Sandals

I had been using the same kind of sandals or slippers or flip flops whatever you might want to call it from the same manufacturer since I was a teenager or was it before I was a teenager. The manufacturer is Bata and the slogan then was "First to Bata then to school" and they were the maker of the very famous Badminton Master where everyone wants to be seen in a pair at that time. Yes it was cool to be seen in a pair of Badminton Master at that time as it is to be in a pair of Nike today. I remembered that I used mine until it was really worn till my last little toe can be seen protuding out, yes it really lasted a very, very long time.

After the Badminton Master came their very popular sandals,I had three pairs when I was working in Kuala Lumpur and were using them everyday when I came back home to Malacca for good. Why three pairs? ........ one pair for use in Malacca every time I came back for the weekends or whenever I am home. The second pair is for use during the week days when I am in Kuala Lumpur in my apartment and the third was always in the car which is for after a game of golf. Wow!!!! really sound like a luxury huh!

Those three pairs of sandals were bought like at least six years ago, more likely more than six years ago. The first pair, one of them the right foot side split into half on top side while the left side was still in great condition so Home Minister with her McGyver skills learned from being a great fan of the tube salvaged it with just a short length of raffia string. It was repaired more than a year ago and it is still in service today, Wow!! Looks like it is going to go the extra hundred kilometers.

The next pair just had a seizure about two month ago, it disintegrated while I was using it working in the farm so it cannot be saved. It was given some kind of burial in some landfill by SWM because I just dumped it into the thrash bin as it is not recyclable.

The last pair is very worn out and it is used only on special days especially wet days like going swimming and rainy day for the last month or so. It is great for wet days because it is not water absorbent so that it can be dried fast and it has anti-skid properties. Worried that this only remaining pair might die of exhaustion soon I started to shop for the exact same type in almost all the Bata outlets but couldn't find any. Yeah I was disappointed, really really disappointed and having coming to terms that I am not able to get this very special kind of slippers anymore so I bought what I thought to be the next best replacement.

Hardly two months after having it, it is already starting to split up thus putting me into a real difficult situation of wanting those kind of sandals that I was so used to. Come to think of it that kind of sandals really had a big part of my feet life, they had been on buses, boat, cars, airplanes and train not mentioning five stars hotels and premier golf clubs. They were great for all occasions. With the lousy new pair I was even forced to get a formal pair for formal wear which until today my feet are still not comfortable in it.

Last Friday I had a real pleasant surprise when I came in for dinner, a brand new pair of the sandals were under the table to welcome my feet. Princess had managed to get a pair of this which she called legendary Bata slippers for me as a father's day present. Thanks a million dear Princess you are a real life saver and my feet are really happy again. Thank You!!