Sneaker-Freaker

When i was a kid...shoes werent really my thing. It was all about...how many hot wheels...lego sets...transformers...remote control cars a kid has. as i grew older...from the age of 10 to 13... Shoes actually make me frustrated. This was because my foot...for some unknown reason was growing at a pace that none of the sports shops can keep up with. when i was in standard 5 or 6...my foot was already a size 9 or 9.5 for some shoes. My mum used to take me to the shop...and buy a shoe that is 1 size bigger than my current foot, which was 10.5,11 ish. It was frustrating in 2 ways, one being the shoe was too big and its uncomfortable to wear in, hard to run with and all...but guess my mum was right about how i should be getting bigger shoes couz my feet was just growing...and two being the fact that size 11 was quite hard to find then...would go to a couple of shops...nike...reebok...royal sporting house and all... and it would be quite hard to find a size 11. Not that they dont have any size 11, they would have heaps...but only for the higher range...RM 250 and over which i thought was ridiculous ...THEN... NOT NOW. Sure my mum wasnt going to buy me such an expensive shoe for a 11 year old kid...so there we go...jumpin from store to store, to find a reasonable size 11 shoe that is on sale or somewhat.

The year 2001 changed my view of shoes forever. Back when i was trying to make the basketball team for my school. Had to suffer much pain and torture during our 5 hour trainings every saturday(much worse than IH basketball training if i may add) with a cheap power shoe (For those who dont know, power is the malaysian shoe brand that usually last you 6 to 8 months max from date of purchase). My basketball coach for the school, which was also my neighbour, whom i have never spoken to prior to basketball training even though he lives right in front of my house...literally!!! just 10 metres of tar and concrete dividing our houses, always would let us in on offers of basketball shoes at the end of training for those who are planin to get new shoes. He would somehow have all the 'kang tao' which means hole in hokkien with cheap discounted basketball shoes. After a while, i listened to him and got one pair myself, one that he recommended to me for my position...a forward then.

When i first put on my NIKE BASKETBALL SHOE, one that cost 240 ringgit back then, i was so happy couz competition was just a week away...and i have new shoes...and another reason being the shoes were just so nice to wear on, fully sick and comfortable in comparison to the power shoe that i have been wearing in training for the past year. i felt much lighter, jump higher, shoot better, everything i did was better, though it might have been just psychological...but it worked!!! That was the point in time where i learnt...there is really a big difference in difference shoes!!!

I started off being a maniac at basketball shoes, buying about 6 a year during the year 2003 when i 1st came to melb. VC1, Answer 5, And1Kg, And1Drive Mid puerto rico edition, Nike Shox and Adidas Walker. Reason for buyin this many shoes...i dont have a reason, i was just fascinated to buy new basketball shoes. And all the ones i bought for that year, you cant find in malaysia, well...most at least. VC1 was a carolina version which isnt found in malaysia, so was Reebok Answer 5, And1kg and Adidas Walker. I would be so addicted to shoes that ill check the nike factory at every opportunity i have, or footlocker everyweek to see whether there are any nice shoes on discount...and when i buy them, i wont open them at once, ill always keep them to a special occasion before using em, and before using em, before that special occasion, i would put the shoes on my monitor in my room, which my friends thought was 'siao'!!!which means crazy in hokkien.

After that year, i sorta learnt my lesson about basketball shoes, that it varies a lot on what position you play. I used to play forward, which needed a lot of ankle support, could be heavy, more stable and all. but now i play more a shooting guard position, which requires a lighter shoe, not much ankle support i guess. If you dont really understand how basketball shoes can have so much of a difference. Go to kicksology.net...You will be able to see all the basketball shoes , all the ratings, and all the information about it. Its not much right now couz the person who created it has become famous and has stop running the site, and has taken out all...all the reviews of shoes, about 100 plus of them at least and left some interviews of shoe makers on to keep the payment of the website low. However, if you scroll through site, on the left side as you scroll down...you will be able to see the ratings of shoes, for categories such as comfort, cushioning, support and the actual weight of the shoe. You can also go the the 'select a memory' place and click on other shoe makers and view their reviews too.Out of all the new shoes i bought, the only one that i actually used was the And1drive and VC1. As for the other 4, gave one out to my friend and 2 to my maid couz she wanted it for her husband. I learnt my lesson on not to waste money buying shoes just because they are on sale and because they are cool, signature shoes that cant be found in malaysia...but to buy shoes that actually suits me, shoes that i want. Its quality i should be lookin for...not quantity.

Then came the year 2004, basketball was outta the picture. Finally came to my senses that ill never become a NBA superstar and my back aches finally caught up to me.Of course i would have 2 basketball shoes at all times, one for malaysia and one for aussie land so i dont have to bring it around couz i do still play basketball for fun, but gone were the days where i had 5 or 6 or even more basketball shoes. However, instead of having 5 or 6 basketball shoes, i started having interest/obsession over sneakers. NO , their not called casual/walking/basketball shoes...they are called SNEAKERS!!!theres a difference!!!actually there isnt but for those sneakerfreaker out there there is. Started looking out for sneakers everywhere i went...and bought many here and there...too many to be precise. I began researching here and there...got to know all information about sneakers...but adidas and their superstars, nike with their air force one, dunks, vandals, blazers etc...reeboks with their pumps and classics, g unit, phat farm, kswiss etc......too many to mention. And...like basketball shoes...there are a lot of difference in sneakers...no their not all JUST WHITE SHOES!!! OR SCHOOL SHOES !!! but they are all different. Each are made with diff types of materials, diff colours, diff pattern/drawing/design, different type of use, comfort etc...too much to explain. Its amazing how cool some of the designs can be, how amazing how some people can wear a certain type of shoes, and look good in em, where other ppl dont. Its amazing how the slightest difference in the design and cutting will change so much in terms of comfort and cushioning. Its just amazing...and thats why im lovin it....i love SNEAKERS!!! somewhat called S.N.E.A.K.E.R.P.I.M.P. Wish i could own them all, but sneakers arent the cheapest shoes in the world, prob one of the more expensive ones. Normal sneakers range from 130 AUD...going up to 300 AUD for LTD edition , 400 AUD personalized kickz, 500 and above for really rare, limited edition stuff...its just a hard hard hobby to keep up with financially.

"sneaker pimpin aint easy" JAY Z

And here i am...being a sneaker freaker. Currently have 4 sneakers that i havent worn b4, one air force 1 mid, one air force 1, an adidas superstar and a nike vandal. ah well....some pics below of me kickz...



Air Force One Mid



Adidas Superstar



Air Force One





My new Nike Vandal!!! wicked huh?

And here are some customized shoes. In Australia...one of the most famous sneaker customizer is called Astoria...pretty sure its his nick...astoria for a name..you gotta be kidding... but check out his work...its just too good to be true. He usually charges 150 to 200 AUD to customize a pair of your shoes...shoes arent even provided... you have to buy your own shoes that you want to customize...in a simple colour without any design...pass it to him...let him know what you want and he will do it for you. All for 150AUD...man..aint ever gonna afford customizing man...way to steep for me! But here are some of the shoes that he has done. Note that all the shoes were completely empty...in terms of design..and look what he has done...just simply AWESOME!!!







PS. YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PIC TO ENLARGE IT!