I bought the shoes about one and half years ago, in China. I bought them with my friends, at almost 12:00am at night. I remembered that my grandma told me to buy a new pair of shoes. I saw nothing wrong with the pair I was wearing of course, but she thought they were well beyond their intended age. We ran almost four blocks in search of a store that wasn't closed. Finally we found it, and I bought the first pair that attracted my eyes. The shoes are dark blue in color, with light blue strips and white shoe laces. It's a pair of running shoes, but without the flamboyancy of the more plastic-savvy counter-parts. It looks more like casual shoes, with the same simplicity and elegance. The snow on the sidewalks is quite a lot these past few days. That's not doing my shoes any good at all. I wore them everywhere --- kungfu practices, jogging, mindless walking... I'm amazed that after so long, these shoes have almost no major wear and tear on them. However, one thing it can't do anymore is waterproofing. For days, I walked through the snow and slush in soggy and wet feet, never a moment of warmth. Hence I decided to finally retire the shoes from their position of being my primary, and my only shoes. I went and bought a new pair. The new pair is nice, the shoes are offically casual shoes. Although they look awfully like the old pair. Except it's black, with even darker strips. I think I found my shoe store as well. Sketch have such nice shoes, exactly the type I would design had I been the designer. Still, I will wear the old shoes to practicies and other dry and physically demanding events. I've been through a lot with them, and I always hesitate to dispose of anything I own that's been with me for a long time. Strange little man I am...