So here it is.. enjoy reading!
Confessions of a Flip Flop Fanatic
by: Shane
I have been such a great fan of locally made flip flops back then. Banana Peel. Mixstar. Bench. Bayo. I usually ended up buying Banana Peel flip flops since it comes in a wide variety of colors and designs for a very cheap price. Not bad for a person like me who's fond of collecting flip flops since I can always buy a pair whenever I want. Though the fashion market offers a huge selection of footwear, it never came to my mind to purchase a pair of rubber slippers which cost as much as the branded shoes until I accidentally discovered “Havaianas”.
It all started last May 2005 when I saw a cute pair of rubber slippers from Brazil on an Internet website. It has the word “Havaianas” engraved on its pearly white straps and its sole is covered with printed flowers both in pink and white. That pair really caught my eyes and made me say “I want to have a Havaianas”. That time, it was not yet popular and purchasing one was not easy since I didn't have any idea where to find those Brazil-made ones.
My desire to have a pair grows as days pass by. I even have photos of it stored in my local drive and I could stare at them almost everyday. I could still remember Benette, my former officemate, saying to stop staring at those photos and go buy myself a pair. But being a “segurista” that I am, buying one is never easy. I had to convince myself for so many times that Havaianas is worth the price. Still, I didn't get myself a pair.
My Havaianas fantasy became an instant reality when I received a 500-peso worth of Rustan's Gift Certificate as a birthday gift from the DEVS. Inside the envelope is a drawing of a pair of flip flops with a note from Leigh saying “Pambili ng Havaianas”. I can hardly express my happiness during that time especially when I bought my first ever Havaianas pair – a Brazil flag Havaianas.
I wear my Havaianas for almost everyday. Not that I bring them to office, I wear them at home. I also make it to a point that I wear them every time I go out on a weekend. And since it entered my life, I started to ignore my other flip flops as well as my other shoes. It even left tan lines on my feet.
I've worn them everywhere. I wear them from beaches to shopping malls, to parties and even to Divisoria where imitations are so rampant. It never go out of shape. There I realized that Havaianas is really worth its price. These rubber slippers are so flexible that you can bend them and still the rubber wouldn't go out of its original shape.
I fell in love with it and my passion to have pairs increases.
One pair is followed by another and another until it reached a dozen. I could still hear some people asking about my addiction, wisecracking that they can buy a local “tsinelas” for a fraction of the price of Havaianas. But to those people who share the same passion as mine know that Havaianas is not just a typical “tsinelas”. Unbelievably, they are extremely comfortable. No matter how long I wear them, my feet don't feel such pain. I'm a flat-footed person and heels are not my best friends.
Twenty-eight pairs of stylish Brazilian flip flops hang on my wall. Most of them were from my hard-earned salary, a few of them were gifts from my boyfriend and one from the DEVS. These twenty-eight pairs came from different parts of the world – one from US, three from Dubai and the rest were from Manila.
Twenty-eight pairs sound crazy but not when you are a collector and not when you find out that they are my only current indulgence. I no longer go to shopping malls every weekend and splurge on nonsense things.
The period of collecting my twenty-eight pairs of Havaianas taught me some key things in life. Through this passion, I have gained new friends – friends whom I haven't seen yet in person and it's only the world wide web that connects us. My phone book, on the other hand, is loaded with tons of contact numbers from different authorized resellers nationwide. My face is already familiar to some salespeople from All Flip Flops. Every time I pay a visit, some of them greet me as if we're old friends.
Despite my addiction, my feet still remain on the ground and attached to reality. I am aware that in due time I have to give up everything even my biggest obsession. But for now, I think I don't have to. I'll just enjoy the best things that I have right now including my precious collection.
I know that there are worse obsessions other than my flip flop fantasies. My flip flop obsession is not even detrimental to my health and to those people around me. As long as it doesn't harm anyone, I shall continue to wear them with pride.
So allow me to float away with my addiction. This is the current indulgence that I have and I am willing to share my passion to everyone. Go, get yourself a pair and tell me your experience about it. ;)
