Wind In My Head: The Singa Lion
Wind In My Head
Sunday, May 28, 2006
The Singa Lion
My colleague was clearing out his desk and testament to how long he hadn't done it, he found this.
Post it pads with the Courtesy Lion on it. Goodness, it really threw us back to the 80's where we had the courtesy campaign and they would give out the orange lion on a pin for you to proudly pin onto your uniform to show that you were incredibly courteous. It's rather telling that a nation had to run a courtesy campaign to teach "please" "thank you" and a smile to its people.
Anyway, I remember being selected as the Most Courteous Girl in school once and I laughed all the way up stage to get my badge and all the way down stage back to my friends who were in all stitches. I think I said thank you after the badge was pinned onto my uniform. Unlike my collegaue, my housekeeping skills were efficient enough to guarantee that fifteen years later, there was no trace of that Courtesy Lion anywhere in my possession.
Another thing that was a throwback to the 80's were these sweets, that juxtaposed against the sticky pad made me feel all of Primary 3 again.
If you haven't had those sweets before, they're basically plum powdered sweets that melt in your mouth and can be totally addictive. I remember it was like $0.10 for one or something like that. Anyway, I found them in 7-Eleven in a pack of five. I don't know what I'm going to do with them because the novelty lasted about half a tube, which meant I still have 4 1/2 tubes of these sweets left. The rumour was that they were taken off the shelves because it had mercury in it. Seems like a lot of things that can from China had mercury or lead in it.
Ah, the things of childhood. So with a plum tablet in our mouths, KW and I spent the rest of the afternoon singing the only two lines we could remember of the jingle.
Courtesy is for free.
Courtesy is for you and me....
In the most sickly sweet of voices. Drove everyone insane.
PS. Olie, I brought home one pad for you!
Technorati Tags: Singapore, Courtesy campaign
Ondine tossed this thought in at 17:44
3 thoughts...
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At 10:31 pm
Tym said... All I recall of the courtesy song, besides the lines you've jotted down, is that the next line ends with "harmony" (to rhyme with "me"/"free"). Maybe something like:
"It makes for gracious living
And harmony"
?-
At 5:34 pm
seriously! said...
*gasp* You really did?!? Thank you! Thank you!
The Singa is real ancient!!! I remember the badge too! That big plastic orange lion! It really reminds me of our primary school days! *goofy grin*-
At 10:56 am
Threez said...
bqI was just at your place and did not inherit a lovely tube of disgusting plum sweets???
And I was just singing the courtesy song to my kids last week (they're too young to puke from the effect) ... Okay I won't let on that I actually remember the lyrics ...