If I will come across an American or an English-speaking person, I won't feel awkward nor nervous because I can speak fluent English, well of course without the Cantonese suffixes like the lah's, le's and mah's which I unknowingly adapted while working in Hong Kong. 

Also, as far as I'm concern, I can write well in English. Sorry, I didn't mean to brag, Although I do commit mistakes also sometimes with my grammar especially when it comes to the agreements of the subjects and the verbs, but hey, nobody is perfect right?

All because of my Lola Ating. Yes, I grew up with my grandmother, my adoptive grandmother in fact. She was once an English and Spanish professor from one of the most well-known colleges in Manila, the Holy Ghost College (which is now the Holy Spirit College). 

My lola was very strict in all aspects. She developed in me the daily routine of reading out loud. Every day she would let me sit in the living room, then she would go upstairs in her room, while I read the news from the newspaper for her. She would correct my pronunciations, my dictions, and my intonations. She would always say, pause in commas and stop in periods. If the sentence is asking a question, then your tone should be questioning. If the sentence is a statement your tone should be firm. And so it went on like that every morning.

Being a child, I really didn't enjoy that routine. I was anxious to finish immediately so then I could go out and play. Never did I know that because of that unwanted routine, my kindergarten teacher had chosen me to deliver a poem in one of our school's fair. The poem was The Three Little Kittens. That was my first stage recital. No one could have been so proud but my Lola Ating. 

When she was told at the church that they wanted me to read the responsorial psalm, I knew she was secretly beaming with pride. And when I went down from the altar she said, " you did well" without smiling though. She had to keep her firmness. But to hear a compliment from her was an achievement for me. 

My lola passed away a few months after my graduation from elementary. To which she requested my mom to go onstage with me to get my diploma. I can still remember how happy she was. I didn't had honours then, but her presence is far more worth than a medal. 

When I started my secondary, I started writing. I found inspiration from her. How she loved English and Literature. My first ever written poem was about her, it was entitled My Dearest Lola. 

My writing reached greater heights when I became the editor-in-chief of our school's publication, The Golden Scroll. From writing poems, I went on to write editorial and feature articles that brought me to places to compete. I had some sweet victories but I had some shares of losses also. 

I've written great speeches for doctors, valedictorians and cum laude. I've written stories that made others cried, laughed and fell in love. Writing has become my passion, again, all because of my Lola Ating.

I haven't written for ages, but now that I'm back to writing, she's still my inspiration, she will always be. I may not be one of her grandchildren by blood, but she loved me dearly. I may not have wealth right now, but the lessons I've learned from her has made me live through life. I have her legacy... that's more than enough 💗