Pacman, Kobe and Daddy Boy

I was tuned to Solar Sports last Sunday watching the flood of commercials with a round of boxing during breaks. No wonder the flames on the boxing trunks of one of the fighters was diminished by advertisement ranging from car batteries to coffee to underwear.

In-between scenes from Alaxan and Circulan, I saw Pacman showcasing his brilliance on Morales. We all know the outcome. It was sweet revenge. Morales was the more experienced, bigger and tougher fighter but obviously, Pacman was well prepared.

The outcome of the fight was told by their contrasting facial expressions. Pacman looked like the jubilant Filipino "TNT" who finally got his green card while Morales looked like the dejected Mexican caught by border guards trying to sneak into the US.

The nation is still floating in the lingering tsunami brought about by Pacman Mania. For one fleeting moment, rich or poor, verile or senile, the sane and the borderline cases, for pride and glory, the country was united. If only we can sustain this unity. If only...

Then here comes Kobe. Yes, the same guy in yellow and purple who wears number 8. Of the 122 points that the Lakers scored in their win over Toronto, he scored 81 points. That's 66% of the team's total output. This feat is the second most highest points scored in a game since 44 years ago when Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in 1962.

Kobe is on track to break Elgin Baylor's Laker record of 19 games with at least 50 points and with the way Phil Jackson is letting him loose, Kobe's gonna surpass Baylor's club record. The scoring spree is amazing, but let's face it, Kobe is a selfish ego-maniac encouraged by utterly unbelievable fans. The stats says it all - 81 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists.

Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington, Hollywood's iconic contribution to Lakerdom were not on their million-dollar seats and sure as daylight they would be regretting the night they missed Kobe made history. It wouldn't surprise me if he changes his jersey number to 81.

The most painful of all human emotions is grief. We all have experienced it. That general feeling of despair and loss, that sense of shock. By challenging life itself, death confronts our own mortality and like a thief in the night, it comes to us often times without warning.

My dear readers, please indulge me as I share my grief. Losing a close relation is hard, especially this case as it was sudden and unexpected. My cousin, Alang-Alang, Mandaue barangay councilor and PAL's Rafael Seno Benabaye, Jr. passed away last Jan. 15 to a massive heart attack. He was 50.

Daddy Boy, as I have called him, loved life. He was the carefree, happy-go-lucky type who likes to make jokes and entertain people. He has friends and acquaintances that rivals the multitude of the Ka-pamilya and the Ka-puso die-hards. I will surely and dearly miss his company, even though the time we spent with each other are few and in-between. His mom, Mandaue City councilor Inday Cita has lost an able and worthy successor.

Mommy Ty, Nikki, Maimai and R, life has to go on. Yes, Daddy Boy had his faults and failures (who doesn't), but I think he has done all what he is supposed to do. Let his love and memory in your hearts, make it as your inspiration, because the best and the most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or touched but are felt in the heart. To qoute Og Mandino, "Treasure the love you recieve above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished."

We bid goodbye to Daddy Boy, but not his works, his visions and his dreams. Friends and relations, let us all take comfort in his memory and company, knowing that even when we are alone we will never be lonely again.