Well, since many of my friends now are foreign to Malaysian and Sabahan customs, i decided to list a few things about us Sabahans to be exact, and well some other facts about my home.

 

Sabah is located in North Borneo, in South East Asia. To be exact in terms of coordinates (use your GPS) latitude 5.98333° and longitude 116.06667° (Kota Kinabalu). Sabah is a state of Malaysia, which is famous for its multi cultural diversity, nature, semi conductor industries, palm oil, petroleum, the Petronas Twin Towers, a modern and moderate Muslim country and speedy developtment. Sabah is mostly covered by mountains, the Crocker range being the spine of the state. The highest peak in South East Asia is located here, Mount Kinabalu or Gunung Kinabalu as its locally known, is 4101 metres high and the first recorded climb was done by Sir Hugh Low (the 150th anniversary of the first climb was retraced by a team of climbers from the Sabah Society in 2001). In general, most of the state is still covered in pristine rainforests and is surrounded by many islands and seas ( in the West : South China Sea, North: The Sulu Sea, East: Celebes Sea/Sulawesi Sea). The Celebes Sea boasts one of the worlds most famous dive spots - Pulau Sipadan which in English is Sipadan Island, located off the coast of Semporna (which in Malay means "all is well"). Three quarters of the population of Sabah live in coastal towns. The four main towns are Kota Kinabalu (also known as KK, and is the capital city), Kudat, Sandakan and Tawau. The longest river is the Kinabatangan River / Sungai Kinabatangan which strectches 560 kilometres from the mountains and flows to the Sulu Sea. The ecosystem of Sabah is very diverse, ranging from Pygmy Elephants to Proboscis Monkeys and Hawks to Green Turtles. Contrary to many beliefs, Sabah has no snow, even on Mount Kinabalu (probably had snow before global warming started). Sabah is located near the equator, thus we have almost equal lengths of day and night.

 

In 1881, Sabah was ruled by the British North Borneo Company which named a small fishing village by the name of Api-api (fire-fire) the capital Jesselton after Sir Charles Jessel. It's rule was ended in 1946 after surviving the Japanese attack in World War Two, it become the colony of North Borneo. On the 31st of August 1963, it gained self-government status and joined the Malaysia n Federation in 1963 (and yes, we are proud Malaysians, even though we tend to think we are Sabahans first). It was than when it was named Sabah.

 

Like the rest of Malaysia, Sabah comprises of many races, religions and cultures. In my view, Sabah is the most diverse and culturally mixed state in Malaysia. Be it in politics or teenagers hanging out, groups are very mixed. As of the year 2000, the population stood at 2,449,389 which is divided in 32 different recognized ethnic groups. Some of which are the Chinese, Malays, Indians, Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, Bajau, Serani, Rungus, Lotud, Tambanuo, Bugis, Orang Sungai, Suluk, Brunei, Kedayan, Bisaya and Rumanau. The Kadazan-Dusuns are known for being fun people, at the same time brave, probably because of their history as warriors. Most of us enjoy celebrating one anothers festivals and customs. Such examples would be, everyone is invited to open houses organized by the Malays or Chinese during Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Chinese New Year. Some enjoy the Tapai or rice wine by the Dusuns, and the horse dances by the Bajau, and yet others enjoy Indian Food and Kadazan dances (Sumazau). In general, most Sabahans are able to speak English, although Malay is the official language. Some languages that can be found in Sabah are English, Malay, Hindi, Mandarin, Hakka, Cantonese, Kadazan, Murut, Bajau and Tamil.

 

Sabah has many to offer, from mountain high to ocean deep as they say. The main attractions are Mount Kinabalu which is the highest mountain in SouthEast Asia (4101 m), Sipadan Island (renowned as a favourite divers spot), Sepilok (one of the world's famous Orangutan Sanctuary), Sukau (famous as a riverside holiday destination), Tunku Abdul Rahman Parks (Nearby islands with great beaches), Padas River (for white water rafting- up to rapid 3 i believe), the Sabah Foundation Building (30 story glass building is supported by high-tensile steel rods, one of only four buildings in the world that is built like this), the State Mosque (partially gold plated dome) and the most popular, the people! We do have shopping centres, more and more being built. The capital city is expanding fast and so are the number of hotels- so accomodation is not a problem although i recommend you book a hotel room in advance. Food wise, there are many restaurants and eateries all over, with different kinds of menus, from modern fusions, typical Malay, Chinese, Indian, Local, Seafood, Weird and wonderful and the list goes on. Unlike many other countries, businesses and offices are normally open from 8am to 6pm, although many shops and supermarkets are open till 10.30pm.

 

Like i have mentioned, we speak many languages. Mainly Malay and English. Unlike Peninsular Malaysia, we speak Malay more accurately by rules and own very few slangs. Some Malay words are (from Tourism Malaysia):

English Malay How do you do? Apa khabar? Good morning Selamat pagi Good afternoon Selamat tengah hari Goodbye Selamat tinggal Bon voyage Selamat jalan Fine Baik Welcome Selamat datang

Pronouns & Titles English Malay I Saya You Anda, Awak We Kita / Kami He/She Dia They Mereka Mr. Encik Miss Cik Mrs. Puan

Questions English Malay Can you help me? Bolehkah anda tolong saya? How do I get there? Bagaimana hendak ke sana? How far? Berapa jauh? How long will it take? Berapa lama? How much (price) does it cost? Berapa harganya? What is this/that? Apa ini / itu? What is your name? Apakah nama anda? When? Bila? Where? Di mana? Why? Kenapa?

Useful Words and Expressions English Malay A little Sedikit A lot Banyak Beach Pantai Beef Daging lembu Chicken Ayam Cold Sejuk Crab Ketam Drink Minum Do not have Tiada Eat Makan Excuse me Maafkan saya Exit Keluar Female Perempuan Fish Ikan Fruit Buah Have Ada Hot Panas I am sorry Saya minta maaf Male Lelaki Meat Daging Money Duit / Wang Mutton Daging kambing No Tidak Please Tolong / Sila Pork Daging babi Prawn Udang Salt Garam Shop Kedai Sugar Gula Thank you Terima kasih Toilet Tandas / Bilik air Trishaw Beca Wait Tunggu Want Mahu Water Air Yes Ya

Directions English Malay Go up Naik Go down Turun Turn Belok Right Kanan Left Kiri Front Hadapan Behind Belakang North Utara South Selatan East Timur West Barat Up Atas Down Bawah   And some local Sabahan slangs are : ~Tunaaa (while pointing with either the finger or lips) - Over there in that direction ~Palui - stupid ~sakai - uncivilized, someone who is new to something popular ~talampau - terlampau in malay, means too much ~yaka - oh really? ~ngam ngam - means precise or just enough ~kicik - kecil in malay means small ~syok - expression of an enjoyable feeling ~panat - penat in malay means tired ~buduh - Bodoh in malay means stupid ~santut - underwear ~aramaitii - togetherness? (guys help me explain this! ) ~bah - although it means flood in malay, its an expression added to a sentence to express further-ok ask me to explain again..its tough this one..also could mean 'ok' ~tahi - shit/poopoo ~Kogutan -  hangover ~pantat - meaning is controversial. in Sabah, generally known as arse, but in Peninsular Malaysia it either means vagina or penis ~tantalau - penis ~gostan - reverse ~takana - terkena in malay, means to hit ~bubut - to chase ~sepuluh tiga - ten three in malay, quick referance to three cans of beer for ten ringgit. ~palis pali - touch wood ~dungu - crazy/insane ~buit padang - Location of a mental hospital, normally used when claiming someone is mentally ill (normally insults) ~taupun - tahu pun in malay, means to know too     thats all about sabah for now..to be updated when i am free and BORED...