Mislina Mustaffa : The Freedom Of Being Shameless

Last year I interviewed Mislina Mustaffa who talks about her interesting project Homeless By Choice.  The article was printed on this blog May 1, 2012. 

This year she has put her experience into  a book called Homeless Buy Choice ( Top picture is the cover of the book).  Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir has officially launch the book on Thursday Sept 19.  A few days before the book  launch,  Mislina has spoken the sun about the book and the story was uploaded in the Sun online portal on Sept 18, 2013.  Here is the story  

Suggested Headline:  The Freedom of Being Shameless  
By Bissme S 

Last year, actress cum activist Mislina Mustaffa embarked on an interesting project called "Homeless By Choice", where she decided to be homeless for a year. She gave up the place she called home for the last eight years and disposed off most of her belongings. Carrying only the basic essentials in her backpack, she stayed in budget hotels, tents and in the houses of kind strangers who were willing to take her in as a guest.
"French author and feminist Simone de Beauvoir once said that 85% of a woman's daily life is spent cleaning the dirt that keeps coming back," says 42-year-old Mislina.
“When you have no house, you have no dirt to clean. I am curious to see what I'll be doing with 85% of my time."
Mislina's sojourn as a homeless person is finally over. The journal she kept during the time has been turned into a book called "Homeless By Choice" that will be officially launched tomorrow (Sept 19) at 8.30pm at R.A. Fine Arts - The Gallery, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur. Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir will officiate at the launch. Mislina recently spoke to theSun about being 'homeless' 

* You wanted to be homeless for a year and that year has finally come to an end. Have you got a permanent roof over your head now?

No. I am still homeless. I have decided to embark on another year of being homeless. This time I will be camping at beaches. For the time being I am camping at the Batu Ferringhi beach in Penang.

* How long do you plan to be homeless?

Till I get bored. After a year of camping at the beach, I might want to live in a cave or on the top of a tree for a year. I have come to a stage in my life where I never plan my future. I just go with the flow.

* What can we expect from your book Homeless by Choice?

My book is about the freedom of being shameless. When people talk about a journey that they have taken, they always talk about strength. But I shamelessly tell my readers about the vulnerabilities I felt throughout my journey. I talked about the loneliness I felt. I talked about getting bored with the journey itself. I talked about the vulnerabilities you would not feel if you are in a home surrounded by friends and family.

* What do you hope to achieve from this book?

I asked basic but harsh questions in this book. I asked why do we need to choose to confine ourselves to a structured life? Despite all the education we have, why do we, especially women, have to conform to the idea that our lives will only be perfect if we are married with kids and a home.
A lot of women I know do not want marriage, kids and a house, but they took this path because they worry what society will think of them. I want women to explore their options. I want them to experiment with their lives. When you explore and experiment with life, you have to cross boundaries.
I want them to ask questions. I want them to know that you must never be afraid to ask questions. Small questions will lead to big questions. But asking questions is a taboo in our society. I hope the book will inspire people, especially women, to embark on their own journey.

* Describe an interesting chapter we can find in this book?

Almost every morning, the city council guys come to the Batu Ferringhi beach where I was camping to shoot stray dogs. Personally, I do not feel that stray dogs should be killed. Why should we kill stray dogs? What is their crime? Let them live!
So, every morning when the city council guys arrive, I would tell them that these dogs belong to me. Interestingly these dogs (seven of them) became my protectors. At night, on their own initiative, these dogs would stay outside my tent and guard it. If any strange guy approached, they would bark and scare him away. 

* What have you learnt about yourself from the journey you have taken?

Some of our beliefs are constructed out of fear. When I stayed at the beach, there were many nights when I failed to make a fire. The rain would wipe away the fire I had created. I used to be afraid, wondering how I would live in darkness? However I slowly got adjusted to the darkness, I learned to do things in the dark. Now I am no longer afraid of the darkness.

* Some have labeled you mad for undertaking this homeless project. How do you feel about this label?

"So many great minds like Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein were considered mad at one time. Yet without them we would not have lights and telephones. If I entertain such allegations, then I will stop experimenting with life and I do not want to do that. I want to keep on experimenting with life.”

Mislina Mustaffa : Homeless By Choice

Recently I interviewed the actress Mislina Mustaffa where she talks about her interesting project Homeless By Choice.  The article was printed in theSun on April 25, 2012. 

HOMELESS BY CHOICE 

By Bissme S

FRENCH author and feminist Simone de Beauvoir once said that 85% of a woman’s daily life is spent cleaning the dirt that keeps coming back.This remark influenced local actress Mislina Mustaffa to embark on an interesting journey – to go homeless for a year.

“When you have no house, you have no dirt to clean,” says the 41-year-old. “I’m curious to see what I’ll be doing with this 85% of my time.”

Mislina is keeping a journal to record all her experiences from her adventure and plans to turn it into a book for publication next year.She also intends to use the journal as the basis for her thesis in her studies in the future, most likely in the field of performing arts.Interestingly, it was not difficult for her to give up the place she had called home for the last eight years and disposing off most of her furniture, except for a few of her favourite books and paintings which a friend would be keeping for her.What she found difficult was giving up Atan and Mong, her dogs who had been with her for more than a year. Fortunately, she managed to find a new home for them.

“I learnt that it’s easier to give up material things,” says Mislina, who has acted in films such asAnak Halal, Talentime and Cun, as well as Karaoke that was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.

Asked if she plans to get her pets Atan and Mong back, she says: “I’m sure the new owners will get attached to the dogs and they to them. It will be cruel, heartless and unfair to tear them apart.”

For her project, which she dubs ‘homeless by choice’, Mislina only has four changes of attire and basic essentials in her bag. If she has a film or TV drama shoot, she will stay in the city. Otherwise, she will be travelling all over Malaysia.So far, she has visited Pulau Tioman, Peang and Bintulu in Sarawak, staying mostly in budget hotels. She has met people from all walks of life – from a Canadian hippie to a Korean student who could not speak proper English.

“The journey has been tiring but the experience has been enriching,” she says.

Mislina has also adopted ‘a couch service’ from good friends as well as kind-hearted strangers who offer their couch to her to bed down for free. 

“Usually, I would stay with them for two or three nights,” she says.

Most of the time, her gracious hosts are kind enough to invite her for lunch and dinner as well.So far, she has stayed with four families, and mingling with them has exposed the actress to new experiences.

“When I stayed with a Chinese family, I noticed a picture of a rhinoceros pasted on their front door,” she says. “Later, I learnt that it’s a fengshui symbol to keep robbers away.”

Mislina says staying with people from different backgrounds has helped her to sharpen her skills as an actress.

“Through this project, I hope to get to know our society and its people a little better.

“Should I write a script in the future, I’ll include bits of my experiences. It’ll make the script more interesting and realistic.”

Mislina also hopes to show that a woman has many choices in life. “Many Asian women’s ultimate goal is to get married, have kids and have a house that they can call home,” she says.

“They have become slaves to this social and stereotypical image. All their efforts, money and energy are dedicated towards this goal.

“It’s okay to have a home. But your home should not become your prison. Your home should not be your only dream.”

Mislina’s ‘homeless by choice’ project has also helped her to create a better bond with society.She says many actors have this wrong perception that they should not mingle with ordinary folks. They, in fact, feel that they should remain reclusive and exclusive.

“They would make their assistants do all their chores for them, even buying fruits from a street vendor. And, they definitely wouldn’t think of queuing up at a coffee shop to get a cup of coffee.

“But we actors represent society. We play roles that we see in society. If you refuse to be associated with society, how convincing are you going to be in your performances?

“For instance, if an actor has to play a fruit seller, how will he know the emotions experienced by such a person? This is why some actors put up such shallow performances.”

Actors cannot be aloof and keep away from society. They should be part of society, adds Mislina.