P.S. Check this out

I know i know i already finished this blog and the two weeks are up, but apparently the internet was down at vega and everyone got another day to finnish. So I'm gonna be sneaky and put this up!

Today my sister sms'd me from India, after looking at my blog, and told me about this wonderful product called Five Fingers.  I researched it and found out some seriously interesting and innovative things. 

Basically Vitale Bramani, the founder of the product, found a gap in the market for foot accessories. He pointed out that the typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised. Many experts believe the shoes we wear not only cast the foot in a protective form, but also weaken our foot and leg muscles, leaving them underdeveloped and more prone to injury. And while there are many occasions where traditional footwear is essential for protection, safety, and security, it is equally important to stimulate and exercise the foot in a more natural state on a regular basis. 

And this is his product. its increadible.

Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception. I really really really would like to get my hand on a pair of these, it almost the perfect happy medium between bare-feet and shoes. I would love to know what David (the rastafarian) would think of these including the fact that they even have a line made especially for vegans using vegan friendly materials. But the thing about these are at the end of the day if i walked into a corporate meeting or something along those lines, or tried to get into a club i would definitely not be taken seriously because this is not what western society tells us is right.

over and out

finished en klaar

This is what the last two weeks shoes have looked like!

So what have I learnt over these two weeks? How has my day-to-day timetable changed or differed. Have my views of the body in a social environment switched. It has come to my attention that social norms can vary so much and in a world with so many diverse people it is bound to continue. Cultures and class play big roles in society. Not wearing shoes has made me think about how people vary so much, and how different people’s comforts and decisions can interact with each other, and become what me know as social standards.

I met interesting people, had many interactions and engaged in something I would never normally do. The foot is something that I will now forever look at in a different judgment. The piece of glass that sneakily got into my foot has formed part of it and can be uncomfortable reminder of the last two weeks.

Western society tells us that we need smart shoes, easy shoes, sports shoes, shoes that are parts of dress codes like school shoes, we even have to wear shoes whilst we drive a car. It’s almost the case that we have forgotten the initial purpose of the shoe – which has evolved at first to protect the human foot and later, additionally, as an item of decoration in itself.

Interesting shoe over here - very giraffeish

pretty siff

Ouch!

Like a glorified stripper shoe

This is too much

Old school

Surely that fish would only live for like a couple meters

The weekends events

I have to apologize for my blog entries or should i say the lack there of in the last two days. but you see i have had a lot of things on my plate. Anyway Friday turned out to be quite a crazy day. I got a phone call from my mate saying his mate from college had been arrested for buying ganja in long street and that he had to bail him out. I went along for some assistance, obviously without shoes, and got told to wait on this bench because they had to do a whole bunch of papers, talk to the detective etc. etc......

Whilst sitting on the bench this man, and i think his partner walked straight past me and the first thing i noticed was that he was not wearing shoes. I think he had a friend who was also in the bin for the same reason but whatever, he was not wearing shoes. I tried to examine this person, he had a large walking stick a bag on his back and a hat that Im pretty sure was filled with dreadlocks. He had a sense of peace about him, like he didn't have a bad bone in him, he looked like he had the craziest stories.

I approached him with a smile a asked him why he didn't have any shoes. He looked and me with a smile a told me it was cultural. I explained the whole blog thing about how i wasn't wearing shoes and we spoke about it. His name was David and he was a practicing  rastafarian. David explained to me that he wasn't wearing shoes because he couldn't afford them but it was his way to express his culture. He told me that he was closer to the earth when he was barefoot and that meant something in his life. David said that it started out being a week which turned into a month and now he said he had not worn shoes in just over 13 months which is highly commendable in my view. We talked about the positives like how feet become hard on the bottom which is the bodies way of protecting against harmful surfaces, and we talked about the sharp things that we have been avoiding. His shoes had been replaced by his walking stick which he said is with him always. The concept of the walking stick comes form a respect to Haile Selassie (revered as the religious symbol for God incarnate among the Rastafari movement) where in the election campaign of 1972, People's National Party leader, Michael Manley used a prop, a walking stick given to him by Haile Selassie, which was called the "Rod of Correction", in a direct appeal to Rastafarian values.

I find it so interesting how his man does not wear shoes just like me but for such a unique reason, as a member of the Rastafarian religious movement he has distinctive codes of behavior and dress, including the wearing of dreadlocks, the smoking of cannabis, the rejection of Western medicine, and adherence to a diet that excludes pork, shellfish, and milk. Several years ago rastafarians often referred to as "most coarse" wore rough clothing and no shoes (Encyclopedia of slave and rebellion, Volume 1 By Junius P. Rodriguez). 

This is the guy , so interesting and so glad i got to talk to him

Look at my foot!

This isn't even trying

I remember a couple times when my mum, my sister and my girlfriend have asked if i think their feet look pretty after they've painted their toenails. It's always a nice touch when a girl makes her feet look pretty, it adds character i guess. In a sense you can completely customize your feet by the colours and patterns you display on your toes. Society has completely changed the function of what the foot means. People don't look at their feet as their foot, instead they look at how their feet differ from everyone else's. 

'Consumer capitalism knows when it has a good thing going. Why limit the cosmetics, diet and surgery industries to female markets if you can convince men that their looks need constant improvement too.'  (Susan Bordo)

Personally i can't see this happening to most males, but i do think there would be a possible industry in the gay community as a lot of gay men tend to have female characteristics that they adopt. It's interesting in seeing how some people will go through so much so that they are happy with the way their feet look. Pedicure's, foot massages and most recently cosmetic foot surgery. The cosmetic foot surgery has become popular due to people’s increasing desire to opt for open-toed sandals. Previously, foot surgery was performed in response to the painful problems. But, now, the cosmetic foot surgery is performed to make the foot look presentable.

like this......!

I have to say these look like a nice pair of kickers

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

So I was chilling in spar on one of my weekly shops. In aisle 3 having a look at Mrs Ball's Chutney, I turned around and this tiny high-heeled lady happened to stand back onto my foot. Let me tell you now, she got the biggest fright when I screamed like a 5 year old just above her ear. She jolted forward and then profusely apologized but this didn't stop the pain. I swear this lady had knives instead of heels. After lipping back home I had a look at the damage and what do you know it was a wound.

Check it out......

It was really sore!

I don't wanna say it because I've been going so strong, but this no-shoes business is wearing off.  But all you on lookers, don't stress because I'll fight the good fight. I was browsing around and found this and I tell you right now, if i had these i would have worn them cause they would have inflicted some damage on that ladies heels!.........

You can get past a shoe but nobody fucks with a crocodile mouth shoe.

Really......you can't

Mondy Madness

So it's back to college after the glorious weekend,  and back to the grind stone. It wasn't such a cheerful day, clouds and rain, although i would have loved it if i had a pair of these

check them out

Cool hey

Well today I wanted to look into the luxuries of the foot. To say that I think of it, as showing-off when I'm not wearing shoes is kinda mean. But consider yourself lucky because your life would be completely different if they weren't there. Many people have lost there limbs due to accidents, disease and war. But how does the social culture view people and how do they accept there differences. From what I've experienced, I feel pity and sadness. Near where I live there is a beggar at one of the traffic lights in a wheel chair. All he has to get around is his hands and his wheelchair, but he still has the biggest smile on his face. To me this show's me that his guy appreciates life probably due to the fact even though he hardly has anything he knows what it's like to be close to not having that life to live.  

It has become a controversial issue in culture when science, technology and will-power bond together. It's been this case when Oscar Pistorius had come back to life when he had gained the legs to run again. With the talent and unstoppable determination Oscar made it to a professional level of running. Its interesting to see how different parties can either accept or deny the differences that this man has below

cbsnews.....

The IAAF ruled Monday that double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius is ineligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics because his prosthetic racing blades give him a clear competitive advantage.

The International Association of Athletics Federations had twice postponed the ruling, but the executive Council said the South African runner's curved, prosthetic "Cheetah" blades were considered a technical aid in violation of the rules.

"As a result, Oscar Pistorius is ineligible to compete in competitions organized under IAAF Rules," the IAAF said in a statement.

Pistorius, known as the "blade runner," announced last week that he would appeal any adverse decision, including taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The IAAF endorsed studies by German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann, who conducted tests on the prosthetic limbs and said they give Pistorius a clear competitive advantage over able-bodied runners.

"An athlete using this prosthetic blade has a demonstrable mechanical advantage (more than 30 percent) when compared to someone not using the blade," the IAAF said.

Pistorius worked with Brueggemann in Cologne for two days of testing in November to learn to what extent the j-shaped carbon-fiber extensions to his amputated legs differed from the legs of fully abled runners.

Brueggemann found that Pistorius was able to run at the same speed as able bodied runners on about a quarter less energy. He found that once the runners hit a certain stride, athletes with artificial limbs needed less additional energy than other athletes.

The professor found that the returned energy "from the prosthetic blade is close to three times higher than with the human ankle joint in maximum sprinting."

Based on these findings, the Council ruled against Pistorius, seen below.

The IAAF adopted a rule last summer prohibiting the use of any "technical aids" deemed to give an athlete an advantage over another.

Ossur, the Icelandic company which is a leader in the production of prosthetics, braces and supports and also made Pistorius' blades, has said the blades do not provide an edge over able-bodied athletes.

Pistorius has set world records in the 100, 200 and 400 in Paralympic events. To make the Olympics in Beijing, Pistorius would still need to qualify for the South African team and make the qualifying times.

Pistorius was born without fibulas - the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle - and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee.

He began running competitively four years ago to treat a rugby injury, and nine months later won the 200 meters at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens.

Pistorius competed in the 400 at two international-level able-bodied meets in 2007. He finished second in a B race in 46.90 seconds at the Golden League meet in Rome on July 13 and, two days later, was disqualified for running out of his lane in Sheffield, England. 

Sunday Blessing

Today has been super fantastic, I had the greatest lie-in, which in my mind was well deserved because of last weeks  crazy work schedule. Its fair to say that I've put my feet up for most of the day, thus giving them a bit of a breather for next weeks no shoe finale!

After going on a bit of a mission to good old steers in Sea Point, i glanced over the road at the church, which was vibing like the club i was at last night it got me thinking about religion and what beliefs go into the foot. So i spent a bit of time looking in to it today and this is some of the interesting information I found.

 

Many societies have "foot taboos." In countries strongly influenced by Buddhism

(e.g. Thailand, Nepal), feet are the least respected parts of the body and strong taboos obtain against touching with feet, pointing with feet, or exposing the sole of the foot toward someone. In Thai custom, feet should not be in a higher position than someone's head and must never face someone or an image of the Buddha. In Nepal, sleeping on the floor with someone's feet oriented toward another sleeper is considered entirely unacceptable. Traditional Arab culture also has the same anti-foot bias as in the Nepal or Thailand cultures.

You can see how much this guy disrespects his feet, just look at his toenails!

Foot washing or washing of feet is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. Christian denominations that observe foot washing do so on the basis of the authoritative example and command of Jesus as found in the Gospel of John 13:1-15. The rite of foot washing finds its roots in scripture. After the death of the apostles, the practice was gradually lost. In Roman Catholic Church, the ritual washing of feet is now associated with the Mass of the Lord's Supper, which celebrates in a special way the Last Supper of Jesus, before which he washed the feet of his twelve apostles.

What a good oke - here's J-man giving his mates feet a scrub.

I hope my mates are looking at this!

Its very interesting to see the differences of these two cultures and how they view feet. 

crazy!

Satur-day Surgery

Saturday was filled with a recovery from the friday nights antics. Walking to the woolies down the road i then decided to prolong the walk to the bottle store to stock up for the nights shenanigans. I was approached by none of the beggars which normally hang around the bottle store, I'm guessing because I wasn't wearing shoes like them and they know about this issue!

As I was leaving i came around the one corner and stood on the smallest little piece of glass. It was one of those tiny pieces that you can't even see it but you know its there and you know where. But unfortunately I don't have the utensils to draw it out and thus its working it's way deeper into my foot. 

Its scary what people leave on the roads

Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails. If you've ever noticed that you are trimming your fingernails much more frequently than your toenails then it's not just you. The nails that get the most exposure and are used most frequently grow the fastest. On average, nails on both the toes and the fingers grow about one-tenth of an inch each month, crazy hey!

How sexy is this

this person above must have honestly not worn shoes for a good year or two, I best keep a keen eye on my toes!

Friday Night Lights

Im sure you could take some corners in these guys!

So this weekend was quite a big one. Busy busy busy! Whilst looking around and researching all about me and my shoeless feet I came across this interesting fact, I found that feet have just over 500,000 sweat glands and can produce more than a pint of sweat a day.  With that kind of sweat-producing power it's no wonder my midnight dancing shoes have a stench that could peel paint. I also found that men usually have much more active sweat glands than women, unless your Caster Samenya...... 

But we won't get into that...!

Thinking about it now my feet won't really sweat as much if they are not surrounded by that dreaded SHOE, so does that mean I'm also not burning as many calories. I'll try and look into it more and see what I can find.....

What gets seen by you

I found that the foot is hardly seen in media. I say this because since I'v started making my feet different to everyone els, I'v tried to keep feet at the top of mind. Everywhere I look its not about the foot but its about the legs, nobody really has anything about feet. Through researching the internet i only found three things about feet - there are a hell of alot of those verimark-type products made for every type of need your foot could EVER have. There are plenty of foot diseases out there so ya, you've been warned! and lastly the feet are large in the adult entertainment world!! How funny!

So the rain came today

Luckily enough I was sorted with a lift to college this morning at 9 for my Crit Con lecture, it was quite a laugh having a look at the whole grade (well most of them) assembled together and everyone's uncomfortableness! I have to say there were some serious contenders in the class room which was good to see.

Whilst running around (barefoot) getting my stuff together for another project, the heavens opened up. Now there some positives and of course negatives with this rain thing. The roads and pretty much everything els gets wet and for free feet Steve that means puddles, i was literally cruising straight through the largest of large puddles, it was spectacular and to top it off - my feet were getting cleaned! One of my last errands, before I could go home and put my feet up, was at this print shop called Digital Bureau. As I left the street to enter the shop i almost saw my arse because the tiny tiled entrance floor didn't agree with my wet blocks of meet (feet). Note to self - I gotta watch my steps in the rain!

Now that my feet are bare all the time I look at them so much more, I judge them so much more. When i can i compare them. I feel uncomfortable when people look at my feet and comment - they big, there wide etc etc. but you know what my feet are bloody great

and careful now 

cause MY FEET WILL STRIKE YOUR FEET!!

When people look at me without shoes, they could think all types of things, they could say I'm lazy, I'm trying to start a trend, I'm from a poor family, who knows but the social norm is to have shoes. We live in a world were it's not only about the social thoughts and beliefs on this topic, but in terms of something like wearing shoes it's pure logic why wearing no shoes is of concern to people, is called broken glass, dirt, grime and thats just for starters. The basic fact of the body is that it must, in general, appear appropriately dressed. It is an important aspect of dress namely its relation to social order.

And on the second day...

Its pretty safe to say that my feet are changing. After the long arduous walk to college today I sat down at a desk and examined my feet. I pushed the sole of my dirty foot with my finger's and then gave it a a scratch which then turned into a tickle which was glorious. Anyway I'm drifting, the point is that my feet are becoming hardcore, they thickening up and becoming shoes themselves. Any more and they gonna grow a three stripes down each side!

This afternoon I had a final client presentation for brand challenge because the main oke wasn't there and he wanted us to present to him. 

Let me just put you in the picture of what's up next so we can set the scene. 

The brand we were doing is Platandia, which the first South African luxury jewelry brand, the owner of Platandia 'Rob Burton' walked into the honors room wearing a lovely tailor fitted suit. Our group assembled outside and as we about to walk in Thys De Beer looks at my feet and says to me "Are you going in your final presentation like that!" After explaining to him why he turned around and then we entered with my bare feet. I felt like such an idiot I tried to walk behind my group members to hide my bare feet. I heard no comments from Rob but I could see his comments and they hurt.....they hurt my feelings.

Over and out

Steve

First Day At School

So day one started pretty relaxed, i woke up to my annoying alarm and then BANG, i took of my sleeping shoes cause this is what has got to be done.

The first step out of my house was a cold step, i felt it all the way up my leg to my mouth where i let out a bit of a BRRRRRRRR.  In terms of people noticing my lack of foot cover,  I got away with it until young Jackie Lampard noticed my tootsies and chuckled. Today was a bit of a mess up in the sense that had to walk home as my lift was enjoying his time at vega way too much and i had to bail. It's not such a long walk......it looks long.............but its not. 

You know when you walking in a direction, and there's another person walking towards you in the opposite direction, and you have that awkward glance at eachother as you pass....well it happened but for that second that i was looking at them I saw two people drop there eyes straight to my bare feet and then look straight forward to where they were walking

I felt surrounded by eyes.......like I'm being looked at..........in a judgmental way.

Interesting.

Have a geeze at these

My feet....nice hey