Rusher (Noun) - an avid listener/follower of The Morning Rush.
Personally, I follow the radio program because I get so much from it. Chico and Del are such excellent and eloquent speakers that you, without knowing it, pick up English pointers while being entertained. They would deliver the wittiest and funniest comments on mundane topics around.
The highlight of the radio show is the daily Top Ten wherein listeners get to participate by sending in entries to the topic. Listeners in the Philippines get to send entries via text messages while overseas listeners get to join via Twitter. Topics are sometimes serious, but most of the time, it ranges from loopy to green to outright hilarious. I recently crossed the dividing line between the “silent Rushers” and the “active Rushers”. With the help of Twitter, I get to participate in the Top Ten.
In the spirit of fun, I came up with my own Top Ten, “The Top Ten signs you are a Fan of Chico and Del”.
10. You secretly wish Chico and Del will realise they are perfect for each other as a couple.
9. You pick up and use “the thing is” when explaining things. You sound cooler and you seem to know what you are talking about.
8. You go to Burger King in Makati when you found out they will be broadcasting the Morning Rush from there and be consequently late for work that morning.
7. When you are in the university, you would bring those old, heavy and clunky Sony Walkmans with cassette player and radio just so you can tune in to the morning rush while travelling.
6. You would wake up early (6AM to be exact) even if you have no school.
5. You find it funny when Chico botches up English to Filipino word translations
4. You follow Chico’s famous blog and Del’s equally famous imaginary blog
3. You Follow Chico, Del and The Morning Show on Twitter.
2. You rack up your brain to come up with an entry to the Top Ten.
And the top sign that you are a Fan of Chico and Del…
1. You write blog entries just like this one.
It is never too late to be a fan. Everyone can tune in on the Morning Rush Show by streaming on the internet:
Check them out.
I remember a TV advert quite a few years back in the Philippines. It shows a group of people hitting a sack with sticks. The sack apparently is not empty. All you can hear are the cries of the dog that is inside the sack. The dog would be growling and barking angrily when the hitting starts but cries in pain during each hit. They would continue the torture until the dog is dead. They must have this sick belief that the bruised and bloodied body of a tortured dog will taste better. That dog will become dinner for that despicable group of people. It was an advert against animal cruelty.
This was Philippines, and unfortunately, the “dog-eating people” stigma still exists. I sometimes hear foreigners mistakenly generalizing all Filipinos as dog-eating people. To set the record straight, only a minute percentage of the population practices that, and most Filipinos are dog lovers as much as anyone else. I for one had six pet dogs before; they were a riot together but it was fun. Dogs are one of the most fascinating creatures on earth. They are extremely loyal, affectionate and intelligent and animals. Truly, dogs are a man’s best friend.
Philippines and Korea both have the unenviable notoriety of dog eating. It is very embarrassing and definitely not something to brag about. No one who has eaten dog meat before, either knowingly or accidentally should brag about it. I am a dog lover and I am sorry to say but you will not find an agreeable listener in me.
2. Forward and share this article to your friends.
3. Donate to notable non-profit organisations like Animal Kingdom Foundation (http://www.animalkingdomfoundation.org/).
I chanced upon the news last night in NZ TV3 where they featured illegal horse fighting in Mindanao, Philippines. A British news correspondent posed as a tourist in order to document this barbaric “tradition” in North Cotabato. Let me tell you that there is nothing more appalling than people training gentle horses to become fierce animals just for the sake of betting and entertainment. As many as 40 horses were maimed and injured in this three-day “event”. The video showed throngs of people betting and cheering in the stands.
Horse fighting is illegal and in violation of Republic Act 8485 otherwise known as the Animal Welfare Act of the Philippines. The irony of the matter is that the event was organized and sanctioned by none other than the town Mayor. The video also showed a police officer right in front of the arena condoning the event. The mayor contested that horse fighting is a long-standing tradition in North Cotabato. He appealed to everyone to respect this custom and to try to understand it rather than impose their own. He also claimed that the horses’ owner cared for their horses like people in Manila who care for their Mercedes Benz.
I think this backward “tradition/custom/culture” has no place in today’s modern world. A custom that encroaches on the welfare of others, be it humans or animals, should be scrapped at once. Horses are such beautiful and peaceful animals, and for someone to corrupt nature and turn horses into ferocious beasts are disgusting. The Philippines have a dismal record in animal welfare; and I hope and pray it changes soon. We must put to an end any form of animal cruelty. The animal kingdom is here to share this planet with us humans equally. We are the custodians of God’s creations. Earth is supposed to be shared in partnership, not ownership.
I know, I know, condemn the act, not the offender. Nevertheless, does it make you angry that this is still happening and has NO signs of stopping? A civilization is judged by the way the people treat their animals.
(Photo from Sky News)
A recent article I saw about racism in the UK made me write again. As a backgrounder, a BBC Comedy “Harry and Paul” made a “racist” and degrading portrayal of a Filipina house cleaner (maid). You can read the whole news here: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081007/ten-entertainment-philippines-britain-te-1dc2b55.html. This is my two cents with regard to this issue, while I do not condone that BBC episode; I think this is an excellent opportunity to examine ourselves with regard to racism.
Racism is aptly defined as “the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races”. Let us alter that definition a bit and replace the word “race” with “skin colour”. Now does that ring a bell? Why are skin-whitening creams and beauty whatnots very popular in the Philippines? Why are celebrities and popular politicians fair-skinned? Why do some Pinoys open an umbrella on a sunny day? Why do some Pinoys wear long pants and long sleeve shirts in the beach? Is fair skin more superior to a dark skin?
In the end, there is only one race, the human race.
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