Bottled Sky

What good is a shoe addict’s blog without random bouts of shoe worship? I, therefore, present to you my favorite stilettos:

These were a joint gift from Chrissa, Tin and Albert. They asked me what I wanted for my birthday two years ago, and I immediately said shoes. It’s almost an automatic response for me They agreed, so we went to the mall to hunt for the perfect pair.

I love these shoes, because they’re such a unique color—silver-brown with a nice, soft sheen. I’m also quite fond of the ribbon detailing, the peep toe and the little cutouts. They’re sexy without being over the top. And even though they’re stilettos, the heels aren’t so high that I can’t walk in them. I’m not saying they’re uber comfy, but at least they’re tolerable.

I bet you won’t be able to guess the strangest place in which I’ve worn these shoes… I actually wore them in an operating room. I went to the American Eye Center, the same place where I had my laser eye surgery, to have a sty removed. My dad, who drove me to the clinic, questioned my choice of footwear before we left the house:

Dad: That’s what you’re wearing to surgery?!

Me: Why not? If I have to walk around a public place with a bloody bandage over my eye, at least my feet will look good!

I had to wear paper booties over my shoes during the operation. It was a good thing the heels didn’t tear through the paper After the surgery, my dad and I met up with my mom at the supermarket and had dinner at a restaurant. People kept giving me weird looks. (They obviously hadn’t yet realized that stilettos were the perfect accessory to liven up post-surgery bandages.) It was a lot of fun! I love it when I baffle strangers with my eccentricities.

My name is Nikki, and I am a shoe addict. I don’t remember exactly how or when my addiction started, but I do know that I’ve been hooked on footwear for at least seven years. I exhibit all the classic signs of shoe addiction. For example,

• “I want to buy new shoes!” is my first thought every time I walk into a mall or whenever I get my hands on some extra cash;
• I buy ridiculously uncomfortable shoes only because they look sexy on my feet;
• I wear aforementioned ridiculously uncomfortable shoes to school, the mall and everywhere else even if they give me blisters the size of small countries;
• I have four times as many pairs of shoes as I do pants;
• I believe that there is no such thing as owning too many pairs of shoes.

Yes, I know all about the horrific things that stilettos can do to a person’s health, and believe me, I’ve tried time and again to control my shoe spending. Unfortunately, I simply cannot resist the lure of pretty footwear and always crack after a few months of resistance.

One wonderful thing has come out of this obsession, though. It led me to make peace with my feet. My feet are a bit on the wide side, and I used to despise them. During my foot-hating years I wore only closed shoes — absolutely nothing with an open toe.

My obsession with shoes changed all that. It made me realize that life was too short for brooding over things I couldn’t change. It helped me come to the conclusion that it was pointless to waste all my time hiding my feet when there were so many beautiful shoes waiting to be worn.

So bring on the blisters! I say they’re worth it. Besides, it could be worse. At least I’m not hooked on crack

This week has been quite interesting so far, at least for me. I got to try a lot of new things, including riding a bike (I never learned as a kid) and getting a big ol’ shot in my thigh. Here’s a rundown of my week:

Monday. I spent the whole day with Chrissa, Sean, Eugene, and Marco at the Quezon Memorial Circle. I tried to learn how to bike but wasn’t very successful. Bike-riding Nikki-style goes a little something like this: 1) pedal left, 2) attempt to pedal right, 3) lose balance, 4) scream, 5) laugh, 6) repeat steps 1 to 5 until the rental hour is up. We then had the longest lunch in the history of Chicken Bacolod, eating for 30 minutes then spending the next 2 and a half hours chatting and drinking gallons of iced tea. We lay around on the grass for another couple of hours and made instant plans to go swimming at Eugene’s condo the next day. If one must bum around, one should do it with friends

Clockwise from top: Sean, Eugene, Chrissa, me, Marco

Tuesday. Even swimming during the hottest hours of the day didn’t give my legs and stomach enough of a tan, but at least I’m not as pale from the chest down as I used to be. (My goal is to get a little brown before hitting the beach at the end of the month.) Like true bums, we lounged around Eugene’s place after pigging out on pizza. I’m not sure about the others, but I ended up falling asleep, curled up in an armchair still in my suit. After showering we horsed around at the gym. I love medicine balls! They’re so big and round and bouncy! I want one for Christmas! Woohoo! Sorry, but I just had to get that out of my system

Wednesday. I saw Finding Neverland (which took forever to get shown here) with Tin, Albert, Chrissa, and Marco (who I think was getting pretty sick of me and Chrissa by then hehe!). I heart Johnny Depp. I love how adorably off-beat he and his onscreen characters are. Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean is still my favorite Johnny alter-ego.

Thursday. I went to UP to pick up my grades. I survived Journalism 121 under Prof. Chua! Woohoo! The previous semester was the most hectic and challenging one for me so far. It was so much work, but I had a good time, especially in my Advertising class. That class was very good for my “confidence and spontaneity” (i.e. kakapalan ng mukha). To celebrate my survival of the semester that I thought I would never get through, I bought shoes (of course) - the cutest pink, high-heeled, ankle-strap babydolls ever. Very practical *nods seriously*

Friday. My dog TJ accidentally nipped my index finger. The wound was very small, but I decided to have it treated for my mom’s peace of mind. I had to get two allergy tests and six shots in six different body parts, but it wasn’t so bad because I’m not afraid of needles. The allergy tests I got in my arm stung like nobody’s business, but the shot that hurt the most was the one I got very near the nail of my index finger. The nurse told me that the shot in my thigh should have been the most painful because it contained by far the largest amount of vaccine, but I surprised her when I said it didn’t hurt at all. Apparently, I’m the first patient to ever say that LOL. I still have to go back to the hospital four more times over the next couple of months to complete the series of shots. It’s quite a hassle for such a teeny wound, but it’s better safe than sorry. I also brought TJ to the vet for an anti-rabies booster. I’m pretty sure he’s healthy, but I’m still a bit worried about him.

Today. I’ve had enough excitement for a week, so I just decided to stay home and do nothing. I did blog, though