Our Perfect Game

Today is game day.

The moment we've been waiting for is here. What seemed to be a stalled #RoadToRio last year is again opening a long shot opportunity for our Gilas Pilipinas. However this time we know this is the harder route. If not the most difficult path.

Perfection is the name of the game. If we transliterate the word, easily we say in Filipino: "perpekto" (hindi po yung bagong DFA Secretary, ah). 

The english-malay.net website gives us these words for definition:

perfect: perpekto, ganap, lubos, walang maipipintas, walang kapintasan, walang sira, walang mali, tamang lahat, tapos, yari, hindi bulok, walang kamali-mali, pabutihin, ayusing mabuti, magpabuti, pagbutihin, magpakasanay, tumapos, tapusin, yumari, yariin, pakasanayin, pakalubusin, lubusin, mag-ayos na mabuti

And look how much different we felt reading each word defining this word for the day. That's "perfect" crystalized in our ordinary experiences right there. Yung babangon ka sa umaga at gagawin mo yung mga nakasanayan mong gawin nang swabeng-swabe. Smooth na smooth. Walang sabit. Parang nagsangag ka ng napakasarap pakiramdam mo ni-shoot mo yung isang malayong three-pointer with nothing-but-net.

Perfect.

Like when you drive to work. Or ride to school. Like the manong driver of a UV express or jeepney who ferries passengers to their destinations. With all perfection. Walang sabit. Walang sira. Walang kamali-mali. Wala ring huli (salamat sa Waze, ohyeah!). Parang paghahanda mo sa exams nung huling Finals. You prepared doubly hard. If not more. You almost lost sleep perfecting your kodigo. (Wait, erase that one.) Come exams you sailed through and did everything only to come out victorious. You get your test papers back, perfect! Tama lahat. Kasi pinagbuti mo nang mainam. Yinari mo, gurl! Perfect, kasi bawal ang mali. 

Now back to the ball game. Just like our beloved Gilas when Coach Tab Baldwin says they needed to be perfect and give no room for mistakes as they play top level, world class basketball today. Because every mistake, every error will cost a lot. Perhaps more than the money spent by the MVP and the SBP hosting this Manila leg of the #FIBAOQT. Every mistake will mean points for the opponent. Parang puntusan nalang sa volleyball, o kaya table tennis, diba? Mali mo, puntos nila. Sucks, right. So we have a choice. Play no mistakes.

We go about different tasks today. Marami nasa trabaho, sa eskwela. Sa mga tahanan. O di kaya kakauwi lang mula sa pagpupuyat sa magdamagang kayod. From the hustle and bustle of daily grind, our hearts know that we can never and must NOT go wrong. We want to be winners. All the time. Because we have prepared for life each time we sleep and wake up each day. And we know that victory is always at hand.

Isang malakas: #LabanPilipinas #PUSO

…follow @labapilipinas on twitter for more sports laundering!