I never got into the "tsinelas craze." I even remember buying new flipflops since my feet gets "naninibago" with the feel of the rubber, especially on the part where the material contacts the middle of my big toe and 2nd toe. Brand was never a priority, whether it's a brandless one or a good ole' trusty Rambo.
My first fas-yonable tsinelas purchase was in Greenhills. I was 6 month pregnant then and my feet were screaming "Mercy!" from all the walking I did in my not-so-comfy sandals. Normally, I would have worn a more comfortable pair, but at that time, my feet went a size bigger (from pregnancy-related manas--NOT fat, mind you!) and I was such a cheapo to buy new sets of footwear. I was still halfway through my Christnas shopping list yet my feet appears like it's going to burst out of my sandals. The Congressman noticed it too and asked me to stay near the wall (at the back of Wan Ton), so my big tummy won't be dragged by passing shoppers. He want back with this cute heart-y flipflops with the work "HAVANA" printed on the thong part.
My left Havana tsinelas. He's currently single now.
I wasn't aware at all that it's a Havaianas knock-off. All I care about is my feet being happy and ready for another round of shopping. But what a surprise! At the end of my shopping stint, the heart designs on the slipper came off and guess where they all went---sticking on my sole and heel. A few days later, one of the Havana duo suddenly became missing! Hindi lang design ang nawala, buong tsinelas na! Several tsinelas later, the lone Havana tsinelas is still in the shoe rack in my parent's house--as if waiting for it partner to return.
Another fas-yonable tsinelas purchase was a Banana Peel pair which was a sudden purchase from a department store during our last minute shopping trip before leaving for Boracay. The Congressman and I were on our way to the parking lot when I remembered that my battered reflesole-ogy (the ones with pointed thingies on its surface, pang-reflexology daw according to the vendor in the palengke where I bought it) tsinelas are not Boracay worthy. That pair was something like the one pictured below, albeit a lot cheaper looking.
My last tsinelas purchase was not really a purchase at all and was unintentional. There was a skechers warehouse sale in Tektite, and since it's just in the ground floor of our building and my mom has been making "parinig" that she needs new gym shoes, I decided to check it out. I bought a pair which eventually did not fit my mom so the next day, we went back to have it exchange for another pair. The new one she got was cheaper that the one I bought her so we need to purchase another item worth P300 just to even it out. The cheapest I could find was a pair of black Skechers flip flops with a dicounted price of P399 from the original price of P899!
That accidental purchase made me realize the big difference between branded and the generic flip flops that I used to have. The Skechers pair lasted almost a year without visibly wearing off. It was sooo comfy that the Congressman would often steal it whenever he wants to go somewhere wearing flip flops--and take note, he wears it despite the flowery design! He mentioned one time when he was being a tsinelas thief again that he could understand why people are now going ga-ga over the more expensive flip flops because there is a big difference in the comfort and durability over the cheaper ones.
Unfortunately, my beloved Skechers pair was stolen while I was in the steam room of the gym 3 days ago. Never was I so devastated over a loss of a tsinelas. The Congressman was equally sad too-- he has no more tsinelas to steal. I'm using my Crocs Cleo right now but it doesn't have the comfy & homey feeling of my old flip flops. I may have been lamenting on this too much that the Congressman promised he'd sponsor my next flip flops purchase (only I'd expect him to steal it again).
Now, I'm torn on the different flip flops around: havaianas, ipanema, dupe and sandugo. Ok, ignore the last one! Of course, since the Congressman said he'll pay for it, pipili na nga naman ako ng bonggang bongga!
So for the flip flop addicts out there, help me decide. I don't care about the kikay designs, I'm after the durability and comfort. Sa mga estudyante ko na kumi-kick back sa pambili ng dental materials para pambili ng havaianas---justify your crimes!
