New in town, looking for the inside on off the beaten path

Welcome to Malaysia.

Malaysia is a terrific country with three major cultures, and a lot of British influence.
It's an easy country for an English speaking expat as so many people can converse in that tongue.

People are generally friendly in Malaysia, but cities in every country have problems, so beware of crime, especially at night.
Con men are your most likely danger.
The two big ones:

My daughter/niece/whoever is going to <Your country - they know as they've just asked>, will you help her out when she gets there - and please pay for her ticket.
I used to tell them Australia, then apologise for my error in country as I though they were asking where my hat was from. That about ruins their con in one.

The other is making friends, then asking you back to the house, then the card table comes out, and by the way, my grannie is really ill - can you pay her medical bills please?

I know of the odd one that's fallen for that, a Japanese girl I met got really ripped off, so just avoid them, or scream a bit.

Loads of people out there, just get into the local cultures, and you'll have a great time, meeting people as you go.

Hello n welcome, very jealous. Hoping to move to Malaysia in the foreseeable future

I would recommend you regularly read The Sun - which is a free newspaper available in stations and malls as you get a short form version of local news and concerns. From reading just this newspaper you learn a lot of what is really going on in Malaysia and the actual situation on the ground, both politically and socially. You can find it online as well http://www.thesundaily.my/news/local  Foreigners are rarely involved in issues, but there are some hot ones all the time with lots of intrigue as well. Because of the brevity of the articles its an easy way to pick up what's happening. It also has a world and business smattering, which I find useful as well. I have read more things I did not know in that newspaper than wading through the dailies.