The electronic sign along the Federal Highway reminded me today that it’ll soon be the 54^th anniversary of our nation’s independence.  A bit early, but I reckon they need to see folks whipping up their paraphernalia for the show of 1-ness as soon as possible.

Anyway, I reached 50 recently and realised that by that age I have developed in the following ways:

1. can discern between what’s fallacious and what’s facts,
2. accept the natural instead of blaming the supernatural,
3. the mentality of valour rather than that of victim,
4. differentiate between idiosyncrasy and idiocy,
5. ensure specialty rather than superficiality,
6. driven by momentum rather than slogans,
7. practice by syahadah rather than syariah,
8. capture meaning without the metaphors,
9. target objectives rather than incentives,
10. go for innovation rather than imitation,
11. seek solution rather than pontification,
12. recognise democracy over plutocracy,
13. qualify by merit rather than privilege,
14. be individual rather than fashionable,
15. distinguish hypocrisy from courtesy,
16. collectivism over multiculturalism,
17. be punctual rather than cultural,
18. self-perseverance over self-pity,
19. grasp the abstract in concepts,
20. accept phenomena over fate,
21. attain rather than achieve,
22. be true rather than right.

So Malaysia, we love you dearly, but at what age will you develop all that too?