Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE ULTRASONIC Aroma Diffuser gives off a scented drymist to fill the room with a relaxing, fine fragrance.

The Zen lifestyle is a holistic experience involving all senses. Design concepts and home dcor can create a serene look that gives one an escape from the hustle of the city.

The Zen lifestyle includes signature scents that induce a feeling of ease and calmness.

Japanese premium lifestyle brand Muji launches in the Philippines the global bestseller, Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser.

An iconic home accent, the Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser gives off a scented dry mist to fill the room with a relaxing, fine fragrance.

Its become a favorite in Japan, China, Korea and Europe. It is a key home fixture that spreads the aroma of essential oils in their truest form.

Its three hours of soothing scents can transform the room into a private cocoon. With its two-level brightness option, it bathes the room with soft, ambient glow using its adjustable LED light.

It uses the technology of ultrasonic function, consistent temperature setting and indirect room lighting.

A few drops of essential oil can be blended into 100 ml of water to release a dry, scented mist in the room.

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Muji launches Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser

Albany

The Japanese government will collaborate with researchers at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany on testing technologies that will power "zero-energy" buildings of the future.

The $25 million partnership will take place at the $191 million ZEN building under construction now at SUNY Poly's campus on Fuller Road.

ZEN, which stands for zero energy nanotechnology, will have 356,000 square feet of space, making it one of the largest zero-energy buildings being planned in the world. Zero energy buildings produce more energy than they consume.

The market for such structures is expected to grow from less than $700 million this year to $1.4 trillion in 2035, according to Naigant Research. Both Japan and the United States have invested significant resources to address the market.

Under Tuesday's announcement, Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, or NEDO, will work with SUNY Poly to install $25 million worth of clean-tech technology at ZEN, ranging from solar panels and fuel cells to advanced lighting.

A Japanese company called Shimizu Corp. that specializes in zero energy design and construction will handle the project on behalf of the Japanese government. NEDO often partners on demonstration projects in other countries and has been focused on zero-energy buildings as a way to help the country reduce its reliance on nuclear power plants. The projects also help Japanese companies enter these new markets.

The ZEN building would appear to be an ideal place for NEDO. ZEN was built as a "living laboratory" where construction companies, architecture firms, clean-tech companies and others can test new ways of designing buildings and on-site power generation and storage technologies.

"NEDO's support in providing state-of-the-art equipment will enable the development of zero energy buildings worldwide, charting a new, more sustainable course for global infrastructure," said Ichiro Tsubota, who is director general of the NEDO's energy conservation technology department.

lrulison@timesunion.com 518-454-5504 @larryrulison

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Japan joins energy effort

Practitioners say meditation makes them feel more peaceful, real and authentic. Studies have found it lowers blood pressure and enhances your mood.

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John Milton wrote the mind is its own place, and can make a heaven out of hell, or a hell out of heaven.

Social scientists tell us we think about 60,000 thoughts every day. So if you buy into the above premise, and believe we dont see the world as it is, but as we are, wouldnt you want to control your mind as much as you could?

Meditation can help you do that.

Meditation is very practical, you get to know your mind, all the illusions, all the thoughts you think, because the mind is untamed, said Heather Ferris, who is currently teaching a meditation class at the Duncan library.

Ferris upbringing was a little unusual; both parents meditated when she was a child. This was before The Beatles visited India in 1968 and put transcendental meditation in the Western media spotlight.

The therapist, who has been meditating twice a day now for the past 16 years, said she first began in her 20s, as a way of dealing with nursing her dying husband at home.

She stopped practising for a while and at 46, faced with a relationship crisis, a friend suggested it might help to start meditating again. She did and it helped.

It would be nice if more people had it as a life skill at the start and didnt have to take it up when a crisis happens, Ferris said. Through meditation, you start to recognize habitual tendencies, and begin to live consciously. Im a whole lot more conscious than I was.

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Getting your zen on at the library