."

Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into cry.

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I walked downstairs and drove to the office. When I passed the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet for my wife which was her favorite. The salesgirl asked me to write the greeting words on the card. I smiled and wrote, "I'll carry you out every morning until we are old."