You are the keeper of my dreams
The man who holds my heart in his hands
The one I want to spend my life with
The one with whom I will always stand

2006 – HSM premieres – Popstar NYC picnic – DC Games – Expedition Everest – LA Press Conference

Australia – Surfing at Bondi – Golden Weekend – London - V and co sing Happy Bday to Z – BMAs – 2006

Now Playing in the Soundtrack of a Lifetime: The Reality of a Relationship

During the fall of 2006, after just a few viewings of HSM I found myself gushing, “damn, those two are adorable together.” What makes the HSM fairy-tale so special is the undeniable, real-life chemistry between the story’s star-crossed lovers. For me, SOSN epitomizes their love story just as surely as it does for Troy and Gabriella. Away from HSM, their off-screen dynamic fueled my fascination, yet I remained on the fringes of fandom. Nonetheless, I believed it all pointed to The Start Of Something New, and I had no doubt their love was “written in the stars.” Why am I a believer? Because they’re REAL. Real relationships grow, evolve and hopefully blossom, and bearing witness to that is simply a joy to behold. As they slowly revealed more and more of themselves to the world, all one has to do is look at them to witness their laid back easy intimacy. A year later my fangirl sensibilities were outraged, yet these two did it, they survived scandal, and were stronger than before. That’s what holds me, what persuaded me to board the SS Zanessa wholeheartedly, embracing them fully as a couple and as individuals, and I don’t plan on jumping ship anytime soon. Betty

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Early 2007 - The very draw for me was seeing them singing SOSN; I'm pretty sure I saw ZV rather than TG in that scene. That scene started my ZV research mode - watch tons of YT videos; visited lots of sites, etc. I wish I know or can explain it. There are days when I'm like "What's the big deal?" and then I see pictures of them together and BOOM! The way they exchange looks - you know that one when they just make it seem as if there’s no one else there. Logic tells me they are just looking at each other but somehow, to me at least, they transported themselves some place where only the two of them existed. They have the same expression; same look on their eyes when this happens too, even if it's just for a second. I don't know what it is but I feel privileged to see it; and wonder why others don't. To witness it in person would probably be the death of me. Chay

I can vaguely remember when I became a shipper. Let me rack my brain. What I’m sure about was I wasn’t really that into the first HSM but I did memorize all the songs and watched it a bunch of times. Okay that really contradicted my sentence. According to my memory, my fondness towards the couple started around June last year. I don’t know how or why but I think it’s got something to do with the news that they really are a couple on and off screen. Then I started reading online gossips about them and the rest as they say is history. I can safely say the whole Hawaii buzz catapulted me into the world of Zanessa. I don’t just usually favor random couples especially in Hollywood and I swear this is my first time being a fangirl. There’s this just chemistry that drew me to them and even if they don’t announce it to the world how in love they are it just simply shows and radiates through the glances and stares they give each other. That’s how powerful it is - their love is. And I love FF because it keeps me sane and updated and I get to share this adoration with wonderful girls. I just love how they are private about their relationship. It sets them apart from all the young couples in Hollywood and to me it’s a very mature decision. How they never show it off leaves me all curious and want to even know more or drive my brain into loads of imagination – dirty or not. Strangely it’s their endearing and simple gestures like hand holding or just simply staring that makes me sigh and squee. Basically, these two are not just your ordinary couple. Alexia

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One winter evening in early 2006, I fell in love with a boy and a girl who were staring at each other. Standing still on a silent stage, eyes sparkling like the enchanting, star-filled wall of deep blue behind them, their gaze emitting an indescribable chemistry which had me INSTANTLY captivated. As Kenny Ortega once said, Zac and Vanessa had chemistry before they even knew who each other were: I fell in love with that boy and that girl before I knew exactly who they were, and it was that very chemistry which drew me in in a way I never thought possible. Those sparks, that connection between them continues to intrigue me all the more as the years go by. Especially since they do not let anything or anyone come between that special bond. They protect it, they keep all that is between them sacred, living their lives in love with the boy whom she thought was cool the second she met him, with the girl who has always been easy to talk to, with whom sparks flew since that very first audition. Those sparks are evident every time they are near one another, every time blue orbs connect with a deep brown. Gladys

I became a Zanessa fan from the first time I saw HSM back in 2006. I knew about FF awhile before that, and when I noticed there was a Zac board, I immediately joined the LiL thread, where I found lovely people who shared my obsession! I just want to say a few things. Zac and Vanessa are still very young, but I am sure they are each others' one true love. You don't need to have special powers to see that, it's just there, glowing and shining! It has been 3 years and they still look deeply in love day by day. They have defied distance, rumors and media! That's what keeps me here, everyday. I just wish them the best for the future, hopefully together! Val

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The truth?? In 2007 - that's the year when I saw HSM for the first time. Nothing specifically (made me board the ship). I just loved them together. I thought they were so cute and the way they always looked at each other always made me think there could be something more there, which was confirmed much later in Hawaii. What amazes me is the fact that being soooo young and having started dating sooooo young, they still look at each other with so much love. And that's something so rare at their age. I've fallen in love with their love, with the way they love each other. They give me hope. Vivi

(I boarded the SS Zanessa) just when the Hawaii pics surfaced on the Internet, one month after that...total accident. It all started with watching HSM and thinking that it's a great movie so I wondered if a sequel existed. I searched YouTube and it just popped up on the laptop screen - a video about the two lead roles being caught in Hawaii. I was curious and wanted to know what these pics looked like. So I watched the vid and I couldn't stop smiling at these cute pics. I felt I really got to like this movie and ZV. After that one vid I was addicted and found VABN really soon. I wanted to know what they did and so much more. (What keeps me on the ship) I guess is that they're private people and share the most cutest moments that sometimes normal people who think that they are in love don't see and then break up. The fact is that I can't be jealous - I'm just like a proud mother (even though I'm younger than ZV) who sees her own daughter walking to the altar, and I am just attached to how normal love can be seen even without much attention. In movies you always see so much and think it’s love but ZV showed that you don't need that much to be in love, just two people - a girl and a boy - that love each other; then the other things don't have to exist. Live the moment...and that's why I love them and like to watch how they live a life that has its ups and downs - just normal reality but still just love. Liv

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I remember it so clearly, it was the summer of 2006 (August to be exact) and I remember watching High School Musical for the very first time. It was me, my brother and my friend Aaron. I remember it being really late at night and we were sitting on my bed watching the movie. For every Troy and Gabriella scene I could feel myself getting all giddy or something us Filipinos call 'kilig'. However the one part that captured my heart was the part where they were on the basketball court joking about Gabriella inventing microwave popcorn. By the time they sang 'Breaking Free' I was already sold! After the movie ended I went online and started searching for pictures of the two stars and the moment I saw the Emmy and TCA 06 pictures I immediately knew that not only had 'Troyella' captured my heart but so had 'Zanessa'. After 2 years of sailing the Zanessa ship - the stories, the pictures and the videos of Zanessa still make me 'kilig'. Gayle

Fall 2006 - Breaking Free was the first thing that actually caught my attention the first time I watched the movie. It wasn't until I caught the end of the movie on DC, that I actually became interested in what is now my OTP. It’s the little things that they do. How he looks at her like she's the only one in the room. How they can make anyone the third wheel. The special smile she gets when she talks about him. The way they keep their relationship private. How they're the happiest when they're together. Simply put, because they are just Zac and Vanessa. Two people who managed to find someone who makes then happy and understands them best. They truly are the greatest love story ever told. Tay

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While I didn't immediately view High School Musical upon its first airing, as soon as the buzz was going around about it, I knew it was a must see. So, some day, months after its premiere, I sat down and was pleasantly surprised to see it was airing on Disney. I had no idea what this movie was about, and truthfully, wasn't expecting much. However, come the closing of the finale, I sat dumbfounded staring at the television. Once I regained my composure, I immediately sprang to the computer, in search of the answer I assumed was true to the question, 'Were the two main leads dating?' At the time, I didn't know their names, or anything else about them for that matter, but that didn't matter. Their chemistry had popped off the screen, and, I had figured if they weren't dating, then this world was not right; it seemed like they just HAD to be together. I continued to follow their story, as I do still today, and knew that they would one day admit to their relationship. What first drew me to them, and does still today, is simply one thing: the way they look at each other. With most celebrity couples you don't see this, but with them, it's impossible not to. When they look at each other, they look at peace, completely satisfied, in love, I could go on and on. When they look at each other, you just know what real love is. Sarah

Ok, so after watching the 1st HSM, I liked Troy & Gabriella together...I didn’t think much about V and Zac because I honestly thought they looked too young or whatever to think of them in a romantic way. Plus, we didn’t get all the cute promo stuff over here (Philippines) and I wasn’t too aware of the Disney Channel back then (only got to watch HSM1 cause my mom borrowed a friend's DVD) anyway...I think it was early last year...when I saw V's SAY OK vid and I remember thinking that it was so cute that Zac was like her leading man in the vid and all that...plus, they looked different...slightly older, more mature...so I guess that's when it started. I think I gave a pretty lengthy answer for #1 and it's my answer here as well. Say Ok definitely did it for me!. I mean, obviously HSM paved the way, but Say Ok was what made me google them, you know. Hehe. And then the first set of candids I saw were the gas station ones with them all giggly and stuff....and then I saw the Hawaii pics and I was dead. But you know, happy dead. It's their undeniable chemistry that turns lots of people into happy dead people. You know what I mean. LOL. But seriously, I like how "real" they are. Like, I like the fact they do normal stuff, but because it's THEM, it becomes adorable and romantic. I mean, seriously, how may people out there who go gas up but look that adorably sweet? Because, you know, whenever I see pictures or clips of them, I smile and feel good, because I then realize that love still works, if not for me, then at least for them. MG

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I'm pretty sure it was 2006, a few months after the movie came out. So this is what totally made me fall in love with them: I had just purchased the HSM soundtrack and inside was this poster of them singing SOSN and I just took a glimpse at it and the way they looked at each other was so amazing, like you could tell it was so much more than acting. After that I was curious, so I started looking at fanvids on YouTube and the rest is history. I honestly don't think I could ever stop shipping this couple. They are the definition of love itself. The way they look at each other and how much they mean to each other just defines love. When I see them happy, I'm happy. It’s amazing how much of an effect they have on me. As long as they keep on living in love, I'll be right behind them supporting their relationship. Isabella

Stand beside through thick and thin
Through all that life will throw our way
Knowing that this special love we share
Will guide us each and every day

2007 – Say OK – HSM2 – KCAs – Hawaii – Quail Glenn – Smoothies – MMAs – HS premiere – NYC promos


HSM2 premiere – TCAs – London – Gas Station – Orso – Paty’s – DVD Gala – Walk Hard – 2007

Now Playing in the Soundtrack of a Lifetime: The Deeper Commitment Phase

2006 - High School Musical, not very original, but it was the first time I watched it and realized that there was more to Troy & Gabriella than meets the eye. I did a little research and found myself lurking these threads, and loving the couple more than I could have known, and three years on, the love has never faded and has become stronger than ever. Their love for one another, the way they hold hands, the way they look at each other, the way that they show their love in a way that no-one else comes even close to. There is not just one reason why I'm still aboard SS Zanessa, there are a thousand ways and more that make them 'them'. I love them for being in love, because it makes me believe that one day, I will find that love, or I hope something close. Harley

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I first boarded the ship, I would say.. in around.. late May, early June of 2007, and lurked FF until I finally joined in November. The minute i saw the Hawaii pics, i was literally shocked, with my mouth agape. I just had never even thought about the two being romantical. I had already been a HUGE HSM fan, so I kinda mulled over the idea, but thought, “don't get to carried away, who knows!” So, to see the Hawaii pics, just blew me away; to see them in a romantic capacity besides Gabriella and Troy, was so adorable, and so comfortable. It warmed my heart, and I've been hooked since. It's just really nice to see a true romance blossom between two people who live in such a crazy environment; to still have time to do sweet nothings; to make a point of spending time together; to still be close, and not let any ridicule, or prying of the public eye stifle their love. It’s beyond words, and keeps me coming back to swoon and root for their joy and love for each other. Kristen

Early 2007 - As a Filipino it’s in my system to be drawn to on screen couples with great chemistry. And it is part of my tween blood to want that couple to get together. So when I saw this I was drawn to them even more. Then the Hawaii pictures came and I was a goner. I think it’s the fact that when you look at them, you can see that it’s genuine. Not fake or forced. It’s just how love looks. Nikka

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Our Disney Channel aired previews of HSM, exactly six months after it aired in the states, I didn’t know it was a phenomenon, but I was still enticed by seeing the two unknown leads onscreen. It was odd, because I knew nothing about them, but I was very much drawn to them as a pair, there was just something obvious about their chemistry. Although a lot of people and media folks were touting a different ‘ship, their coyness amused me. I came onboard to the Zanessa bandwagon because they were a mystifying puzzle at that time, well, until now actually. The way they seem separate but very much together, they way they ignored yet stole quick glances with each other, it’s their subtle body gestures that spoke volumes of truths. There’s just something about Zac and Vanessa that stirs a multitude of emotions in me. I guess I’m still onboard because they are very much unpredictable, they march to their own beats and they do what they both want. It’s great to see two people in love, and I’m on their team as long as they’re living in love. Arlene

I boarded SS Zanessa in 2006. The first time I fell in love with them? That’s easy. Just like them, it was the first time they took the stage together and began “The Start of Something New” in High School Musical. Their voices just blended together perfectly, and with each glance they stole away from each other, they stole a bit of my heart. After that, it seemed that every look they had for each other was something special. No words can really describe the love they hold in the air for each other. It portrays Disney’s number one theme perfectly, magical. Progressing through music videos, sequels, and tropical vacations that we would all die for, their love shows through. What keeps me on the ship? The fact that, as Chris Brown would say, “With every kiss, and every hug” they give hope that love is really out there. Neither Zac nor Vanessa anticipated they would be beginning the best ride of their lives when the signed up for High School Musical and neither did we. They prove love isn’t about searching, because it will find you. That is what Zanessa really is. Kelly

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Sometime last summer - I don't remember when - I was bored and started to YouTube videos and decided to watch an HSM one. I had fought hard against watching the movie, because I was in high school when it came out and knew that wasn't what it was like. I mean who sings in high school and dances and stuff. I was anti-this movie for a while. But I saw SOSN and fell in love. The movies did it for me. I saw the first one about a week before the second one came out and then did some research on the actors and that is when I got hooked. And then I visited these boards and saw how cute they really were, from London to bts, to just going around LA; they were adorkable, and I was sold. I think the reality of them (keeps me on the ship). A lot of times in Hollywood, even fans get caught up in the glamour and productions, sometimes, of relationships and we forget that these are real people with cameras around them 24/7 and people trying to know everything about them. Not many couples keep it real and are still as successful as they have been. They understand how big they are and yet it doesn't get to them and they don't manufacture things about their relationship for the public. It's about them and only them, and at the end of the day that is what makes me admire what they have so much. Molly

2007 and somewhat 2006 - When I first saw HSM I thought they had tons of chemistry but then the Hawaii pics came out and I was aboard the ship. I love them because they aren't the annoying couple that flaunt their life out there and hire paps to take pics of everything they do; quite the opposite they don't talk about their relationship. I like the way they're able to talk...or do other not so innocent things with just their eyes. Lastly, it’s probably just the fact that they are genuinely in love. For most people, staying together with someone while they're in another country is impossible, but Zac and Vanessa are the two that make the quote, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” so true. Oh and they're the only couple that can make me write cheesy, lovey-dovey stuff. Taylor(cookie)

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The year that I started to love Zac & Vanessa together is 2006. I love them mostly because of HSM. I saw them on- and off-screen and I can totally see sparks and chemistry between those two. (What keeps me on the ship are) the candid pictures that I see on Just Jared. Every time I see candid pictures they look so happy and so in love. That makes me love them even more every day. Adie

Art by Sydney(alias_charmed)