Sabtu, 18 Desember 2010

Jika Anda ditanya :
"Pernahkah Anda merasa seperti kantong plastik.... yang mana setelah digunakan untuk menyimpan suatu barang hanya dibuang begitu saja.... hanyut terbawa angin... tak memiliki arah dan tujuan....??? "

Jika Anda ditanya lagi :
"Apakah Anda pernah merasa bagaikan sebuah kertas yang sangat tipis ??? seperti rumah-rumahan yang terbuat dari kartu ??? "
Kemudian, sekali lagi Anda ditanya : 
"Pernahkah Anda merasa telah terkubur enam kaki di bawah ??  Berteriak..... tapi tampaknya tak seorang pun mendengar apa-apa ... ??? "

Mungkin Anda akan berpikir sejenak untuk menjawab pertanyaan tersebut. Tahukah Anda bahwa masih ada kesempatan bagi Anda untuk membangun jati diri masing-masing dan membiarkan semua orang mengetahui seperti apa diri Anda yang sebenarnya.

Anda tidak perlu merasa seperti membuang-buang ruang bagi diri Anda. Anda adalah diri Anda sendiri yang asli, yang tak dapat diganti oleh orang lain. Jika saja Anda tahu apa yang masa depan sediakan bagi Anda...???  After a hurricane comes a rainbow......

Mungkin Anda satu-satunya jawaban mengapa semua pintu ditutup. Anda sering merasa bukanlah seseorang yang berarti, putus asa, dikucilkan dan sedang bad mood. Anda harus melihat diluar sana sangat banyak pribadi luar biasa sebagai diri mereka sendiri dan bukan sebagai orang lain. Anda adalah Anda dan mereka ialah mereka, sudah seharusnya Anda bangga akan hal-hal yang ada dalam diri Anda.

Anda bisa membuka salah satu pintu yang membawa Anda ke jalan yang sempurna.  Seperti petir, jantung Anda akan berdegup kencang. Dan ketika saatnya tiba, Anda akan tahu apa yang sebenarnya terjadi dalam hidup Anda.


Anda hanya harus menyalakan sebuah lampu dan biarkan ia bersinar, biarkan Anda yang memiliki malam ini.
Anda layaknya sebuah kembang api. Ketika melesat ke langit luas, membiarkan warna Anda meledak. Bahkan lebih terang dari bulan. Beritakan kepada mereka siapa sebenarnya diri Anda, buat mereka terkejut dengan apa yang Anda lakukan dan mereka pasti bahagia dengan Anda. Sekarang saatnya untuk melupakan semua yang telah berlalu dan Anda bisa menjadi diri Anda apa adanya.



Inspired by : Firework performed by Katy Perry. 2010 

Katy Perry - Firework

Jumat, 17 Desember 2010

FIREWORKS.....


Fireworks are a class of high explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics) is a display of the effects produced by firework devices. Fireworks competitions are also regularly held at a number of places. Fireworks (devices) take many forms to produce the four primary effects: noise, light, smoke, and floating materials (confetti for example). They may be designed to burn with colored flames and sparks including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and silver. Displays are common throughout the world and are the focal point of many cultural and religious celebrations.
Fireworks were invented in ancient China in the 12th century to scare away evil spirits, as a natural extension of the Four Great Inventions of ancient China of gunpowder. Such important events and festivities as Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival were and still are times when fireworks are guaranteed sights. China is the largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks in the world.
Fireworks are generally classified as to where they perform, either as a ground or aerial firework. In the latter case they may provide their own propulsion (skyrocket) or be shot into the air by a mortar (aerial shell).
The most common feature of fireworks is a paper or pasteboard tube or casing filled with the combustible material, often pyrotechnic stars. A number of these tubes or cases are often combined so as to make, when kindled, a great variety of sparkling shapes, often variously colored. The skyrocket is a common form of firework, although the first skyrockets were used in war. The aerial shell, however, is the backbone of today's commercial aerial display, and a smaller version for consumer use is known as the festival ball in the United States. Such rocket technology has also been used for the delivery of mail by rocket and is used as propulsion for most model rockets.



History


The earliest documentation of fireworks dates back to 7th century China where they were first used to frighten away evil spirits with their loud sound (鞭炮/鞭砲 biān pào) and to pray for happiness and prosperity.
Eventually the art and science of firework making developed into an independent profession. In ancient China, pyrotechnicians (firework-masters) were respected for their knowledge and skill in mounting dazzling displays of light and sound. A record in 1264 states that the speed of the rocket-propelled 'ground-rat' firework frightened the Empress Dowager Gong Sheng during a feast held in her honor by her son Emperor Lizong of Song (r. 1224–1264).[1] By the 14th century rocket propulsion was common in warfare, as evidenced by the Huolongjing compiled by Liu Ji (1311–1375) and Jiao Yu (fl. c. 1350–1412).[2]
However, in China, fireworks for ceremonies and celebrations were mostly for royalties and the rich before the 14th century. It was only in the Ming Dynastythat any event for common people — a birth, a wedding, a business opening, or a New Year's Eve celebration — became a fitting occasion for fireworks and other noisemakers.
Amédée-François Frézier published a "Treatise on Fireworks" in 1706, covering the recreational and ceremonial uses of fireworks, rather than their military uses. The book became a standard text for fireworks makers.
Music for the Royal Fireworks was composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749 to celebrate the peace Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which had been declared the previous year.


Fireworks celebrations throughout the world


Japanese Fireworks Festivals

During the summer in Japan, fireworks festivals (花火大会 hanabi taikai?) are held nearly every day someplace in the country, in total numbering more than 200 during August. The festivals consist of large fireworks shows, the largest of which use between 100,000 and 120,000 rounds (Tondabayashi, Osaka), and can attract more than 800,000 spectators. Street vendors set up stalls to sell various drinks and staple Japanese food (such as YakisobaOkonomiyakiTakoyakikakigori (shaved ice)), and traditionally held festival games, such as Kingyo-sukui, or Goldfish scooping.
Even today, men and women attend these events wearing the traditional Yukata, summer Kimono , or Jinbei (men only), collecting in large social circles of family or friends to sit picnic-like, eating and drinking, while watching the show.
The first fireworks festival in Japan was held in 1733.

Indian Fireworks Celebrations

North and South Indians throughout the world celebrate with fireworks as part of their popular "festival of lights" (Diwali) in Oct-Nov every year.

Singapore Fireworks Celebrations

The Singapore Fireworks Celebrations (previously the Singapore Fireworks Festival) is an annual event held in Singapore as part of its National Daycelebrations. The festival features local and foreign teams which launch displays on different nights. While currently non-competitive in nature, the organizer has plans to introduce a competitive element in the future.
The annual festival has grown in magnitude, from 4,000 rounds used in 2004, 6,000 in 2005, to over 9,100 in 2006.

United Kingdom Fireworks Festivals

One of the biggest occasions for fireworks in the UK is Guy Fawkes Night held each year on 5 November, while the biggest in Northern Ireland takes place atHalloween. Guy Fawkes Night is a celebration of the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot on 5 November 1605, an attempt to kill King James I.
Britain's Biggest Fireworks Events (according to this article from The Guardian newspaper):
Battle Fireworks, East Sussex homepage
After Dark fireworks, Sheffield homepage
Sparks in the Park (Cardiff Round Table charity fireworks), Cardiff homepage
Flaming Tar Barrels, Ottery St Mary homepage
Blackheath Fireworks, London homepage
Fireworks with Vikings, Tutbury, Staffordshire homepage
Bangers on the Beach (Holyhead Round Table charity fireworks), Holyhead homepage
Bught Park fireworks, Inverness homepage
Glasgow Green fireworks homepage
Midsummer Common, Cambridge homepage
There are many firewok societies in the counties of East Sussex and West Sussex which were at one time a single county. The societies predate the county boundary changes and are still known collectively as Sussex Bonfire Societies.

United States Fireworks Celebrations

America's earliest settlers brought their enthusiasm for fireworks to the United States. Fireworks and black ash were used to celebrate important events long before the American Revolutionary War. The very first celebration of Independence Day was in 1777, six years before Americans knew whether the new nation would survive the war; fireworks were a part of all festivities. In 1789, George Washington's inauguration was also accompanied by a fireworks display. This early fascination with their noise and color continues today.
In 2004, Disneyland in Anaheim, California, pioneered the commercial use of aerial fireworks launched with compressed air rather than gunpowder. The display shell explodes in the air using an electronic timer. The advantages of compressed air launch are a reduction in fumes, and much greater accuracy in height and timing.[12]
The Walt Disney Company is the largest consumer of fireworks in the United States.