it's Fiesta Pilar once more

it's fiesta pilar once more, it's time for all types of concerts, all types of businesses, all types of parades, dancing and singing. And of course, it is time to visit the shrine down the fort,finall since my last visit 6 years ago. We went just right after our JB duty this morning at 7 am and it amuses me to find myself amused and baffled with the number of people fallin in line and listening to mass... people standing in line holding 10 pieces of candles at least, as if God has put a quota and whoever lit the least candles will win a one way ticket to hell. I asked one candle from irene, i intend to light it for God alone, though i was thinking about lighting the candle to cast an evil spell againt our store manager, but i thought it would be a waste of candle coz he's already a sure shot to hell. THe last time i was in Fort pilar, i was still young and i had no qualms about my faith, my religion. i prayed and i lit candles and i prayed and i asked for God's forgiveness...but this morning i was afraid, i was afraid that if i only had the power to determine how many people are actually true to there faith or shall we say, are good christians, i was afraid i would only need to make use of my fingers to count... folk catholicism, the term, manifest itself in Juan, who after lighting the largest candle, (i would say 2 feet tall and about 5 inches in radius, would hurridly go straight to the nipa hut and drink tuba with everyone and would later pamper himself in a massage parlor, saying... quoting the tambay who charged me 10 pesos for an hour of parking, "ara lang man kay fiesta." (ngayon lang naman kasi fiesta). stupid. ta rindi yo gracias con el dio cay ya dale pa le comigo un año pa mas para vivi y pruba el pait y el alegria del vida. prospero fiesta pilar con todo zamboangueños.