Incredible !ndia: Delhi in the evening

Our first view of Delhi was a bit after midnight from the plane. It looked super bright and lots of lights were blinking. Indira Ghandi airport was big, carpeted, clean and fully packed at 1am. When we got out the hot Delhi air hit us in the face. We had to get squeezed into a taxi to reach the hotel. The taxi driver threw 2 of our suitcases on top of the car and for the whole trip i was wondering how they are not falling down. The streets were quite wide and relatively empty. Usually 50% of the cars followed traffic lights, others ddin't care. There were marked lanes, but our taxi driver was driving in the middle, similar to airplane. And so were many others.

We reached Karol Bagh, the area of the hotel. While roaming around to find the exact street, we saw some people sleeping on the sidewalks. That gave me an interesting feeling. I was surprised how comfortable they looked. They were lying in the midst of such a dirt, but they looked as if they have the most blissful sleep. I noticed a father and a small daughter, hugged together. I felt somehow happy for them, in a very strange way.

We reached the hotel, Sohi residency. In Delhi the words residency and palace have much different meaning than what you would expect. It was already about 2.30am, a very pleasant evening. We went to bed and i thought for a while about those people sleeping outside, just a block away from us. I fell asleep fast after that!

The Enzyme Factor

Wikipedia definition: Enzymes are mainly proteins, that catalyze chemical reactions.

The Enzyme Factor is a book I read recently about the importance of enzymes - the ones produced in our body and the ones we take from our food. I remembered the biology class from high school when we were learning the most important digestion enzymes. Some of them are protease (for digestion of proteins), amylase (for digestion of carbohidrates), lipase (for digestion of lipids).
There are more than 3000 enzymes, regulating many processes in the body.

The author, Dr. Hiromi Shinaya - a Japanese doctor - gastroenterologist, proposes a theory that the human organism is able to produce primary 'miracle' enzymes - enzymes, which can be turned into any kind of enzymes that the body needs at a certain moment. For example, if we take too much alcohol, the body produces more of the enzyme which deals with the digestion of alcohol and less of an enzyme needed for other body functions. The production of this primary enzymes reduces as people get older, but their depletion also depends on the lifestyle and the food we eat.
Many studies provide data for the confirmation of this theory. So we should make sure we don't misuse this vital function of our bodies.

Here you can read more about the book and Dr Shinaya.
Here you can refresh your knowledge about most important digestion enzymes for the human body. Scroll down to the articles The Power of Enzymes Part I and II.

The Story of Stuff - watch before you head shopping

The Story of Stuff is a very fresh and insightful short film talking about the path of consumer goods: Extraction - Production - Distribution - Consumption - Disposal.

There are some quite amazing things you probably didn't know until now about the 'stuff' you and me are buying every day, every minute, even now online probably.
I loved the simplicity with which the topic is presented. You don't need sophisticated language to raise attention about such an everyday habit/hobby/entertainment/lifestyle as consumption.

Check out the movie here and think twice before you shop - are you also a part of this consumer society that you were planned for?