Day Two in Asia’s Greenest City: Walking Improves Memory says a recent study

That’s right, walking improves memory, says a recent scientific study, which states that regular walking modestly expands memory space (or hippocampus, to be technical about it).

And so after a whole day’s hiatus (because of the tiring trip from Manila) I made it a point to walk around the Greenest City in Asia (as recognized by a Siemens-commissioned study).

It was raining earlier. With my trusty umbrella, I walked out of our building, up to the multi-level car park, across the spotless streets, up the well-polished overpass, around the manicured block, into neat mini marts and noodle houses, past the salon and bakery and another grocery store, then back to the block by passing another set of well-scrubbed pedestrian lanes. Then I took a seat at the park where Chinese and Indian kids play together (the rain has stopped).

What can I say. Singapore deserves the award as the cleanest in terms of waste and water management (Japan closely following it in this category, said the study), although carbon emission is still high.

At the park I was listening to two Chinese boys playing ball. When their ball went my direction, I stopped it from rolling farther, and one of them said “Thank you,” while the other one said “Thanks!” Hearing this, the other boy told him, “No, don’t use ‘thanks’. Use ‘thank you’. That’s formal. ‘Thanks’ is informal!”

I smiled. What a wonderful world we could have if everybody’s walking and not forgetting manners.

(by Ai. Singapore, 2011)