Category Archives: Funny

Sabah vs Malaysia [26 differences that only Sabahans understand]

Sabahans are Malaysians too, but we always feel that West Malaysians don’t understand us. Only Sabahans can understand all the differences below. This is meant to be funny, so please don’t feel offended.

Ok vs Bah

In Sabah, we say Bah more than Ok. Bah also has other meaning. You can check out the annoying tutorial video of Adam Tambakau to learn more lol.

Credits: (left) Ok girl photo created by drobotdean – www.freepik.com, (right) screenshot of Bah video by Adam.

Road Condition

Majority of our highways only connect major cities, towns and urban areas, some places, especially small villages, only have paved or gravel roads. Part of the city roads still can be bumpy, and you must be vigilant to avoid hitting the potholes.

Credit: Driver photos created by freepik – www.freepik.com (edited)

A viral Facebook video by Rey Silver Prince with the caption of ‘First Sabahan arrived at Moon’ that mocked the poor road condition of Sabah.

Myvi vs 4WD

Because of the bad roads, Sabahans who needs to enter villages regularly would prefer a 4-wheel-drive over a fancy saloon car. When West Malaysians see so many 4WD in Sabah, they think Sabahans are rich. Well, without a 4WD, you can’t access many places in Sabah.

Toll

Huh?! No Thanks!

Credit: (left) Slleong, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rojak

The typical rojak of Malaysia consists of cucumber, bean sprouts, and various kinds of chopped fruits. If you order rojak in Sabah, what you get are sliced beef, yellow noodle, bean curd puff and cucumber mixed with sweet peanut sauce, which are something meaty rather than fruity.

Nasi Lemak Vs Linopot

Nasi lemak is our national dish originating in Malay cuisine. It’s wrapped and served nicely in banana leaves. In Sabah, we wrap cooked rice and dishes in the big leaves of doringin or tarap.

Satay vs Sinalau Bakas

In Peninsular Malaysia, sometimes pork is a problem, while in Sabah, we enjoy pork so much and really fond of Sinalau Bakas (smoked wild boar meat). You could find Sinalau Bakas stalls next to the busy rural roads between towns.

Durians

Besides the ordinary durians, Sabah has durians with red or orange flesh (Sukang and Dalit). These small durians have stronger aroma and exotic flavors, so they are also used in cooking.

Seafood

Everything is expensive in Sabah except seafood. If you invite Sabahans for a seafood dinner in your state, don’t be upset if they complain about the small but expensive seafood.

2Malaysia Prices

Many businesses in West Malaysia don’t feel guilty to charge Sabahans more. Sabahans usually end up paying 20% or more but we are already numb to such price differences. It’s not a great feeling, as Sabahans have lower income but burdened by higher living cost.

Free Shipping?

So many times I got tricked by some online Malaysian shops that said they offered FREE shipping in Malaysia. The excitement became disappointment the moment I keyed in my Sabah address in check-out page. Sometimes the shipping fee can cost more than the product itself.

Internet Connection

Network connectivity is really an issue in remote area. For example, a Sabah student named Veveonah Mosibin had to camp on top of a tree, to get stronger data signal for taking her exams online. Until today, there are still Sabah village kids that have to walk a few KM to get Internet coverage.

Credit: (right) screenshot of the viral video by Veveonah Mosibin

Daylight

When I was living in KL, it confused me that the sky was still bright at 7pm. In fact, before 1982, Malaysia had two time zones. The time in Sabah was 30 minutes faster than West Malaysia so it gets dark sooner.

Credit: (left) KL city photo by Pexels from Pixabay

Merdeka Day vs Malaysia Day

Sabahans don’t feel much emotions when they see the historical footage of Tunku Abdul Rahman shouting “Merdeka” for the independence of Malaya in 1957, because that year Malaysia hasn’t existed yet. We care more about the Malaysia Day on 16 Sep, which becomes a National Holiday since year 2010.

Public Holidays

Sabah has a lot of Catholics and Christians, so we have extra day off for Good Friday and Christmas Eve. Kaamatan is the harvest festival of Kadazandusun and Murut communities.

Beer vs Tapai

Did anyone tell you that Sabahans are good drinkers? We do like beer but it’s more like an orang putih thing, so true Sabahans would go for the more potent rice wines such as Tapai and Lihing.

Boh vs Sabah Tea

I don’t care about the taste, any brand with the word “Sabah” is my favourite lol.

Mango vs Bambangan

Bambangan is a wild mango of Sabah. It’s very sour and is commonly eaten as pickle and appetizer. Bambangan to Sabahans is like Kimchi to Koreans.

Traditional Wear

Sabah has shirts and daily wear with native styles and motifs inspired by our traditional costumes.

Dances

Sabahans dance Sumazau whenever they are happy or partying.

Beauties

To Sabahans, Unduk Ngadau (Miss Harvest Festival) means more than a gorgeous woman, she is also a figure who represents the sacred and motherly Huminodun, a maiden sacrificed to save her starving people.

Gadis vs Sumandak

Sumandak is a Dusun word for girl. Chinese (Hakka) terms such as Ah Moi and Liang Moi are also widely understood.

Credits: (left) Photo of Malay girl by adhadimohd from Pixabay

Tall Vs Long Building

Sabah doesn’t have a lot of skyscrapers, but we have longhouses, the tallest tropical tree in the world and top 3 highest mountains of Malaysia.

Credit: KL City photo created by lifeforstock – www.freepik.com

Neighbours

No explanation required. Peace!

Mascots

The Malayan tiger is strong and charismatic. Orangutan is intelligent and cute.

Warriors

Hang Tuah is a silat master and the most well-known hero of Malaysia. Murut people are fearsome warriors in the past, and they harvested your head to make house decoration. You don’t want to be their enemies.

Credit: Photo of Silat by Lan Rasso (Under Creative Commons license)

Disclaimer: Remember, Malaysia is a multicultural country, and this is the most beautiful part of Malaysia. Diversity doesn’t impair Unity, as long as we respect one another. This post is purely for entertainment purpose, the differences are exaggerated but have no intention to mock anyone or any group, nor does it represent all Malaysians and Sabahans. Any other difference you can think of? Please share it in comment section below.

Sago Grub (Butod), the Most Bizarre Food of Borneo

20 Replies

Known as Butod locally, Sago Grub or Sago Worm is a delicacy, as well as the most disgusting food of Sabah. Junk food always look good, but it does ugly things to your body. Sago Grub is the opposite, it’s an ugly but nutritious food. However, it’s a test of bravery to put this wriggling bug into your mouth.

Edible Sago Grub is the larvae of Sago Palm Weevil

Butod is the larvae of Sago Palm Weevil, a species of snout beetle that consumes sago palm during its infancy. Sago Grub can grow fatter than the little finger and looks like a giant maggot. This creamy yellow color and fat worm is rich in protein and sold at US$0.25 each (RM40 – 45 per Kg), quite expensive, but still a hot selling item in local market.

Sago Palm Weevil (Species: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus olivier), adult of Sago Grub, is also known as Red Palm Weevil, and Asian Palm Weevil. Locals call it Linggaung.

According to Dr. Arthur Chung, an insect expert, adult Sago Palm Weevil is also consumed in Sabah. The rusty red colour adults are usually grilled or roasted, with the hard and spiny parts, and unsavoury guts removed before eating.

Sago grubs grow and feed inside sago palm

The best place to collect sago grubs is in sago palm, as they feed on starchy pith of decaying sago palm tree, before they are mature and transform into beetle after 2 months.

Grub up some sago grubs (Butod) in Sago Palm

Just chop the sago trunk to look for butod in the spongy internal of the palm. Farmers also deliberately cut some opening on fallen sago tree, to attract female weevils to lay eggs inside. They could harvest up to 100 butod per trunk after 1 to 3 months.

Cleaning sago grubs before cooking them

Sago Grub is white. I notice it’ll turn yellowish or brownish after being exposed to ultraviolet. Sago grubs can die fairly quick under direct sunlight and dry place. Keep them in shade, preferably with pieces of damp sago wood, and they can survive for a few days.

Sago grub is a healthy source of protein and fiber.

Sago Palm is an important crop of Sabah. Sago Grub is supposed to be a pest because it burrows and eats voraciously into the heart of sago palm, and cause the tree dies. However, sago grub is a highly sought after food that brings good money. You can see the statue of Sago Palm Weevil at the entrance of Rumbia Information Centre. There is no other insect in Sabah that is “commemorated” by such a big statue.

Statue of Snout Beetle / Weevil at Rumbia Information Center

In Sabah, though everyone knows about Sago Grub, not many are actually eating this soft-bodied larvae. Bugs seem to be doing filthy things all the time. Just look at fly and cockroach that make people sick. So it might be a bad idea to eat bugs. Anyway, sago grub is very clean because it only feeds on and live inside sago pith.

Sago grubs make tunnels and feed on decaying pith tissues of the sago palm

According to what I read on the Internet, sago grubs have been described as creamy tasting when raw, and like bacon or meat when cooked. I wanted to try out the live and cooked sago grubs and see if it is true. Now I can tell you that the taste of both is not bad, and I can assure you that sago grub has no funny smell or taste. No, it doesn’t taste like chicken.

Are you dare to eat this?

Tasting Live Sago Grub

Every human has insectophobia to some degrees. We can’t never be friends with bugs. Even if I love to photograph bug, that doesn’t mean I want to lick it. Anyhow, I always want to experience eating live sago grub at least once. Probably I think this is a big achievement as high as the Medal of Honor.

It’s me first time eating live sago grub

To eat live sago grub, hold its head with two fingers, because you won’t eat its hard chitinous head, and to avoid its pincer biting you. I squeeze its head to kill it first, so it won’t wriggle in my mouth later and to suffer from a painful death. Then I take a bite at its neck and chew. You can watch the following video if you want to see action:

In first bite, the juicy worm “bursts” in my mouth, and I can feel its creamy gut flows all over my tongue. OMG, that’s so gross! I just try not to think that I’m eating a bug, or I would throw up. The taste of raw butod is like coconut milk with a bit of sweetness. The skin is tough and chewy. Though I don’t think that it’s delicious, the taste isn’t terrible at all. In fact, it’s quite bland.

Cooking Sago Grubs

Swallowing squirming sago grubs may look way too savage. No problem. You can fry, boil, or grill it, then eat it with knife and fork. Personally I think cooked butod tastes much better. It’s so easy to cook butod. You will know how after watching the video below:

According to a research by Oxford University, Sago Grub contains significantly more vitamins, unsaturated fat, and minerals, but much less cholesterol than other common meat such as chicken and beef. Therefore, Butod is an excellent alternative source of protein.

Washing the sago grubs before cooking them. Female butod is bigger and darker in color

The simplest way to cook sago grubs is to stir-fry them in a pan, until they are totally dry and turn crispy. The first step is to wash and clean the butod with water.

Cut an opening on sago grub. (sorry about the animal cruelty)

Next step is quite cruel. You tear an opening on their bodies, with finger or knife, so they won’t expand and “explode” while being fried. The yellow soft stuff gushes from the cut is the fat. Butod is packed with oil like a natural energy bars. The locals believe butod oil can thicken their hair.

Pan-fried the sago grubs

Then pour all the butod into the pan and stir fry them slowly with small fire. For better flavor, you may add a pinch of salt or MSG. If you think that is too plain, you can cook them with onions or other vegetables, basically it’s same as how you cook other meat.

All the oil is from the plump sago grubs

Do you see the oil in the photo above? It’s all from the sago grubs! The smoke smells really, really good and appetizing, like butter.

Fully cooked Sago Grubs (probably a bit overcooked…)

Researchers describe insects as “micro-livestock” that emits 10 times less greenhouse gas than farting cows. The author of “Bug Chef Extraordinaire”, David George Gordon, says, “Insects are the most valuable, underused and delicious animals in the world.” Eating bugs comes with hundreds of benefits, but people don’t eat bugs for only one reason, it is disgusting. Well, I can give men a superb reason to eat Butod. It’s good for men. *wink wink* If eaten together with patiukan (honeycombs) and tapai (Sabah rice wine), man will certainly experience an incredible aphrodisiacal erection, according to John Seet, the author of The Beliefs & Practices of the Kadazandusun-Murut (ISBN 978-0-7393-8358-2).

Fried sago grubs go well with beer

After stir-fried, the butod becomes crispy and taste like fried fish skin, with a hint of prawn, quite nice. It goes well with beer. Dipping it with a bit of cheese would make it more yummy (I haven’t tried that though).

Sago Festival

If you are interested in munching some sago grubs, you may visit Sago Festival (Pesta Rumbia in local language), which is held in Kuala Penyu annually.

Sago grubs to be cooked

During the festival, the ticket for Sago Buffet is available for a few bucks only. Buy one and you can try different kinds of sago food, which includes cooked sago grubs.

Cooking Sago Grubs (Butod)

Sago Grubs served in Sago Festival

Tourists trying out Sago Grubs (Butod)

There are many tourists who are keen to try sago grubs. The ticket is always sold out fast.

Sago Grub Satay

Sago grub is also widely eaten by people of Sarawak, Southeast Asian countries, and Papua New Guinea. Sago grubs are commonly sold in weekly open air market (Tamu) in rural area of Sabah.

Children learn about sago grubs

However, whenever I want to share butod with my friends, 9 out of 10 them would run away, and one passes out. Actually most Sabahans haven’t tried this delicacy yet. Hope the young generations will be educated that butod is great stuff and nobody should be afraid of eating it.

Butod Products

As one of the Four Asian Tigers, Thailand is far ahead in food industry. You can buy butod in package and tin from their supermarket and even order them online! Here are some product shots for your viewing pleasure.

Salted Sago Worms. Photo by www.thailandunique.com

Yes, you can eat worms like snack. Do share with your friends!

Edible Sago Worm Larvae (BBQ Flavour). Photo by www.thailandunique.com

Let’s open a can of worms, shall we?

Butod Sushi by D’Place Kinabalu Restaurant

Nom Nom… Chocolate Coated Sago Worms. A great gift for Valentine’s Day? Photo by www.thailandunique.com

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

3D Wonders Museum of Sabah

3D Painting

Upon entry, we started playing with something small and simple as a “warm-up”. Just position your hands on the right spot of the painting and you are ready for a funny shot.

Pic: 3D painting of floating City Mosque, the most beautiful mosque of Sabah.

Pic: big fish by Sea Bajau fisherman from Semporna

Though there are many attractions in Sabah, 3D Wonders Museum is one of the few family-oriented destinations that excites both adults and children.

Pic: majority of the 3D art collection here are inspired by various unique culture, nature and destinations of Sabah. You can read the signage to learn more about the subject of each painting. The photos of signage also shows you some good ideas on how to pose with the painting for the most entertaining effect. Of course, you can try other creative poses.

Pic: Photography pointer that tells you where is the best spot and angle to shoot the picture.

Don’t worry if you travel alone. The friendly staffs are always around to guide you and to help you to take picture of you in action, so you may leave your selfie stick at home.

I chit chat with some of the tourists and find that many of them are friends and family from Brunei, Peninsular Malaysia, etc.

Flora & Fauna and Conservation

Then I moved on to the nature theme that have big painting features the eco-treasures of Sabah. The way they present the theme is probably more exciting than the real things. For example, there has been a myth that our giant pitcher plant and rafflesia flower of Borneo are man-eaters, so the museum turns that fantasy into something touchable.

Pic: children ~~being eaten by~~ sitting on Nepenthes Rajah, the largest pitcher plant in the world.

Pic: Most murals span across wall and floor to give them more depth and realistic look, like the rafflesia flower painting above.

Pic: hanging out with Orangutan, the wild man of Borneo rainforest.

Pic: this is how baby turtles feel when they are released.

Pic: Polar bears on melting ice cap, a warning for global warming.

Sabah Ethnic Theme

Sabah is famous for its vibrant and colorful culture. You can pretend you are in a cultural journey. Don’t be squeamish while taking photos. Be playful and imaginative, the more you interact with the painting and blend into scene, the better the photos. Your photo would look pretty lame if you just stand straight and act normally.

Pic: Magunatip bamboo dance, great pose and expression bro!

Pic: horse riding with Bajau, the Cowboys of the East.

Pic: photo booth of Murut headhunter. I meant to be funny but it looked so real that it was a bit creepy instead.

Pic: Wooden trampoline in traditional longhouse of Murut people

Travel Theme

Let the paintings take you to popular places in Kota Kinabalu, Kota Belud, Kiulu, Semporna, Kinabalu Park, Ranau and Sandakan. A photography tip for taking better 3D photo – reduce the power of camera flash, because the reflection and shadow cast by strong light would make the painting looks flat and fake. This can be difficult if you are not using good camera.

Pic: This painting is the favorite of everyone because it looks “dangerous”.

Pic: Due to earthquake, climbing to Mt. Kinabalu is halt until further notice, but you still can take a photo of the summit here.

Pic: May be you should try harder for the challenge, mom.

Pic: Zip Borneo, the longest flying fox zipline in Borneo.

Pic: Canoeing in Kiulu River

Pic: “Aaaargh… tell mom I won’t be back for dinner!”

Illusions

The illusion section gets the most laughters. It’s just awesome.

Pic: This silat fighting photo puzzled me the most. I was wondering why all my friends could do flying kick so easily.

…until I saw how it’s done lol. It’s like breaking the magician’s code. This can spoil the fun so I only reveal one secret here.

Pic: The Shrinking Room (or Ames Room). Sometimes you just can’t trust your eyes.

Pic: Can you figure out? Aren’t you entertained?

Pic: Night view of Kota Kinabalu city. The UV lights will make your cloth glows in the dark.

Entrance Fee & Contact

You can save a few bucks if you visit both 3D Wonders Museum and Upside Down House (2-in-1 package).

Ticket Fee*	Malaysian Adult	Foreign Adult	Child (4-12 years)**
3D Wonders Museum	RM24.40	RM35 (≈USD$7)	RM15.90 (≈USD$4.60)
Upside Down House (Rumah Terbalik)	RM10.60	RM19.10 (≈USD$5.50)	RM5.30 (≈USD$1.50)
2-in-1 Package (Upside Down House + 3D Wonders)	RM31.80	RM47.70 (≈USD$14)	RM19.10 (≈USD$5.50)

* Fee inclusive of 6% GST tax (price as of June 2015)
** Free entrance for infant 3 years and below

Pic: 3D Wonders Museum is next to Upside Down House (Rumah Terbalik)

Shuttle Services

You can take their shuttle depart from shopping malls (see below) to this place for RM50 (≈US$12.50) per person. Please call +60 18-8614688 / +60 88-230534 in advance to book a seat (before 4:00pm).

From Center Point	From Wisma Merdeka	Return
8:30am	8:45am	11:30am
10:30am	10:45am	1:30pm
2:00pm	2:15pm	5:00pm
3:00pm	3:15pm	6:00pm

Address (see Location Map): Kampung Telibong, Batu 21, Jalan Telibong Tamparuli, 89208 Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 7am – 7pm daily
Phones: +60 88-260263, +60 19-8614688
Email: sales@trekkerslodge.com
Website: www.upsidedownhouse.com.my
Facebook: Rumah Terbalik – The Upside Down House in Borneo!

Photos taken in Tamparuli, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

My Blogging Journey and Malaysia Social Media Week

9 Replies

Year 2015 is my 10th anniversary on blogging. When I reminisce the past, I’m amused by how much the world of blogging has changed over the last decade. After I quit my job in 2005, I was so excited to read from a magazine that said blog would be a world-changing platform, and bloggers could make a lot of money out of it.

Therefore, I started this travel blog (i.e. MySabah.com). Did you know that 80% of Malaysian bloggers write about either travel or food? At that time, there were a lot of bloggers jumped on the bandwagon too. To avoid stiff competition, I focused my niche topic on travelling in Sabah. We blogged almost every day about everything and placing ad banners all over our websites, wishing for thousands of clicks and tons of cash flowing in.

However, after many months, most of us received a cheque of only two digit earning. One by one, people stop blogging. I’ve seen many bloggers come and go, and some of them produced great content, which is sad.

Pic: The moment of truth. Is Blogging just a waste of time?

Every now and then I would hear marketer or consultant started their presentation with cliche opening such as, “There are over 2 billions Internet users, so you must sell on the Net.” It’s just a marketing gimmick, which is almost as silly as saying, “We have 7 billion people on earth so everyone must open a shop.” Well, you know I know, that is impossible to reach everyone online or offline. Anyway, cyberspace makes it easier provided that we know how to reach our target audiences.

Pic: If I was only after for money, I would have quit many years ago, after seeing no result from many months of hard-work. I believe most bloggers go through the same struggle in the beginning and share the same sentiment. Albeit the setbacks, I’m glad I didn’t give up.

There is a joke which says, “To become a millionaire travel writer, start with 2 millions.” Don’t get me wrong. Blogging does make money. However, majority of successful bloggers make money indirectly from their blog, for example, by writing sponsored posts, publishing book, providing training, consultancy and digital marketing services, selling products related to their blog, after they build their reputation and traffic online.

“The currency of blogging is authenticity and trust.” – Jason Calacanis

Pic: Sharing is Caring. Photo by Vanessa from The Island Drum, one of my favorite speakers.

Luckily my passion on blogging is not solely driven by financial incentive, I always have the genuine interest to promote Sabah, my beautiful homeland a.k.a. the Land below the Wind. Now I have built a steady income stream from blogging and it’s still growing. Now my blog has over 800 articles (with millions of page views), 30,000 photos and 200 videos (over 4 million views), covering most destinations in Sabah. Some of my articles got over 10K shares on social media and my works are published on many books and magazines. I’ve been focusing my blog on introducing least-known attractions. If I blog more about popular destinations, I can triple or even quadruple my traffic (income), something I’m looking forward to do more this year.

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.” – Brian Clark

Pic: I always blog in late night. This is how I feel after clicking the “Publish” button. LOL

Nowadays it’s no easy task to be a travel blogger. Besides good knowledge in your niche, you also need to be good at HTML, writing, photography, SEO, social media, digital marketing, video making, etc. But the hardest of all is the time and level of self-discipline it takes. I have to turn blogging into a habit or even a lifestyle. But thinking of the positive side, even if your blog doesn’t do well, you still learn a lot of new things.

Pic: Asking for sponsorship? In early days, bloggers were not being highly appreciated. People thought we were amateur and air-headed attention seekers who blogged about something controversial or to complain about others.

Pic: The attitude of business owners have gradually changed today. More companies say Yes to bloggers. Blog is now making a comeback in business world and becomes a crucial component of Content Marketing. No matter how fast technologies evolves, people are always hungry for quality and useful content. Many businesses want to offer great content and blogging service is very desirable. I’m very sheepish in asking for sponsorship, so I’m very grateful to those who see my value and support me.

“The term ‘Professional Blogger’ is no longer an oxymoron.” – Luke Langford

Malaysia Social Media Week

Blogging has stood the test of time and is widely and formally accepted as a media in Malaysia. In Sabah, we have Best Online Media Award by Sabah Tourism Awards to acknowledge the best blogger. In national level, Malaysia also presents Bloggers and Social Media Awards to outstanding bloggers in Malaysia Social Media Week (MSMW) in various categories annually.

The coming Malaysia Social Media Week 2015 will be held on 21-25 Apr 2015 in Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. I’ve joined it once and strongly recommend this grand event to aspiring bloggers and social media marketers. Companies are advised to participate too, as there are lot of ideas on digital marketing being shared. To users, your business does not exist if they can’t find your website, photos, videos and stories online. They google you before they buy from you.

Pic: presentation slide by Murni Amalia Ridha / Mumun from Indonesia (www.Indohoy.com)

During the conference, you will see many international bloggers like you and me. It’s encouraging to know that they do the same thing like you and achieve great results. You could be the next one in spotlight. If you are a music lover, you should join a live concert at least once in a lifetime. Same to blogger, you should attend a conference if blogging is your passion.

Pic: David Hogan shared his blogging tips during MSMW conference. His Malaysia Asia website is one of the most successful blogs in Malaysia.

Pic: photo with Murni Amalia Ridha / Mumun (middle) and David Hogan (right)

You can even connect with your favorite speakers / bloggers and learn from them. Sometimes a small change in mindset and approach can improve our results significantly. Please don’t blog alone in your room. Meet other bloggers to get inspired.

Pic: Pham Hoang Mien (www.hanoigrapevine.com) from Vietnam

The conference and workshop of MSMW cover various topics in blogging and social media. Photography is also a hot topic. You would discover new tools, connection and opportunities for your platforms. Being diligent is not enough if we don’t have the right strategies.

MSMW is not only about blogging. Key players of online media, advertisers, technology corporations, etc. will come to speak at the summit. You may follow the Facebook of MSMW for update.

Pic: Blogie Robillo (Philippines) from www.dabawenyo.com. I really like his name. He has a travel blog about Mindanao.

Who knows you might find new meaning that reignites your passion and take your blog to next level.

Many give up right before the tipping point. Just keep blogging if you enjoy it, good things will definitely come along, money hopefully.

Photos taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

General Election 2013 in Sabah

Smiley Island of Sabah

4 Replies

Visitors who take a flight to Kota Kinabalu (KK), capital of Sabah, would not want to miss the aerial view of beautiful islands when their plane approaches the city. If you are lucky, you will see that our islands are smiling at you.

You won’t miss Gaya Island and the water villages, as Gaya is the largest island near KK.

The “similing” islands are just next to Gaya Island (see yellow arrow).

Depending on your luck, your plane may or may not pass by “Smiley Island”.

You can only see it when the angle is right. I saw it when my flight departed from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur.

If you are at the window seat, you would be greeted by our Smiley Islands.

This Smiley Island is formed by 3 islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, namely Manukan Island (Pulau Manukan), Mamutik Island (Pulau Mamutik) and Sulug Island (Pulau Sulug).

Anyone wants to guess what are the islands below?

Next time get a window seat. 🙂

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Warning to Smokers: the Scariest, the Funniest and the Most Disgusting

Second-Hand Smoke
Scariness:★

For me, this photo is the least effective warning. However, it is the most “inspiring” as it makes you think of your family. Smoker dad may ignore any warning, but for sure he won’t want his child to pick up his bad habit. Child is more likely to become a future smoker if his/her parent smokes.

Translation: “Second-hand smoke will harm your family”

That really happens. Sometimes I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw some fathers smoked while holding a baby in their arm. Are they retarded or what?

Lung Cancer
Scariness: ★★

Every smoker knows smoking can increase the risk of getting lung cancer. Probably they hear this so many times, they are numb to the Lung Cancer warning.

The funny thing is – many heavy smokers never die of cancer. Personally I have seen so many people who live a perfect healthy lifestyle, they don’t smoke and drink, they exercise regularly, but they got cancer! This may have something to do with genes..

Gangrene
Scariness: ★★

Gangrene.. look bad enough. The Health Department wants to scare smokers so bad that they always use extreme photos, probably something that happens to 1 in a a million smokers? The warning looks so fake that nobody gives it a shit.

Heart Disease
Scariness: ★★

This warning doesn’t work so well either, though heart disease is No. 1 killer in our country. Smokers would think, “Huh? What? Isn’t heart attack for overweight dude?”

Bad Breath
Scariness: ★★★

This warning is not about fatal disease but it is more effective. Most smokers know they smell bad, though they can’t smell themselves. If smokers want to pick up a girl, their bad breath and yellow teeth are really a big turn-off. That’s why many girls don’t want a smoker boyfriend.

Besides, for front line staffs such as salesperson, having a stinky mouth won’t help their business (unless their customers also smoke).

Mouth Cancer
Scariness: ★★★★

This one is very scary for Malaysians, but not because of the ulcer. Malaysians are always hungry for food, not being able to eat will be the worst nightmare for us. They rather die of cancer than hunger.

Premature Infant
Scariness: ★★★★

Being a mother is a big responsibility. Parents always want to give their children the best stuffs. To save more money buying the best milk powder (very expensive nowadays!), many parents are willing to have only bread and plain water as lunch.

The “Premature Infant” warning definitely work for pregnant mother, but not for men.

The Scariest: Impotence (Erectile Dysfunction)

Here come the scariest warning. I don’t know why our Health Department never informs our citizens that smoking can cause impotence (Mati Pucuk in local language).

Translation: Smoking can cause Mati Pucuk.

Malaysians are not only hungry but also horny. If our wives knows this, they will definitely stop us from smoking hence less tax for the government.

Most Disgusting: Miscarriage

This is probably the MOST Disgusting Warning in the World. Personally, I think it’s very objectionable to show the photo of bloody dead infant publicly. The people who create such idea must be mentally sick!

The Funniest

How about seeing a photo of our “First Lady” on cigarette box? The following design is the funniest one but it is fake. I found this in Facebook of Only in Malaysia. You may check it out if you wonder what it says, haha..

80% of smokers thought of stopping. So, if you are a smoker, which photo above is the most effective warning to make you quit? 🙂

Borneo Taliban declares war to illegal loggers

2 Replies

Director of Sabah Forestry, Datuk Sam Mannan, showed a cool video to 600 local and foreign participants, during his speech in International Conference on Heart of Borneo (HoB) yesterday.

Illegal logging is a problem in Sabah. 59% of Sabah is covered by forest, and our trees look like standing gold bars to those greedy illegal loggers. Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) has been confiscating illegal logging dozers. In most cases, SFD will auction off the dozer, so the illegal loggers abuse the auction system by appointing a proxy to buy back the dozer and back to business again.

Penalty is not good enough. Datuk Sam Mannan got a few confiscated dozers at his office, and he decided to do something about it. So he burnt it. Hahaha, I was “pleasantly shocked” watching his video. Hopefully he will post this video on YouTube.

Conservation is a challenging journey and a never-ending battle. Sometimes we win some, we lose some. Borneo earns a bad reputation on deforestation. We are doing whatever we can to protect our forest. We even plant forest. The process is slow, let’s hope our future generation will reap the fruits of our efforts.

He said this is the “Taliban” way of dealing with forest rat. Well, I don’t think he is a terrorist. He just wants to send a strong message (i.e. F*ck You) to those illegal loggers, and show his determination to protect the forest. I fully support you, Datuk Sam.

He acknowledged that his action may have gone too far in a civilized society, but “So What?!”, he added. LOL, I like you man, you really have the gut and attitude. 😀

Now I understand why woman loves bad boy, as our society, company and government are just full of big-mouth chicken men, who think that they are smart for not taking risk. I have seen so many cowards who only move their lips but not their hands. Sometimes, it is not cool being nice, just go kick some assess.