Carpe Diem, Azkals!

I'm composing this piece with the second leg of the Azkals versus Kuwait still to be played later in the night. No matter what the outcome by the time you happen to stray on this column, Philippine football has a glorious resurrection and damn, we're now kicking butts.

Let's go back to the first leg played at Kuwait's arid home pitch. Our Azkals played well in the first half that had the Kuwaitis imploring for Allah's divine intervention. Yes, Allah was with them when two attempts hit the crossbar and another attempt was deflected by their goalkeeper.   We adjusted in the second half, so did the enemy, and that sealed the outcome for the game.

The Rizal Memorial Stadium could have been underwater courtesy of "Juaning" and I hope our boys took advantage of the waterscape. I heard that the Kuwaitis were hoping and praying for a dry pitch to play. This is one advantage that we have to make use of.

Our Azkals thrive under threatening and sometimes ridiculous situations. We're so used to storms, floods, humidity, dust, traffic, flies and bugs. While training in Japan, we flirted with earthquakes and tsunamis, and survived. In Germany, we licked the E-coli bacteria, decided it was not palatable and spat it out, then afterwards did a chest-thumping, salute-executing rendition of the Lupang Hinirang among Germany-based Filipinos. Best of all, our Azkals survived the comedic melodrama of showbiz.

This brings us to Carpe Diem. The popular and usual translation for the phrase is 'seize the day'.   But the literal translation is 'pluck the day when it is ripe', as in to pluck or pick ripe fruits. The Latin poet Quintos Horatius Platus, commonly known as Horace, in his verse said,

"Dum loquimur, fugerit invida Aetas: carpe diem,

 Quam minimum credula postero."

Translated literally, "While we're talking, envious time is fleeing; pluck the day, put no trust in the future."  

So what has this Latin phrase got to do with our Azkals? We seize the moment as there might not be another chance. We have made great strides and let's take advantage of every opportunity that appears along the way. There will always be obstacles, defeats and everything in between.   One match, one tournament at a time. Success is never easy and we have experienced difficulties on our way to respectability. The days are ripe for the picking, let us seize the moment.

To borrow Robin Williams' line in the 1989 movie "Dead Poets Society" when he encouraged his students to do what they feel is right, "Carpe Diem! Seize the day, boys!"

Carpe Diem, Azkals! In my book, you will always be winners. If we can't make it for the 2014 WC, holy freakin' crap, we will be really ripe when 2018 WC comes.

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[email protected]. - THE FREEMAN