And The Shoe Parted Like The Red Sea

I have always known that if you do not wear a pair of shoes (and we are talking dainty shoes not sneakers but perhaps the rule also applies to sneakers but I'm not so sure) for a prolonged period of time, the shoes go into this state where they appear to look pristine, but in actual fact, their internal structure has weakened to the stage of near-disintegration - except they still look whole and intact.

Anyway, this knowledge which has been stored in the recesses of my memory from whatever past, was recently brought to the forefront of my mind when I packed this pair of pretty powder blue sling-backs with me from Singapore. Finally it's warm enough in Sydney to wear pretty open-toed shoes I thought. Well, the first night I wore them, when I got to the meeting place, I noticed the side of one was sort of coming out. I prayed that this was only a minor problem and quickly pushed the thought of going home to change to another pair of safer shoes, aside.

They held up the whole night even through the 15-minute walk to the crowded and hip sushi bar we ended up at, where sushi was served in little, bite-sized pieces such that you end up eating seemingly a lot more than your usual.

It was on the walk back that the shoes caved in. Well, the right one which had the side coming apart, just split right in the middle and it parted like the Red Sea showing my foot with all the recent blisters from the hikes to and from work, in its full glory.

I did the only thing possible, walk barefoot the rest of the way back. I felt really Aussie doing that cos I used to laugh at the Aussies who are so foolhardy, walking through the streets barefooted, risking tetanus. But I didn't have a choice, did I? Thank God there was no broken glass bottles or rusty nail on the roads and I got home safe and sound...

I'm wearing thongs on my next outing (and that means slippers to those who have not been paying attention to my previous blog entries)...