Yours Sincerely has always been taken aback by the cost of branded shoes these days which could be as much as a few hundred ringgits. School going kids wouldn't mind spending their parents' limb on "Nike," " Concourse," " Adidas, " " Hush Puppies, " etc etc etc Their logos seem to have the magic of projecting the image of the wearers. So for those who cannot afford a genuine, they would settle for the fakes from across the border.
Y S picks no quarrels with the fact that there are shoes with better and more protective soles that preserve the knees, especially for weight challenged people but not for the economically dependent school going kids who seem to craze over the brands' logos. ( Well, they learn it from the adults. Y S even spotted some adult owners of the nation's cheapest car, the "Perodua Kancil" spotting Mercedes or Honda logo. LOL. The local expression fitting this is " Sedap Sendiri " or "for personal pleasure only." ) Y S' nieces and nephew are no exception. When they come avisiting, Y S never failed to keep their expensive shoes indoor, or you will never know what would happen to them!
Well, the closest Y S came to during his school days was "Fung Keong" or "Pagoda" brand school canvas shoes. This was heavily scrubbed clean and coated with white lime polisher to appear smart during the weekly school assembly. And the worst thing that could happen was to accidentally step on your classmates' shoes. They would revenge by stepping on your shoes. In this situation, the teacher's blackboard duster always saved the day. It was used to white powder up the shoes again. In the I960s, " Pagoda" brand canvas shoes only cost about RM1.50. On rainy days during the monsoon season in Kelantan, the canvas shoes were kept dry by only putting them on when one arrived at the school. No slippers were tolerated in whatever weather !!! On many a rainy day, Y S ' Mum had to dry our canvas shoes over charcoal fire so that we could go to school in dry shoes. This was the discipline of the old days.
Later when Y S was in secondary school, Y S' Mum was introduced to " First to Bata then to school" so Y S was upgraded to the $2.90 canvas shoes. You see, all the "Bata" shoe prices always ended with 90 sen. And the same pair of school canvas shoes was used for all occasions: school, sports, outings etc etc etc. Y S was amazed by the number of shoes owned by younger people these days. Well, in Y S' days you did buy new shoes when your old pair was still wearable.
As for indoor wear, the klick klotting clogs were the standard footwear. Their competitor, the rubber Japanese slippers, could not overtake them. The latter had been know to cause a few broken limbs since they could be very slippery on wet surfaces. However, one also needs to be skilfully balanced on clogs but they are somehow more stable. The "klick and klotting" they produce especially on hard floor were useful warning alarm those days that Mum was closing in, flight!
The clogs were always of bright red and the toe piece of the older variety was not nicely made of plastic but black old tyres. Clogs, unlike shoes of these days, did not enjoy private ownership which their branded expensive cousins do these days. They were rather like communal wear. Several pairs were places at the front or back door or certain parts of the house which warrant their wearing. You "klit klot" on the pair that fitted you best. They were also provided by budget hotels before the advent of the rubber Japanese slippers. One annoying thing Y S observed was that the V-shaped bit was always cut off in front of the Japanese slippers provided by the budget hotels so that guests did not forget to remember not to check out with them. LOL
And, of course, while the later generations of clogs, their branded cousins, shoes for all sorts of occasion, get to go to tiled, marble, parquet, carpetted, etc etc floor, the poor clogs of the old days are still used for grimy, slimy, dirty, wet, muddy, mossy etc surfaces. And these clogs were specially suited for "klit klotting" in toilets, bathrooms and all unassumingly places. Being 2 or 3 inches above the ground, they protect the feet dry or free from contacting dirt from soiled surfaces. Fancy today, you can still see such "klit klotting " clogs at the VIP bathrooms of the Royal Kedah Club !
These are the richer Dutch cousins of our local clogs.
These rubber clogs are getting popular. The "ogiginal" ( original) could also cost a limb but there are lots of imitations to suit your budget. Y S read that a kid broke his toes wearing one of these rubber clogs on his way up the escalator in Singapore. It seemed that the side of his rubber clog rubbed hard on the side of the escalator and started to melt causing him to lose his balance, fell and broke his toes.
Y S wonders why shoes and clogs crossed his mind tonight. Well, what's wrong with some musings, eh ?
5 comments:
I wonder if the Chinese Clog would be a hit like the Crocs,
Blessings, just came by for a visit. very interesting article. Clogs are not easy to wear, I remember wearing one when I was a kid.
thanks for sharing have a blessed day and enjoy the rest of your week
footiam,who knows one day maybe.
Rhapsody, tks for dropping by.
Hi Thomas:)
Greetings and good wishes:)
When I was young, before the school reopens my father used to take me to Bata store to buy black leather shoes for daily school and canvass shoes for sports activities. Invariably I damaged the canvass shoes in no time because I used to kick stones with them. They tore at the toe and my toe used to stick out. My father got very annoyed at my stupidity. Polishing leather shoes has always been a tedious affair and sometimes my mother used to do it for me.
Any way this difficult, tedious,monotonous job of polishing shoes never left me even after getting a job because my job demanded that I shave every day and come with polished shoes. How I hated to shave and polish my shoes every day of my life. I gave a huge sigh of relief only when I retired. No more shaving every day, polishing every day, wearing a tie every day, keep to timings every day and so on. Now I go to Bata shoe stores but I don't buy from them like I use to buy before. I buy cheaper brands. I use them for about six months, throw them away and buy a new pair. So I buy a new pair every six months or so. I also buy something which I don't have to polish or clean every day. I also now avoid buy shoes with laces. It is such a bothersome affair to keep tying the laces.
Your post is very interesting and opened up my thought process on the subject of shoes and slippers. As regards slippers in the house, I use rubber slippers which of course lasts at least a year.
Oh that reminds me, I have to buy a new pair shoes in the next few days.
Best wishes:)
Joseph
Joe, tks for visiting. It is nice to reminisce. Come to think of it, I hardly polished my shoes but I envied some of my colleagues who wore shoes that could reflect images. Now, I go for the better ends for comfort and protection.
Post a Comment