50 Things Malaysian

Malaysia will be celebrating her 50th year of nationhood come August 31. Preparations are in place for a grand celebration nationwide. Everywhere you go, you see decorations and other forms of commemoration, the most common being the Malaysian flag either hoisted on flagpoles, flown from balconies of apartments, on vehicles, etc. Even the malls are having their Merdeka Sale. The dailies are doing their usual call of duty of reminding the people of this important national event.

In the joyous spirit of Merdeka, The Star asks fellow citizens to think of the things that we share and love, that we all know to be Malaysian by look, taste, smell or sound. They are looking for 50 things to make our definitive list, the things that define Malaysia.

Below is the current list of suggestions so far. I submitted a few the other day. Let's see if they get included. The list is still being fine-tuned, so if you think you have better suggestions, why not contribute to the list.

50 Things Malaysian

Food
01. Nasi lemak
02. Nasi kandar
03. Roti canai
04. Teh tarik
05. Kajang Satay
06. Ramly Burger
07. Char koay teow
08. ABC (air batu campur)
09. Rojak
10. Yee sang

Expressions
11. Lah
12. Maachan
13. Brudder
14. Ta pau
15. Cin-cai
16. Aiyo
17. Malaysia Boleh
18. Yam seng

Personalities
19. Tunku Abdul Rahman
20. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
21. Tan Sri P. Ramlee
22. Sudirman
23. Mat Rempit
24. Ah Long
25. Lat

Buildings & Places
26. Genting Highlands
27. Penang Bridge
28. Putrajaya
29. Sepang International Circuit
30. Petronas Twin Towers
31. Mount Kinabalu
32. KL International Airport
33. Chow Kit Road
34. Malacca
35. Dataran Merdeka
36. 24-hour Mamak stall
37. Pasar malam

Culture and Others
38. Proton
39. Balik kampung
40. Open house
41. Baju kurung
42. Longhouse
43. Baba-Nyonya
44. Malaysian hospitality
45. “Malaysian time”
46. Joget
47. MyKad or identity card
48. Unclear road signs
49. Vision 2020
50. Ang pow in many colours