The Journey with Harry Potter: Part 1 The Discovery

I very well remember my first encounter to the whole Harry Potter thing. It was one morning at my Aunt Bek’s house, I was 11 years old. (Maria Corazon Victoria Torres is her real name, in case you’re wondering) There was my Tita Joanne (Villareal) and Tita Marie (Santiago) and my Mom. Tita Bek and Tita Joanne live next doors and Tita Joanne came out from her house asking us to look at a film ad on The Philippine Daily Inquirer.  It was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone. My general reaction was like, “Let me see that.” And the next thing I knew I was sitting on a local cinema watching it for the first time. I had no idea then, that that will start a 10 year journey and it’s still counting.

Then the action figures came, the posters and the novelty items.  I remember my Mom going to a book store and ordered the books 1 to 4 and she read it with gusto. I, on the other hand, was only interested on the stuff that I can fully understand. I would, at one time, attempt to read Sorcerer’s stone then stop at the second chapter because I have to play. Playing seemed more fun back then. But I knew, I certainly knew, I would grow up with this franchise.

I adored Hermione first and I tried being exactly like her: Studious, loyal and competitive. Look at me now; I’d kill to finish college first in class. Harry was brave, and I am brave now. Ron was uhm, well he was, a loyal friend! Nah, that’s the thing I’m skeptic about. I choose my friend well and I am loyal. But recently I was short of friends. They seem odd. Well I have no best friend now, which is kind of sad, and I can live with that.

This blog is about my journey per book and movie, how I read and watched it. Because I pretty much remember everything about this. Who I was with, where was it and what I was eating at the time. You know those kinds of stuffs.