By John L. Shinn III LAZT Founder-Editor Mamang: My Inspiration Early in Life    LOS ANGELES ---  To those close to her she's "Lurding." Some friends call her "Lurd," short for Lourdes. But to all of us she's "Mamang."     Mamang has been a tremendous inspiration and influence in my life while I was growing up in Zamboanga in the early and late 1960s. She and Papang were my best friends.     Being the first born grandchild of Papang and Mamang with the Shinn name, I remember spending a lot of time with them at the Shinn residence on San Jose Road. She would take me to school with her whenever she can and allowed me to attend class with her 2nd grade pupils.    She was a well-known and respected teacher at Central School where she taught for 48 years of her life. Much of the time I spent with her during those formative years were an exciting learning experience for me both academically and religiously that when I graduated from kindergarten at Ateneo in 1966, I was No. 4 in our class.    Because of Mamang's strong character and teaching influence, I was an honor student at Ateneo up until 5th grade when she finally left for the States with the rest of my dad's brothers and sisters in 1971.    Her absence left a very deep void in my pre-teen life. Less than a year after her departure from Zamboanga --- and my life --- I started drinking (tuba) and smoking---at the age of 12 (6th grade). (When Papang died in a car accident in 1968 I was so devastated by his loss because he was my closest friend other than Mamang.)    Even though she was thousands of miles away, she would still constantly write me reminding me of my religious obligations and urging me to do good in my studies.        Without Mamang's guidance and inspiration my life was never the same again. I was always in trouble. If there wasn't any, I would create one. I got into fights almost everyday with anyone who was willing to fight back.     By the time I reached high school my problem with school authorities never got any better. One year I must have spent half the school year away from my classes and drinking tuba or beer with friends in neighbor- hoods near Ateneo. Despite my absences I managed to pass all my subjects.       In the meantime, most of Mamang's letters contained clippings of L.A. Times articles about the Philippines. I would read them with interest and sometimes before I go to sleep at night, I would daydream about beco- ming a Times' reporter someday.    When Mamang visited Zamboanga in 1978 (I was in Manila studying at FEU as a freshman in college), I told her that I would be a Times' reporter by the time I celebrate my 25th birthday.     Again, she reminded me to study hard. "If you study hard enough, nothing is impossible," I remember her telling me when she visited me at my dorm in Manila on her way back to L.A.     I was so inspired by her words that after she left for the States I started writing my first article on the history of soccer. That article was subsequently published by a popular national sports magazine in Manila. Even though I never got paid for it, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and pride when the magazine hit the newsstands that week.     When I arrived in L.A. in early 1985 to live in voluntary exile --- after I was threatened and marked for assassination by the Marcos military for exposing their involvement in the Nov. 14, 1984 assassination of Zam- boanga City mayor Cesar C. Climaco --- I found out that Zamboangueños here did not have any formal/official news source from home.          Most of the news they got here were by mouth---chismis, in other words. The word-of-mouth news was so libelous, highly inaccurate or grossly exaggerated that by the time it reaches them in L.A. the whole story is already blown out of proportion and with very little facts to support it.       On October 12, 1986, with Mamang's help and inspiration (she also provided me with her organization's mailing list) and a $300 donation by my friend Ricci Rico to cover printing cost, I formally launched L.A. Zamboanga Times as a monthly, 12-page newsletter.       Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that my journalistic career would one day allow me to serve my own people as founder and editor of L.A. Zamboanga Times. Much of these would not have been possible without Mamang's constant advise, guidance and teachings when I was growing up.       Whenever I visit her I would ask her questions just like I was a little boy anxious to learn the intricacies of life from a teacher. And Mamang would always have the answers.       I used to often look forward to visiting her and spending quality time with her. Her face would light up whenever she sees me walking through her door.       L.A. Zamboanga Times renewed my long-lost friendship with Mamang. We would spend time going over volumes of family pictures from the past---and present. Each picture had an interesting story behind it.       "I want you to write a story about our family," she told me when I kissed her in the cheek during her 93rd birthday party at the Bob Hope Park in Burbank in 2003.       "Yes, Mamang," I replied.       "For you, I will do anything," I said. Copyright 2006 | By John L. Shinn III Send comments and/or suggestions to: L.A. Zamboanga Times