AU Blogspot

In the midst of flu season (and with hay fever just around the corner), the face mask is undeniably a part of Japanese life. Fortunately, however, for fashionable young things, it needn’t be a setback—claims the latest marketing campaign from mask company Unicharm in collaboration with popular fashion and lifestyle website GirlsGate.com.

Under the clever banner, “Maskore,” the campaign includes a “Miss Mask,” as well as tips on how to match your mask to different outfits and hairstyles, such as teaming up a velvet party dress with a jewel-studded mask, wearing a pretty pink mask for a shopping date, or dabbing a little soothing aroma oil on your mask before heading out for a hectic day.

Okay, its still a face mask, but definitely the most stylish looking ones we’ve seen this season!

Michael Keferl
Trendscouter and Researcher for CScout
Ashworth University Contributing Blogger

*If you’re official job title is “trendscouter”, you may work for a company that qualifies as hyper-cool, such is the case with Michael Keferl’s job with CScout, the leading trend and market research in the world’s most innovative and trendsetting country: Japan. We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to share Michael Keferl’s observations and analyses with the Ashworth University student community. By the time we in the U.S. hear about the latest technological developments, it’s likely that Michael Kefler and CScout have identified, documented, and archived the news months prior. To learn more about the life and work of Michael Kefler, please visit the CScout TrendBlog. Thanks to Michael and the other great people at CScout!

                              Image courtesy of Okimi.

Feng shui (“wind and water”) is a well known ancient Chinese art of placement. According to this art, the way in which energy flows through a garden or a home has a negative or positive effect on the owner of the place. Nowadays, according to modern feng shui theory: marital bliss, business success and even fame can be a part of one’s life if the furniture is placed properly in the house and there is a balanced Feng Shui
Garden landscape design.

Deborah Gee, an expert in the art of using feng shui has made a video to aid people tie together and use chi, the “life force” properly. The concept of chi is central to the principles of Feng Shui. To correctly handle and apply chi in a garden requires handling of three basic elements:

Water – it is represented by ponds, streams or fountain in feng shui, (feng shui fountains) or also a river of stones; and symbolizes wealth and prosperity.

Mountains – it can be symbolically signified by planting beds that are raised, shrubbery and tall trees and symbolizes energy.

Greenery – this can be represented by the green grass and anything which is green around.

One of the key factors that need to be considered with feng shui is balance. The three basic elements of water, mountains and greenery should be placed close to each other. Sharp items should be placed near pathways. They direct sharp chi at people who pass by and disrupts the internal flow of energy, in turn causing a lot of stress and tension. Circular or meandering pathways in the garden are much better; straight ones and the latter create a wave of fast moving chi that may be the cause of feeling uncomfortable. Making the garden flat is a common mistake that most garden designers make. A flat garden does not encourage chi flow. Different levels and layers make chi flow smoothly in the garden. Additionally, curves in the garden help in improving the chi flow. (more…)

Recently I’ve had the fortune of forming and now fundraising a games operator and publishing company, and one of the primary operations will be to license interesting Korean and Chinese computer games to the western English markets.

Checking into these things really opens your eyes to how different far eastern design is to the west.