CharmaineClamor.com http://www.charmaineclamor.com Charm's Chatter en-en http://www.charmaineclamor.com/images/logo.gif charmaineclamor.com http://www.charmaineclamor.com Happy World Water Day (March 22)!  Today (Tuesday) is World Water Day. Created by the United Nations, WWD highlights the scarcity of potable water, a crisis that is ongoing in every region of our increasingly thirsty planet including my birth country, the Philippines.

 

To commemorate World Water Day and to raise awareness of an issue that affects us all, I'm releasing a NEW MUSIC VIDEO of my water-themed song "Flow: A Simple Drink of Water," from my album Something Good.

 

The United Nations tells us that "every twenty-seconds a child dies or suffers because of water problems."  We can do better.

  

The music video for "Flow," viewable HERE, is intended to draw attention to our global water crisis. I really believe the lyrics: It doesn't have to be this way. No, we're not condemned to slow decay. This is a problem we're capable of fixing -- if people become aware!
 
http://youtu.be/9OXf2B4Npw8  What do you think?
 
Thank you for celebrating water with me. Thank you for celebrating life!

"Flow" from Something Good (Razon/Konik)
 

]]> Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:07:54 -0700 March: World Water Month I'm thrilled to have completed post-production on my 3rd music video. The song is “Flow” from my current album Something Good. Recently I've become acutely aware of the problems our world is facing because of scarce potable water.

According to United Nations, “every 20 seconds, a child dies from water-related disease.”  While other countries such as the United States have the luxury to waste water, i.e., washing vehicles, watering lawns, etc., the residents of many countries fight every day to get a drop to drink. What's most unfortunate is that those of us with an abundance of water generally are not aware of the rest of the planet's water  
problem. My hope is that our music video will increase awareness of the global water issue and encourage folks to actively participate in a new water consciousness.

On March 12th, the “Flow” crew embarked on a journey to complete the music video. Led by our director, Eric Goodwin, we spent a day playing in nature, in the water, with five beautiful children. Here are some of the photos we took .
 
Jaden Austria with Eric Goodwin & James Hiatt (assistant)
Jalen Austria
Lilian, Nael and Niora on the way to the creek.
Niora & Lillian going down the small hill.
 
Here's Nael! He stole my heart.
Make-up/Hair Stylist Joel Sebastian taking a rest from the hike. *sigh*
Eric carrying Lillian across the creek.
Eric & James hard at work.
The children had so much fun playing in the water and so did the parents!
 
[photos courtesy of yours truly]
 
Look for the debut of "Flow" on World Water Day, March 20th.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

]]> Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:17:16 -0700 People Power Feb 25, 1986, was one of the proudest moments of my life as a Filipino. This was the day that the People Power revolution ended the Marcos dictatorship. The nonviolent movement was led by the late President Corazon Aquino.  Last night, on February 26, 2011, almost exactly 25 years later, I had the rare honor of singing for her son, our current President, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, at the Malacanang Palace. Invited guests included United States Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas, Senator Mar Roxas, and other officials of the Philippine government and the U.S. Philippine Embassy. This performance was the highlight (so far!) of my singing career. It was an honor to sing for a President who holds the promise of change for a better Philippines.
 

 
]]> Sun, 27 Feb 2011 09:27:40 -0800 Making Sure Art Remains  When our society chooses to not pay our artists for their art, we all lose. So many artists must take 2nd (and 3rd!) jobs to subsidize their 1st job, leaving little time to work on their craft. Most creative artists don't have benefits and health care, let alone meaningful savings accounts. My plea: Take care of your artists. Honor their craft. Treat them with dignity and respect. And remember, their art is their product. When you pay for an artist's creation you're encouraging them to continue creating, to continue making something good for the world. When you don't -- offering them "exposure" or "an opportunity" instead -- you send the subtle message that their art is of little or no value. In fact, art is invaluable, and we'd probably all be better off if there was more of it and less of everything else. 

 

http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/2011/01/dont-quit-your-second-day-job/?utm_source=DIYNews&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=011211

]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:49:17 -0800 Consumption on Christmas Christmas is the time of the year when I have to exercise the most discipline in resisting the temptation to consume, consume, and consume.  In light of our current global recession and burgeoning environmental challenge, is it really holy-religious-spiritual to spend money (you may or may not have) on stuff that will eventually end up in a landfill? My unsolicited advice this year for Christmas shoppers:

            1. Don’t give. Instead, spend some quality time with those you want to honor. Do something special for them. Serve them.

            2. If you must give, choose gifts that keep on giving:

                        a) Donate to charitable organization on behalf of your loved one.

                        b  Choose biodegradeable goods

                         c) Choose art

i.Treat loved ones to a live music experience,

ii.Give books – they will eventually biodegrade; better yet, get                                                 them used

iii.Give music

            3. Don’t spend money on swaddling your gift in luxurious wrappers and ribbons. Improvise. Use whatever you can at home. Recyle bags, papers, ribbons. Use old cloth for wrapping, or colorful magazines.

Don’t just “go with the flow.” There are more satisfying and loving ways to show people your love than offering another wrapped box. 

                    

]]> Sat, 18 Dec 2010 17:44:27 -0800 A Reminder  I spent much of the day driving in heavy rain and heavy traffic from one birthday party to another one 35 miles apart. As most of you know by now, I don't like using my car. In addition to my usual environmental concerns, saftey issues (compounded by driving during a pouring rain) added to my concern and frustration. But then I arrived at the birthday parties! One was a double celebration for two very old friends who knew me before I became a full-fledged singer, and the other was for a new friend that I've become very fond of, someone I'm looking forward to knowing more. My spirit lifted.  I was able to reconnect with a long time friend I hadn't seen in years. Though I was frustrated and concerned about harming our Mother Earth by adding to the destruction of our ozone layer, I was reminded today that sometimes,  in a few  rare instances, using my car to make human connections feels less oblivious and unconscious than using it to merely get from one errand to another. Today my soul was caressed by the beauty of friendship. But I remain aware that all my actions, even a 35 mile drive, have consequences.

 

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