The Wordsmith

It’s a beautiful Sunday. The sun is shining, and giant white poofy clouds are spread out all over the sky. I should be out thrashing the bike about or at least be on a kayak floating down Sungai Sarawak Kiri. As it is, I slept through my friend’s weekend adventures with a sinus infection that’s not going away.

So what’s a girl gonna do?

To get out my front door, I have to pass my wooden show cabinet (which I’m very fond of). Today, the doors were open and I had a glimpse of all the shoes I own. I own a hell of a lot of shoes, mainly because my bad feet and active lifestyle necessitate high performing, very comfortable and often too-expensive shoes. And I wear all the shoes I own all the time. Quite a feat considering I only have two feet (pun intended).

So with my stuffy, drippy, congested, slightly swollen proboscis, I sit at my garden table with the dogs and review 16 pairs of shoes I own that are on active duty. This is a no holds barred review, forget what the shiny reviews by the manufacturers say online. And please bear in mind, I’m heavy and active, with low arches and feet pain. So my standards are set a little on the high side. They are numbered according to the photo, right to left starting from the top row:

1. My red Ipanema flip flops. I love my Ipanemas. They are Brazillian and made of really durable rubber. They feel and are so much tougher than they look; and they’re super flexible, but they’re flops, so no support. I got mine from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, after I came down Mount Kinabalu a few years ago. My legs felt like noodles after the climb, I needed a pair of something to flop around with and the Ipanemas just called out to me. Very cool pair of flops. Not cheap (hey, I earn Malaysian Ringgit, give me a break). I think these cost me about RM40 at the time. The soles still look brand new.

2. My turqouse Crocs Athens. Everybody appreciates the comfort and wacky designs of Crocs. These are great for my low arches and heel spur. No arguments there. But having worn mine down quite a bit, I find them bordering on the treacherous on wet ground, especially here in the tropics. For over RM129 a pair (much more if you’re getting Crocs shoes), I’m pretty sure I could do better. My advise is to get a pair from Singapore (be nice to your Singaporean friend), where they sell the flip flops at a fraction of the price here. Come to think of it, I did get this pair in Singapore, for about S$20 (RM43).

3. My Birkies. I love my Birkenstock Papillio. Everything about them screams out the urban ME. Coolness aside, the fact that their cork insoles conform to the shape of my feet over time makes them one of the most comfortable shoes I own. Comfort and good looks. What more can I ask for? Not avialable in Kuching. I got these in Singapore (hmm, I’m beginning to see a pattern here). And yes, through the roof expensive.

4. My Jesus sandals. These are my red and black Surfers Paradise sandals; I call them Jesus sandals cos I imagine the Lord wore a funkier ancient version of these (Jesus is cool, man, no two ways about that). Fantastic for kayaking, waterfalls and the beach because they’re 100% rubber. But not a lot of support at all. Plus, if you’re not careful the cross straps on the instep do pinch. I only wear them when I’m kayaking. My feet hurt if I wear them for shopping marathons.

5. My Mizunos. The Mizuno X10 Wave Alchemy. Designed for over-pronators like me. I use them for gym or when I’m training at home, or on the stationary bike. I like that they wide, cos I have hobbit feet (not the hair, just the width). They are OK. Not supercalifragilisticexpialidocious great, but comfortable enough. I reckon they could do with a more robustly cushioned sole. Then again, they’re meant for running, and I use them general training, and I’m not light. They’re great for stability though.

6. My Specialized Comp cycling shoes. These are dedicated cycling shoes that clip on to SPD pedals. For my large hobbit feet, these are pretty ok. But then again, I don’t have other brands to compare with. Still, I like ‘em. They do the job. They are not high end carbon soled whatchamighthaveit super bike shoe, but they get me up to speed on the bike. What else can I ask for?

7. My beautiful Keens. These are the outdoors soul sisters to my urban Birkies. They are the call of the wild for me; the Keens of adventure. This is by far my absolute favourite pair of all terrain, full comfort outdoor sandals. And yes, I will say they are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. These are my easy on easy off, go hiking, mountain biking (if you don’t use clips), shopping, climbing kinda shoes. And oh yeah, they look uber cool. The only thing about them is that in this tropical weather, sunning them for a couple of hours once in a while is a necessity to get rid of odour. I got mine for 40% off at Singapore’s Velocity. Cool place.

8. My girlie Crocs. No idea what this Crocs model is. Pretty decent pair of town shoes when I’m in a girlie mood. Very comfortable, but I don’t have a lot outfits that go with it. So they do get neglected a little.

10. My old Asics Duomax Gel 210 TR. They are falling apart but I love them. Great arch support and stability. I put my custom-made inserts in them and used them for high-impact gym activities for the longest time. I highly recommend them for cross-training but I’m not sure if this model is still in the market. They are a lot better than some of the newer Asics models. I got this pair in Melbourne, Australia many years ago. I’ve retired them and they are now my ever-day shoes, though they still bring me to qigong and self defence classes. No more high impact for them.

11. My Reeboks. I own an old pair of Reebok DMX Max which I got at least 6 years ago. They are fantastic for cushioning. VERY comfortable. But, I find that I have to place my hobbit toes carefully in them because they do taper a little bit right at the toe cap. And I’ve had to have the soles re-stitched just to make sure they don’t come out. Other than that, a solid pair of comfortable shoes with loads of cushioning.

12. My New Balance MR892SL. What can I say? Probably the least comfortable of all my high performance shoes. They look really cool, but they don’t provide enough cushioning for my long-suffering feet; and are a little too stiff for my liking. The stability is not bad, but unless you have very normal, non-problematic feet, I wouldn’t recommend them. I was very disappointed with them because my last pair of New Balances were fantastic. As it is, this pair was a let down.

9, 13 & 14. My hikers. I love hiking shoes in general, especially lightweight trail runners, which are great for the tropics. I have three active pairs. I’ve written about them in another post here.

15 & 16. My Merrells. Merrell is a really diverse brand. They have walkers, city schleppers, hard core hiking boots and everything in between. They do sell Merrells in Malaysia, but my two pairs were bought in New York and Vancouver. They are very very comfortable shoes for working and the office. They were part of my office ensemble for many years. I love the brown leather. It gets better with age. But they do get a bit warm for tropical weather. Still, I’d recommend them to anyone. Good, sensible, versatile walkers.

The shoes I’ve reviewed here were collected over a period of about 10 years. I buy shoes for comfort. That’s why you don’t see heels or silly insensible footwear here. They do cost me a lot of money. But I found out the hard way that when I wear shoes with no support, my feet give way. Literally. I have found myself suddenly sitting down on my behind in the middle of the trail, blinking in surprise because my feet just collapsed from under me; or walking until my feet just can’t go on. Unfortunately, shoes with excellent arch support and comfort are often expensive. I have decided that they are a necessary expense in my life because my feet are my life. They allow me the lifestyle I love. So far, the ones that I have now are doing a great job. They’re keeping chronic feet pain and injury at bay.