Little things that matter

Everyone here knows who Dina Zaman is. She’s an icon in her own style for many of you and she has inspired many of us to write, including me, you, you and you. Though she denied that she is a celebrity but truthfully, she is well known in her field and had created a name for herself. Watch out! She's the new breed of writers to take on the world.

So, you think you know her stuffs and you read her articles. You cry reading her stories, you laugh at her jokes but how well do you know her on a personal level? No much I reckon. That's because she is also well known for some ass kicking when her privacy is invaded. How many of you know what her likes and dislikes?

Not many, huh? So, in my attempt to get to know her personally, I accidentally cracked her skull and had a peek at what’s it’s like to be in her head. This is what I found out when I interviewed the cells in Dina’s brain. Let’s get up close and personal.

Oh! Can somebody switch off the light, please?

Are you the types that shy away from telling us your age?
No. I am 36. I’m not shy.

Where do you come from?
My family originated from the East Coast. My father is Kelantanese, though there is a lot of Pattani blood. My mum is from Terengganu. Having said that, my family is huge. If you were to meet my family, you would wonder as some of us look Malay, Arab, Chinese etc. My immediate family – my father and I look Chinese, mum looks mixed, and my sisters Malay. We originally were Bugese.

How long have you lived here?
In Malaysia? 50% of my life. I have family all around the globe. Also my father worked abroad so we followed him. We lived in the Communist countries. Other people lived in Europe. My dad had to get postings in Moscow, Prague etc. But they were beautiful countries.

I heard you have mad family. Tell us about them.
I wouldn’t say they’re mad, but we have a lot of characters! That’s why I am close and enjoy being with my family, because the things I hear are so delightful and funny! You know us East Coast people. All these polygamous marriages and stealing other people’s wives or husbands, heh heh.

You girls must be handful for your dad to handle when you’re growing up.
Er, yes. We’re very different, we girls. I am free spirited. Liza is quiet but when she is stubborn… Nora is the beauty queen. But the one that is close and yet gives my father grief would be me. Poor man. Sometimes he just gives up. But I always tell him, he has a choice: to have a boring daughter or someone that entertains him.

Were you breast fed when you were an infant?
I don’t know. I got to ask Mum, but she’s gone for some luncheon.

Do you have a pet?
I HAD. Brush.

Name the worst thing you ever did for attention.
Alamak. When I was in Form 5, I had a crush on one boy in SMS Selangor. So I became his secret admirer, wrote him letters and when I met him, I’d say so and so kirim salam. I even told him his admirer was sexy. One day I confessed. I think he fainted.

What are you doing just after midnight on Saturday?
Tidur lah! Where got life?

What era, event or day in history you would like to re-live?
Two: the Victorian era and the 30s. The former because of the literary and erotic movements at that time. I have great interest in the history of courtesans and erotica because while these two were lambasted for bringing moral decay to the Victorians, they were actually very powerful influences on politics and governance. The 30s because Anais Nin was around and there was such great romance and sensuality to that era. Also, writing was exploding then.

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Being with someone I love, reading books, having one kid, and going on adventures with the love of my life.

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Ah-hah. Read Anais Nin’s Delta of Venus and look for Elena and Bijou. Elena is the hopeless romantic while Bijou is the whore of the decade. Why them? Because of the way they lived their lives with great passion.

Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
None.

Do you smoke?
Only when I am very very very stressed and with very very close friends. Is one cigarette considered smoking? Ok, I’m lying. The most I smoke is two. That’s my only vice apart from buying books. I don’t drink, indulge in illegal things. I’m really boring!

The quality you most admire in a person?
Honesty.

What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty, honesty, and non-judgement. Oh yes, a great sense of humour.

What is your dream of happiness?
Being with the love of my life. I’m not telling you who.

What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
That I never pursued my goals, and didn’t end up with this person.

What is your favorite color?
White.

What is your favorite bird?
I hate birds. I like cats.

What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Calmness and patience.

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Eh?Whose faults? Mine? I have a temper. I can be incredibly moody. I can also be incredibly aloof and a loner.

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve done?
Falling in love.

Name something you keep in your underwear drawer (besides bras and g-string)
Perfume sachet. So that my undies smell nice. I found 10 bucks in there once. I don’t know how it got there.

Name a place you don’t belong
Bangsar, Jalan Telawi.

Describe that low, low moment when you just thought you might have to leave KL for good.
Well, it hasn’t happened yet but I guess… if this dream does not come true, I’ll pack my bags.

Are you good at Frisbee?
Dah lama tak main.

Was the contract with Vivid Video a mistake? Ops..sorry. You’re not a porn star.
Actually I was meant to be the Playmate of the Year. Yeah, I actually won the Two Fried Eggs Award. I can’t talk much, you’ll have to speak to my lawyer.

Give me three words that describe you as a person in non-physical terms.
I hate describing myself. 3 words. Temperamental. Finicky. Funny.

What turns you on?
Your blog is PG rated love! Ha ha! I can’t tell you!

What turns you off?
BO. Sloppy manners. Superficiality. Pretentiousness. Stupidity. Men that criticise women when they’re actually fat and have smelly breath.

What is your favorite curse word?
It used to be shit, but now it’s crap. It depends.

What profession would you like to attempt other than your own?
An actress. In the 1930s of course.

What books have influenced you?
So many! Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in The Time of Cholera; Kawabata Yasunari’s The House of Sleeping Beauties; Anais Nin’s Delta of Venus and Little Birds; the Quran; The Kite Runner; many many more. James Herriotts books.

Are you a sports fan?
No.

What five items would you put in a time capsule to be opened in a thousand years?
A photo of my family and me; my favourite book; my favourite perfume; buku Yassin and a lock of my hair.

Have you read any of the crossover children’s fiction such as J K Rowling (Harry Potter) and Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials)?
Yes.

Who is your style icon?
Two: Audrey Hepburn and Katherine Hepburn. I like the American way of dressing. Very clean and simple.

What is your favourite way to spend a Sunday afternoon?
With my books. If I have a partner, it’ll be hanging out watching movies.

What is your preferred movie-viewing snack food?
Popcorn with salt

How do you write? Straight to computer or sketched ideas with pen and paper?
Sketched ideas. Then write on paper. Then pc.

What is your favourite film?
All the Indiana Jones; Welcome Back Mr McDonald, The English Patient

Can photography be described as art?
Yes.

Have you enrol in a swimming class yet?
Nope. Shy la to wear swim suit. I go for classes in MY HEAD.

What will you be doing at 6:45pm on May 19th?
Packing up to go home, makan, baca and sleep. I told you my life is boring.

What is the weirdest medical condition or physical attribute you have?
I have endometriosis. Which is why I have to be careful for my well-being.

Name something you enjoy that you are not particularly proud of
Hmmm. I wouldn’t know. Hey, I do. I’m not telling you!

Do you have tattoos or piercings?
My ears are pierced.

What' s your favorite smell?
Vanilla. Esp my fave perfume, Angel. Oh oh, yes, another one. But that I can’t tell you! Ha ha!

What is your motto?
Seize the day! ‘Carpe diem!’

Who are your favorite characters in history?
None.

What historical figures do you most despise?
None.

In what country would you like to live?
I would like to live in either Paris, the South of France or the Muslim quarter in Spain. Right now Ubud.

What is your favorite flower?
Haleconias. When we lived in our former home, the garden was blooming with them. I always had this morbid wish that my grave would be surrounded by them.

Who would you have liked to be?
I have always wanted to try being the Most Sexy and Popular Girl, for a day. Nak tengok apa yang syoknya tu.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Poverty.

Would you pose nude for £50,000 (this is not an offer!)?
Only if the painting or photo is burned afterwards!

What' s your favorite fruit?
Mango

Name a sport that really sucks
Netball. In TKC they were crazy for netball. I hated it.

Are you romantically involved with someone at the moment?
No. But I do like someone :) But like all my love affairs, it will never happen.

Wah! Looks like her brain can't stop talking to me. I think I'm exhausted from asking too many questions. And hmm... nothing really juicy or scandalous I could use to sell to the Daily Mirror.*whispering* You know what? I think she's got the hot for that grey haired man. Can you imagine him wearing kain pelikat? And burn that nude photo? Hell no!