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The event was fun! Pretty low key since it was during the day (12-4pm). It was a little nerve-wracking to be in front of everyone, cuz I don't really like when people watch me. I could feel the pressure, but it was ok. I kept the stuff up and running until around 6pm, then packed it up. I think if it were at night, especially with the dj, the event would've been more bustling. It wasn't until right before I left at 8pm, did more and more people come up to me and ask about the sneakers I put in the display case and talk about the event. Overall it was a good day. It was fun being "on display" in the window. When I wasn't customizing a customer's sneakers, "in the meantime, in between time", I brought a pair to do myself. It has pens, a pencil, line designs and my stolen lyric/motto from Da Bush Babees "we run styles, no styles no run we." What I remember most about the event, were the people. As I sat in the window, it was cool to see everyone crowd around, point at the ones they liked and the sign language they'd do to me thru the glass to show approval. 
Back in November, I went back to the Bay for Thanksgiving. Well, Naybeck was sick and it happened to be around Thanksgiving too. It was a chill holiday, and on my way home, I stood behind Bobbito Garcia in the security line at Oakland airport.
For you guys who don't know who he is, you should look him up here and here and here. He customizes, is a dj, hosts tv shows on ESPN, acts, dances, writes a daily blog on BounceMag & Vibe, plays ball, writes books, been on tv and in commercials about sneakers, basketball, dancing...the list goes on.
Anyway, we started talking about sneakers and he snapped a shot of my sneakers for BounceMag. As he said, the meeting "was mad flavors!" It's was cool. For this Originals event coming up, I emailed him for some advice and he gave me the heads up on some things and props on my sneakers, so that's definitely a compliment worth taking!
A month ago, my great aunt passed away. She was like a second mother to me and my brother growing up. "Nay" means "mother" in tagalog, and combining it with her name, Rebecca, we called her "Naybeck." It's still hard to talk about, and it's a long story, but she is definitely loved and missed. I've known her my whole life, and she finally got to go back to the Philippines where she passed. She died April 30, 2008. The sneakers say "04.29.08" because it was the 29th in the states. Naybeck was 7th Day Adventist, so I put a bible verse about "soul sleep", which they believe in. Daniel 12:2 "...and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life..." Naybeck was tha homie for sure. 
The homie Andrenee wanted a pair as a birthday present to herself. She didn't completely know what she wanted so we brainstormed a bit and came up with a icy, winter theme cuz she was born in December. She loves hip hop and is a dj too. These Stan Smiths are pretty clean. Her birthdate is written on the insides of the sneakers with frosted numbers, a snow-capped trefoil, and a snowflake wearing headphones are on the outsides with the plug across both sneakers. I remember Andrenee needing them before her big 21 bash in the Vegas. She liked them a lot and had a great birthday bash. She wore them up and down the Vegas strip, which I couldn't believe, but I'm sure she looked dope.
My best friend, Lindsay finally got her pair of sneakers. I must say that I'm pretty jealous of these. Linds is tha homie for life. She moved away a few years ago, which was pretty hard for me after seeing her everyday for like 3 years. These velcro Stan Smiths were pretty dope before the customization -- white with the grey tongue and toe and the navy heel. I call her "Foolio" and she's a big fan of argyle, so I think it came together well. Homie's a thug too, so had to add that! I remember trying them on cuz I wanted to keep them sooo bad. I remember stepping all flat and taking big steps so I didn't make any crease lines - lol! I also remember that those were the last pair of sneakers, so I couldn't even buy a pair to make a duplicate for myself. It's all good. Jerkface killer! LOL!
A while back, this guy from work, Charles asked me to do some sneakers for his homegirl. Her friend had passed away and these were gonna be to commemorate him. I think that's cool. Everyone expresses their love/pain differently and I was happy to do it. I was told hot pink, "Skinny", and to put an anchor. The lettering came out a little on the darker side than I would've liked, but I think the anchor is pretty kick-ass. I added some subtle details with my leather burning pen on the stripes. "Rest in Peace" is written in so it looks debossed.
Love & Basketball is one of my favorite FAVORITE movies. I can watch it over and over. My friend Harrison's cousin contacted me about doing a pair of sneakers for his friend's birthday. John and his homegirl were like the "Quincy & Monica" of the movie. That's was them and this was their movie. I thought it was definitely a cute idea. These Superstars have the movie title's logo, the characters' names, and a basketball & hoop. A nice little detail was that instead of Quincy and Monica's basketball numbers, I put John and his homegirl's numbers. [sorry I can't remember her name]. Overall it came out pretty dope and she liked 'em a lot, which is what matters. Great movie...GREAT!
My little cousin Andie and I have a lot in common. We both love sports, sneakers, and hip hop. Andie's not so little -- she's 17. Anyway, she's been taking hip hop dance classes and last year she had a competition. She asked me to do some sneakers for her, and I figured they'd be an early 16th birthday present too. These Superstars have her initials and the year she was born ("AD'91"), a spray paint can, and the words "Flip Hop"...cuz, you know, we're filipinos who like hip hop... She really liked 'em so that made me feel good. It's always fun to see her when I visit, see where she's at and what's new...rub it in that I saw Alicia Keys in concert with Ne-Yo...lol!
So another one of my favorite people is my teddy bear, KB. Yeah yeah I know. He's a stuffed animal. Get off me - lol! I remember having done quite a few pairs of sneaker and thinking, "what would mine be?" I was tryna think if there was some sort of cartoon or character that was "my thing." Haha! So KB sneaks it is! KB stands for Kwanzaa Bear and he was a random gift from my best friend that turned out to be the best gift cuz he's the homie! These Superstars always give me a little chuckle cuz they're fun and can always start up a convo. "What's on your shoes?...Who's KB?" "That's KB, he's my teddy bear!"
This guy at work wanted me to do a pair for him a while back. Ali loves himself some weed and some reggae. Who doesn't? Hahaha! Just kidding. Ali's a chill guy, pretty spaced out, definitely good for a laugh. I think I took care of him with these joints. These Stan Smiths got the Zion lion, "One Love", Marley doin' his business and Ali's nickname "Ali Baba". What I remember about these sneakers was how Ali had to have them so he could wear them on 4-20. It just so happened that 4-20 that year was a rainy day. Homie still wore 'em out -- boo, but they still fine. These are one of my favorite pairs.
My friend Amanda LOVES Tigger! She also always keeps it fresh with the all whites! A few years back I wanted to surprise her for her birthday with her own Tiggeriffic sneakers. I remember she saw the box and figured it was a "regular" pair of sneakers and told me that eventually she'd want a pair with Tigger on 'em. Check. Check. These Superstars have Tigger all over with her nickname "Ayone."
The event was fun! Pretty low key since it was during the day (12-4pm). It was a little nerve-wracking to be in front of everyone, cuz I don't really like when people watch me. I could feel the pressure, but it was ok. I kept the stuff up and running until around 6pm, then packed it up. I think if it were at night, especially with the dj, the event would've been more bustling. It wasn't until right before I left at 8pm, did more and more people come up to me and ask about the sneakers I put in the display case and talk about the event. Overall it was a good day. It was fun being "on display" in the window. When I wasn't customizing a customer's sneakers, "in the meantime, in between time", I brought a pair to do myself. It has pens, a pencil, line designs and my stolen lyric/motto from Da Bush Babees "we run styles, no styles no run we." What I remember most about the event, were the people. As I sat in the window, it was cool to see everyone crowd around, point at the ones they liked and the sign language they'd do to me thru the glass to show approval. 
