I am now officially a proud owner of a Brooks Z1 running spike *claps*. Ok ok, I might be a little bit overexcited about that, but I am really happy about this purchase, nevermind that it cost me RM180, or rather it was more like RM 80 since the friend who lost my beloved adidas reimbursed me RM 100.
Although a simple trade involving a running spike should not make for much interesting reading, i truly had to undergo some drama before I could get my grimy paws on my Z1s. For starters, I decided to wander out of the safe confines of Gurney Plaza to go to Komtar. Price-wise, Komtar owns Gurney hands down, but it is a different place altogether from the sanitised and clean corridors of Gurney. The numerous vagabonds and possible druggies lurking in the shadows means it is not a trip for the faint-hearted. Oh yeah, and did I mention it's the old part of Komtar that I am heading to?
Anyway, I did not even have the privilege of riding a chariot to my destination. Nuh-uh, good ole' mum and dad had to bring my sister and her friends to the Bon Odori festival, and decided that it is best (for them, probably) that I walk from there to Komtar. Take it as exercise, said Mum. Wtf! Exercise my ass! As if I need this type of stroll as an exercise. As if I don't have enough of it. As if I need to tax my muscles with nonsensical waste of energy after a hard workout. Yes, it's exercise, but only for you mum, only for you. To top it off, I was led to believe I only have to walk '300 or 400 meters'.
Ok, I am starting to sound like a 'putera lilin', but the fact is I just did a hard workout barely half an hour before, and my legs were pounded real bad. The sun was also in its element then. No matter, my parents will never understand the difference a little strain can make on an athlete. They belong to the caveman theory that more exercise is good for you. I think its probably because more exercise for them means one more stroll around the field.
Forgive me for digressing, but I just had to get this off my chest. Anyway, I managed to survive the walk to Komtar without collapsing or getting mugged. Not eager to make a bad mistake, I decided to trawl the complex for the best offers. It was truly an eye-opening experience. There was one shop selling highest-end football boots. Boots that I have never laid eyes on in the flesh. Hmmmm, interesting, turns out that there is more to it than meets the eyes about Komtar. Of course, you got to really go to the inner bowels to search for it. One thing that I noted is that shops in Gurney charge waaaaay too much. Sure, it's a known fact that stuff in Gurney is overpriced, but I never knew it was by so much. Some of the shoes there were going for as low as 50% the price of the same shoe in Gurney. Prices are also negotiable.
A half hour of searching later, I finally found something that looked right. Ok ok, it was more like it was forced on to me, since it was the only worthy distance spike there. A wannabe track champ ain't gonna go for some no-name made-in-China shit. But the thing is, it sort of clicked with me. I knew I wanted it, and the price was not wallet busting, it was also cool looking (again, to me). For those of you doubting my taste, I will try to post a picture so you can decide.
Even though I found the spike, there were hurdles to come. For starters, it was the last pair in the shop and it was two sizes too small. The salesgirl had to scurry off to a sister store downstairs to search for a pair. Alas, it was a futile search. So I had to trudge off to another store downstairs, where I saw the same model being sold, but with a higher price quote. The moment I enquired about the availability of my size in that store, I was given the same answer. Turns out that this was actually THE sister store. I was feeling so stupid. They were actually trying to show the semblance of competition by opening two branches of the same store, under different names of course. This was eerily similar to the pearl traders from 'The Pearl'. Ah well, as long as it's cheap I don't mind.
Anyway, back to the spikes. I had to make a crucial decision, settle for a lesser spike or put off the purchase. In the end, after taking into account that my spikes will be needed for a competition in two weeks' time, I decided to go for the former. The lesser spike in this case was the adidas Titan. Not a bad spike actually, just that it looked less snazzy. Just kidding, it was priced lower than the stated price of the Z1, but after a discount it turns out to be more expensive than the Z1. And in addition to that, after weighing it with my built in hand scale, it seemed a tad heavier. I just generally didn't have the same vibe with it. Nevertheless, while the storeminder was out back taking out the Titan in my size, I stole a glance at the Z1-that-was-supposedly-not-my-size, it certainly looked bigger than the puny size 7 in the previous store. While trying on the Titan, I decided to enquire about the size of the Z1s in the store, what the heck, it might be the last pair there, but it might also be a size 9, no harm asking at all. Turns out that I was right, it was a perfect fit.
In the end, this story had a happy resolution. I ended up walking into the sunset with my spikes tucked under my arm, ready to emerse myself in the Bon Odori celebrations that were going on.
Anyway, here are my babies:
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