A Dad and His Sneaks

Hey there, how's everybody doing these days? Hope you're all doing great! Wow... Welcome to the blog life!

To start things off, "A Dad and His Sneaks" started as "Me and My 990s", an instagram account dedicated to my all-time favorite sneaker, the New Balance 990 version 1. I posted photos of everyday shenanigans with my 990s, from the day I bought it back in Singapore, until the day I came back home to the Philippines, and it's still with me up to this day.

@adadanhissneaks

My love for New Balance started back in 2011 when I was living in Singapore. It was an eyeopener for me. A sneaker you can wear either casual or formal wear and everything will be fine! Well, except for Jacob Palmer, the New Balance hater from the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love, played by Ryan Gosling. Let's not talk about hate. Moving on, Singapore was a New Balance heaven for me. From Made in USA, Made in UK, regular ones, I wanted them all! 

Eventually, I started posting my (modest) sneaker collection one by one. From Nike, adidas, Vans, Saucony, and of course, New Balance. My collection as I grew older, is more quality now than quantity. Especially when you end up with Ls all the time in purchasing hyped sneakers, nah, F that. There was a time where I only collected adidas, then grew tired of the brand because it seems like they're just putting out sneakers for the sake of I don't know what?! Let's just leave it at that.

(L-R: Nike Zoom Spiridon Ultra, Multicolor Flyknit, me looking for the Air Max 97 Silver Bullet, and the Vapormax)

I was a Nike head since 1989 but the most memorable pair for me was the Spiridons - my next best thing after the 990. The last time I had a pair was back in '96 or '97. The ones I still have is the ultra version. When people travel, they collect memorabilia, artwork, magnets, and whatnot from the place they visited, I on the other hand bought sneakers. I was so stoked when I finally got me a pair of multicolor flyknits when we were in Rome (and it got blessed by Pope Francis too!). I was in search of the Air Max 97 Silver Bullets in Italy but I already had 4 pairs going home with me. When we were in Japan, I was in search for Vapormax's but they were all gone. So glad to have my sister in the US and hooked me up with a pair, on sale! The hypebeast in me (which I will never be) wanted Jordans, the low ones. But it dawned on me like I'm too old for this or this isn't really my style.

Saucony Jazz (I had these in grey and black too!)

Saucony was my go-to sneaker after the swoosh with Jazz being my preferred model. Vintage was really just my style after all. Then one morning, I decided to just sell them because I wasn't feeling them anymore. I haven't used them since the pandemic started and New Balance had may heart ever since. 

Narrowing sneaker brands, prioritizing needs over wants, choosing quality over quantity are the focus now, especially my child is growing up. But of course, once a sneakerhead will always be a sneakerhead - just a wiser and frugal version.

New Balance 990 version 1 and 5

Here comes covid. Everything was shut down. We're all in lock down, nowhere to go, no job, and hopeless. I had the nerve to buy a pair of 990 version 5 from StockX. Why did I do that? Why not? Because I know for a fact that the 990 will last me a very long time, just like that black pair, that version 1, yup, it's 8 years old and still intact.

New Balance 327

Slowly easing our way to normalcy, my collection started growing. The v5 was followed by the 327. I immediately fell in love with it. It has all the qualities I'm looking for in a sneaker. Comfort, style, silhouette, colorway, and price. 

New Balance 327

Honestly, sometimes you get tired of wearing the same thing. Sometimes, you prefer simplicity, modesty, and no frills vibe. That's why I rekindled my interest for Vans. These are perfect for a lazy get-up, errand friendly pair you can pop out of the cabinet without worrying about getting dirty.

Well, i guess this is it for now. This first blog was longer than expected but I really enjoyed sharing my sneaker journey with you.

See you on the next!

- A Dad and his Sneaks