That moment when...

I was casually listening to the FM radio some day ago and was stunned to hear “Breaking Free” from High school Musical. I thought who plays songs like that anymore? Crazy DJ must be new in the booth I figured, but then as the song slowly made its way to the chorus I immediately stopped focusing so much on my Philosophy homework and more to Troy and Gabriella's sweet ballad. The song took me back to my elementary days wherein everyone was just singing to Stick to the Status Quo instead of understanding what it meant. Everybody was in their musical mode- even the boys. 

What team??!! Wildcats!
Get'cha head in the game.  
 

I remember carrying this High school Musical addiction of mine all the way to 2^nd year high school. I experienced being taunted because of it but I didn't mind. I didn't care as long as I was happy. I dreamed to live in HSM's drama and not in my own. I collected stuff on almost anything High school Musical and read intensively on anything about it and on the actors portraying my favorite roles. It was mad, I tell you. I took over the TV set and made everyone chew Disney Channel along with their dinners. Haha. I didn't have any problems gaining allies since my sister was then into The Chronicles of Narnia. You can say we were the tag-team of the year 2006.

 

But like most childhood phases, I outgrew High school Musical. I read an article once- way back even before HSM was shown- that there's such a thing as the “tweeniebopper” stage. It's that time when you're around 9-14 years old and you're obsessing on any little thing remotely related to your fave celeb, band or movie. I laughed that article off when my beloved Disney original movie came out, thinking I would never surrender being a High school Musical fan. Five years later, here I am embarrassed to admit that eventually I outgrew stalking them Wildcats. 

 

All I have now are these few memories of my insane temporary addiction:

DVD and VCD copies of the movie- to replay over and over again.

Did You Know that: by watching the first Highschool Musical movie 5 times, I eventually memorized the whole movie enough to do everyone's lines.

The Summit Media was kind enough to publish 21 issues of the official Highschool Musical Magazine Philippine edition. I saved like hell trying to buy each issue on time. I even flirted with the idea of not taking them out of their plastics just like those neat big-shot collectors I see on TV, but then I figured nah, I can't resist the smell of a newly-opened magazine and its gloss and its contents.

“This is classic literature, folks. Don't argue with me!” I used to say. Yup, I collected them junior novels- I swallowed its elementary style of writing and its captioned pictures in the middle all for the love of the game.

I also have their Soundtrack CD's that I got my tita to burn off the internet for me. I didn't exactly have the luxury back then to buy the expensive original ones so I settled for that.

I planned to have this as my diary for when I entered highschool but it never happened. I wrote nothing but Highschool Musical facts and tributes in them.

Here is an HSM bookmark made by my Mom. I thank her for supporting my ever pathetic fan-girl parade.

Other HSM stuff- another notebook and a sticker-pad.

My shoes failed to escape the wrath of obsession. Even the shoelaces are infected with Highschool Musical madness.

I also collected magazines with the movie's stars plastered in front. I also bought them even if they had like this tiny statement about HSM, anything as long as it's still related.

Room posters never gets old.

I'd sketch wardrobes and copy hairstyles. I was nuts, man. Haha. No picture of me will be shown, though. It's just too embarrassing. I remember going to my graduation and begging my Mom to let me wear a skirt that somehow looked like Gabriella's. I also had naturally wavy hair which the girls in my class envied. I was flattered by it only because I was a shot close to looking like the girls in HSM with their curly locks. But now, I realized I'm only noticed because of it. Which is not actually good.

It was still weird remembering all that because of a song. But I guess that just proves how the movie changed me and helped me with most of my tween life.. and has made me grow up in ways I didn't even know. <3  Once a wildcat, always a wildcat.