EVENT: Noam Chomsky In Cabramatta!

Ali Kadhim, Noam Chomsky & Maria Tran in Cabramatta!

Date: 4th November, 2011
Venue: Cabramatta High School

Noam Chomsky (or what call him - "Mr Nom Nom") is perhaps one of the most exciting academics you can ever meet. He is a brilliant man, holding over 40 degrees in Universities around the world, most importantly, he is a man is extraordinary speaking power, he's got guts, in psychology, science, linguistics, arts etc... and in general, "LIFE" active.

I am aware of his anti-fans as well, labelling him as a "self hating Jew", "dishonest" and "evil". Personally, I still don't get that, nor do I care really. His affects have been why profound that its has given me a closer look into my own life. That is what matter right? How I feel about myself and how I want to engage in the world.

So what do I take from "Mr Nom Nom"? Well, I was lazy academic (struggling to finish my psychology degree back in the days) so I'm not to big on the reading, but I take from Noam Chomsky inspiration and hope.

And yes, is what the next generation needs, hope and inspiration to continue and also a critical thinking capacity. Questioning things, thinking in "What ifs" and being fearless to speech your mind.

So Noam Chomsky as a person....he's is actually a really relatable and fun character. Even though he's in his 80s, there is still so much zest and contagious energy about him. I was eyeballing him everywhere when he arrived, I had this vision that he was going to arrive in a motorcade and wearing some sort of powersuit, looking all serious and adult. But no, he just strolls through registration, in his blue jumper and jeans, hands in his pockets and grinning like a school boy.

He was a little hard on the hearing, and when he was on the podium, he was left standing a couple of times, but Noam was so relaxed and cheery, and you know what, I sure hope to be like that when I reach 80.

Question time!

What I like about Noam is he is so effortless in what he does. He actively listens and engages and I was so thrilled to have gotten a chance to ask him a few (basic - keeping it real) questions with my digital camera (sorry for the bad audio). Yes, he listens, and he thinks deep and hard and gives you his genuine responses.  Something that even adults and what I term "oldies" have trouble conveying (like my parents, they just give me real lectures]).

Overall, I like that its about keeping it real, not what you know, but what you can do. Noam doesn't come across as a know-it-all. He doesn't present things in absolute truths. He presents things as a question mark that give people content to think further than they are use to.

I almost forgot to add, big up to Cabramatta High School for getting him out west! I think his present in from of the 2,000 locals have sent a newfound sense of energy to an amazing community (Western Sydney yo!) who are always on the search for positive change and action.

Anyhow, check out my video on Mr Nom Nom.

Some other cool videos to check out includes:
Ali G Interviews Noam Chomsky

PEOPLE: Comedian MC Rob Shehadie

My colleague parkour filmmaker Ali Kadhim and I were recently called out to do a radio interview with 702 ABC Radio with Deborah Cameron, who was at Blacktown. They were doing some coverage for upcoming elections and had a lot of "dry" political talks and needed something "artsy" to spruce things up.

That's where "Team Other" came out to play and spoken about cultural identities in the arts. During this time, I got acquainted with Rob Shehadie, a humble funny man who's done an accolade of works (which I felt a little dumb for not knowing). Shehadie is like tobuli; he's exotically a mix of comedy, MCing, acting and another switch on activist of his own kind.

I'm was enthralled in the short conversation I had with him about art within our own cultural communities and how do we go about pushing the boundaries,

broadening the perspectives to create opportunities to cut into mainstream.

The works he has done including Australian TV Show "Fat Pizza" and currently "Housos" has always known how to cause a stir, garner some attention and thus has made it. Whereas, the Vietnamese community, even after almost 40 years of settlement in Australia, is still divided and it's voice in mainstream is very minimal.

Anyhow, here's his "Tuk It Easy!" NSW Maritime Government Campaign that has been a bit of a pot stirrer. But hey, it gets the message across! Click on the poster to watch the link!

Team 9Lives Wins 2010 Mobile Screen Fest!

Congratulations to Sydney's west multimedia and parkour artist Ali Kadhim for team 9Lives submission to the 2010 Mobile Screen Fest Competition and taking our the award category "Best Sports Video". Check it out!

To contact this fab crew, click here.

Life Lessons in Parkour with Ali Kadhim

This week was my first week of committing to the art of Parkour training with Ali Kadhim's 9 Lives training. Like many things in life, I've been avoiding this in the pursuit of the right moment and timing.
But I now have learnt a valuable lesson that I just have to really "commit" to my goals of movie making, stunts and acting if I really want to see it happen. Even my mentor Antony Szeto has blatantly pointed out my "laziness", which finally propelled me into some training. Of course, budding filmmaker and Parkour trainer Ali Kadhim gave me the "Tsk! Tsk!" when he saw me rock up at his Monday class.

It has been a fun week hanging out with Ali, climbing buildings, thinking deeply about life on the rooftops of Cabramatta, running across people's fences and I guess connecting to people that you never knew that you would just "click".

I now evolve into a here and now kind of person, not resisting so much to life, and learning to be content and go with the flow and enjoying the life lessons. The people in the past are there for a reason, its time to step up and build a future with those who you have in the here and now.

Sign out,

Maria Tran

STUNTS TRAINING: Parkour - The Art of Movement

This has been my second week of Parkour Training and I must say, it hasn't been no easy feat. Lots of bruises, crahses and facing up to fear factors and each move I'd rationalise the 1001 ways that I could die from it.

I've got another 8 weeks to go on this, twice a week on Monday (gym ans stunts training) and Friday (Commando drill style on the streets of Fairfield). I will bring the video camera next time to update you all on some of my developments.

In the meantime, to catch me on my Monday nights and Friday nights, come down for some lessons!

P.S - Ali is and his 9Lives crew are an awesome bunch. I've worked with him on various projects inthe past such as "Downtown Rumble" TV series on ABC/ JTV in late 2008 and he is well trained and very reliable.

TRAINER BIO: Ali Kadhim is a Sydney-based new media artist who focuses on digital art and multimedia.

The emerging young producer has been creating his own digital artworks

and short films since early high school.

Ali is a self taught digital artist and has completed a certificate IV in Digital Media through the Western Sydney institute of TAFE in 2005. He also completed TAFE accredited training and a range of digital arts skills

as a participant of the Information Cultural Exchange’s (ICE) Originate: Multicultural + Multimedia + Mentorship program (supported by The Australia Council for the Arts).

Ali is also Australia’s foremost practitioner of the French urban body-movement art form ‘Le Parkour’. In 2006, he was mentored by ICE and the Bankstown Youth Development service to undertake a

Parkour-focused youth development project and make a short documentary about the form. Ali’s Parkour crew ‘9 Lives’ have performed for numerous community events including Loud! The Sydney Arab Film Festival, Bring it On Youth Festival, Spectrum for Something Fresh, Big Rigg and the launch of Artfiles 2006.

Ali’s short films ‘Irrational Security’ (2005), Escape from Fairvale’ (2004), ‘Le Parkour’ (2005) and ‘Invincible Twin Fighters’ have been included in a number of film festivals including Auburn on Screen 2005, Shortcuts Western Sydney Short Film Fest For Young People (finalist both 2005 and 2006), and the Originate Showcase (2005)