LISA SURIHANI

On last Thursday, theSun published an interview I did with the actress Lisa Surihani who will be expecting her first child soon. She talks about her career and motherhood. Here is the full interview 

Headline: Becoming A Mother 

Lisa Surihani has proven that she is an actress to be reckoned with by winning three main awards. In 2008, she walked away with the Most Promising Actress award for her performance in I’m Not Single at the 21st Malaysian Film Festival.
Two years later, she grabbed the Best Actress award for Lagenda Budak at the 23rd Malaysian Film Festival. She also won the Best Supporting Actress at the Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian for Ombak Rindu the same year. 
In 2012, she married actor cum film director Yusry Abdul Halim
and now , Lisa, 29, is pregnant with their first child. 
In this exclusive interview, she answers the  following
questions:

*Tell us about your early years in the entertainment industry?

When I was 11, a relative of mine suggested that I should try my luck as a TV commercial talent. I loved the idea because I could be earning my own money at a young age. So I sent my resume to several advertising agencies. Interestingly, my first few jobs were appearing in telemovies. I became a child artiste. My parents were strict in making sure that I did not miss school and that I never neglected my studies. All my shootings had to be done during my school holidays. I only became a fulltime actress after graduating with a law degree.
My advice to every child artiste out there is never to miss school. Going to school is not just for your education and getting a paper qualification. Going to school gives you a normal childhood. It is important for every child to have a normal childhood. In Hollywood, we have seen many cases where child stars became messed up adults because they did not have a normal childhood.

*Why did your relative suggest that you try your luck at being a TV commercial talent?

It could be because I was very bubbly, lively, chatty and always laughing. But I was not always like that. When I was in kindergarten, I was always picked  on. I was a victim of bullying. I became
an introvert and hardly opened my mouth. It is only when I went to
primary school that I gained more confidence in myself. I was not bullied during primary school.

* You got married at 26. Were you afraid that marriage would hurt your career?

I never had second thoughts about marrying Yusry. The stigma that once an actress gets married, she will no longer be popular is outdated. Today’s audience are more mature. In fact, the trend now is that fans love you more if you are married and have children. They always love a celebrity family.

* You are starting a new chapter in your life as a mother soon. How areyou preparing for motherhood?

I have read many books on pregnancy and motherhood. Most of them are written by Caucasians. You cannot accept everything that they have written because we ( Asians) are a little different from them in terms of physicality and culture. I also attended many forums on pregnancy and motherhood.

* Are you still going to act after giving birth to your first child?

I am not sure what I am going to do next. But I am passionate about acting. Before getting pregnant, I had a hectic schedule. I was shooting films back to back. I cannot continue with that kind
of schedule after having a baby.Having this baby will bring a huge change in my life. But I know of some actresses such as Fasha Sandha who  has managed to balance motherhood and their acting career.

* Where do you see yourself five years from now?

I hope I am still acting then. I recently directed a short film. After directing the short film, I have new respect for my husband. irecting a film is not an easy task. You have to be involved in every aspect of the film. Who knows I might try my hand at directing a film. 

Trivia 

*Who is one person you’d like to meet?

Angelina Jolie. It will be very interesting to talk to her. She is a woman of substance. She is not just a pretty face.

* What are your strengths?

I always see the good in everything. If you allow negativity to weigh you down, it is not good for you in the long run.

* What are your weaknesses?

My mum says I am too generous and sometimes she worries that some people might take advantage of me. She always tells me to do everything in moderation.

* What is one change you’d like to see taking place in this country?

It will be great if we get to see healthy debates between politicians
from different political parties on our television screens. 

Lisa with her Husband Yusry

Ainunl Muaiyanah & Mother's Day

Mother's Day is around the corner (May 10). I got an award wining author Ainunl Muaiyanah to pick ten novels that depicts motherhood. theSun publishes the story today. Here is the story 

Headline: The Maternal Instict
Standfirst To celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, a local author shares a selection of local novels that depict motherhood at its best

Full story: 
Ainunl Muaiyanah Sulaiman is an award winning novelist and poet. Among her awards are the Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia 2012 for her poem entitled Mimpi Dari Sebuah Lukisan Ilusi, Hadiah Utama Hadiah Sastera Kumpulan Utusan 2013 for her poem Berbagi Puisi, and Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia 2013 for her first novel Sepetang di Kafe Biblioholic.Currently, she is an editor at the Institute of Translation and Books Malaysia. Here, she shares her pick of novels written by fellow local authors that celebrate a mother’s unique love. 

1) Surat-Surat Perempuan Johor
Author: Faisal Tehrani

The story is told through letters between two women who discuss everything under the sun –from politics to their family conflicts. One of them decides not to get married to a widower whom she 
loves. She is convinced she will not make a good mother and wife because she cannot get pregnant. But the widower’s son finally convinces her to marry his dad. The relationship between 
the stepson and the stepmother is well portrayed here.
“The novel is saying that a woman should know herself as a woman first before she becomes a wife and a mother,” Ainunl says.
“Faisal is very good at capturing a woman’s emotions in his book.”

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2) Aci Patmabi
Author: Azmi Iskandar Merican

The story takes place in Penang during the British rule where a woman is trying to prevent her heritage land from being sold to outsiders.However,her world comes tumbling down when her husband cheats on her. The couple then go their separate ways. Her children want to stay with their father instead of with her, and she allows them to follow their heart.
“She is a mother who puts her children’s happiness before her own,” Ainunl says.

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3) Ibu Adalah Pentafsir dan Sungai
Author: Shanon Ahmad

A middle-aged male professor is in a forum where his female students are asking for equal rights. These female students remind him of his early childhood years and his mother. His father likes to spend time in the forest, playing with birds and does not contribute any income to the family. His mother had to work hard to raise him as well as to support his father, never complaining of her difficult life and trying to make the best of her situation.
“The saying, ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade’ is the best way to describe the book,” Ainunl says.
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4) Wajah Seorang Perempuan
Author: S Othman Kelantan

Set during the Japanese Occupation, the novel follows the trials of Siti Musalmah, after her husband and children died.
“Losing your children can never be easy for any mother,”
Ainunl opines.
“Yet, she handles the tragedies bravely without losing the will to carry on with her life.”
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5) Rumah Itu Duniaku
Author: Hamzah Hussein

An illegitimate child is forced to work as a maid in her father’s house while her stepmother abuses her. However, she will not leave the house, no matter what happens.
Ainunl has this to say of the book: “The novel is not about motherhood but the lead character who is a like a mother to everyone in the house. The novel is saying that for a woman,
her house is everything.”
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6) Seorang Tua di Kaki Gunung
Author: Azizi Haji Abdullah

An old man wants to build a traditional Malay house. But his son who stays in the city believes it is a ridiculousidea. This leads to a conflict between generations, and a woman is caught
between her husband and her son. In the end, she chooses her husband over her son.
“The emotions of a woman who gets trapped between her role as a wife and a mother is well portrayed here,” Ainunl says.
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7) Setenang Cahaya Hati
Author: Salina Ibrahim

After the death of her husband, a woman is shocked to learn that her husband has a secret second family. She feels betrayed as a wife. But as a mother, she cannot bring herself to hate her stepchild. 

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8)  Gadisku Wan Adnin
Author: Noor Suraya

An aristocratic grandmother has been raising her granddaughter with an iron fist, and forces her to marry an aristocrat. Things get more interesting when the readers learns that her grandmother is not really an aristocrat herself.
“This is not story about a mother,”Ainunl explains. 
“The story focuses more on a grandmother, and every grandmother has a mother’s instincts.”

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9) Mawar Syurga
Author: Fatimah Saidin

Mariam is totally devoted to her husband, despite being the target of his inferiority complex and jealousy. Things get more complicated when she has a child who is deaf. Once again,
she makes the best of the situation and finds ways for her son to adapt to the world around him.
“You will admire Mariam’s strength as a wife and a mother,” says Ainunl.

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10) Boneka Rusia Guido
Author: Wan Nor Azriq

Teenager Chairil Gibran and his mother decide to move to Kuala Lumpur. But the boy soon gets trapped in the political games of Tuan Megat Guido.
“I like the way the author has portrayed the relationship between Chairil and his mother,” says Ainunl.
“It is not a typical relationship. The mother and son share a more open-minded relationship.They are more like friends than mother and son.”
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Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali

This time I am featuring an interview I did with former first lady who talks about motherhood. I met her at Petronos Twins Towers. The story appears in the sun on April 28 2008. Photos you are seeing is Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali with her family

Headline: Room enough for more

Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali proved that a mother’s heart is never too small to love not just her own children but THREE ADOPTED ONES as well

By Bissme S

Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali is a woman who needs no introduction. The wife of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has long made her mark in the public’s eye. But despite a busy career as a doctor and, later, as wife to the premier, this mother of four has room in her heart to take in three other children – all for the love of them.
Her own children – Marina, Mirzan, Mokhzani and Mukhriz – had also taken their adopted siblings – Melinda, Mazhar and Maizura – to heart right from the start.
Melinda was the couple’s god-child initially. When she was six months old, she fell ill and her parents brought her to Mahathir’s clinic in Alor Star. That was in 1960.
Siti Aishah (as she was known then) recovered and her parents were so grateful they wanted Mahathir and Siti Hasmah to be her godparents.
“There was a special ceremony where a white string was tied on our wrist to signify we are Siti Aishah’s godparents and prayers were said,” Siti Hasmah recalls in an interview with theSun.
After the ceremony, Siti Aishah went home with her parents who were farmers. Six years later, they met again. This time round, Mahathir had made a house call to tend to her sick younger brother.
Siti Aishah wanted to follow Mahathir home so he brought her back. She fitted into the family nicely and built a strong bond with her new siblings.
Mahathir and Siti Hasmah then decided to adopt Siti Aishah legally and changed her name to Melinda. “During the school holidays, she would go back to visit her real parents,” says Siti Hasmah. “My children would get anxious and worried that Melinda might not return home and stay with her biological parents instead.” But her children had nothing to worry about. Melinda is now married with two children, both studying in Melbourne.
Mazhar and Maizura were adopted in 1983, when Siti Hasmah’s children were all overseas. The urge came upon the couple during a state visit to Pakistan. On their arrival at the airport, the couple were greeted by a girl and boy dressed in traditional Pakistani costume. The children struck such a chord in Mahathir’s heart that he wanted to adopt them. The following year, their wish came true. A six-month-old girl and nine-month-old boy, whom they named Maizura and Mazhar, came into their lives. Now, Maizura, 24, is pursuing a Mass Communications degree while Mazhar is doing music at an art academy.
“Mahathir and I genuinely love children,” she says in response to innuendos at that time that they had adopted the two children as a publicity tool. “We did not need that kind of publicity. I do not know what to call such people with such thoughts. It is so sad that people misconstrue our good intention.” The only complaint she got from her other children was that she was spoiling the two younger ones.
“In Islam, when you adopt a child, you have to care for the child with more compassion than your own, especially if he comes from an orphanage,” she says. “But I do not believe I am spoiling them.”
When any of the children misbehaved, she would send them to their father who is a strict disciplinarian. She also told the teachers and headmasters that her children should not get any special privileges.
At first, she kept the fact that they were adopted from Maizura and Mazhar. She wanted to find the right time to tell them the truth. But the two soon suspected something amiss.
“The boy did ask me whether I was his real mother,” she remembers, adding that she covered up the truth.
Then, Maizura told her a story about her friend’s mother who paid somebody for a child. “But I explained to her that such things do not exist.”
Finally, the truth came out when the children were about 10. It was after lunch and Mazhar asked whether they were adopted. Siti Hasmah told the boy: “So let us go ask daddy the question.”
She recalls: “I had to wake up my husband (who was taking a nap) and told him that his son has a question for him. When he heard it, he was quiet for while and said mummy would answer the question. I was so mad with him for passing the buck to me!” Of course, Siti Hasmah explained to the children. “I asked them if they would love my husband and I less after knowing we are not their biological parents,” she says. “I was very emotional. Both of them said no and hugged us.”
Like most adopted children, they were curious about their biological parents. For Mazhar, his mother had died and his businessman father left him with his grandmother. But she was too old to look after him and left him at an orphanage.
For Maizura, she was abandoned in hospital and was brought to the orphanage. “Maizura wanted to know if we paid anything for them and I said not a single sen.”
Though she promised Mazhar that she would try to trace his father, sadly, the orphanage had disposed off all the records.
Asked how she rates her husband as a father, she says: “He is a loving father. As adults, the children have different opinions and they may argue with him. Eventually, they will come together and love each other. Their love for their father is not lessened by the difference in opinions.”
As for herself, she feels she could have done more as a mother. “I have done the best I can but sometimes I feel so inadequate and I feel I could have done more