001/ a new beginning

萬事起頭難這句話真的一點不假！光是想像，擁有一個屬於自己關於鞋子的部落格，這世界好像突然間也變得美好。事實上好像過敏一樣，吃這個也癢吃那個也癢，怎樣做都不對。最後真的只能拋開一步到位的想法，先求有再求好，just do it!

怎麼開始呢？決定先做再說一切就變得很簡單了～ 我的第一雙“XX”，光這主題應該就夠寫好幾篇了吧！第一篇先從我人生中的第一雙 Jordan，喬丹八代說起。

The first one is always the toughest. All things are difficult before they are easy. The good news is, I didn't spend much time staring blankly.

There's no question that I want to make a good start. What better way to start than taking a trip down memory lane and digging out my first ever Air Jordan- the Air Jordan VIII?

我是1982年出生的，也就是說在台灣長大的過程中，除了芝加哥公牛隊跟麥可喬丹以外，其他 NBA 球隊都像不存在一樣。換一個說法，夜市攤販的衣服都是公牛隊或是23號，這樣懂我的意思嗎？

然後當我在家裡，第一次看到我哥的喬丹六代出現在眼前的時候，真的不誇張，走經過的我停了下來，目光停留在上面許久，才敢默默地伸出年幼的小手手將神的鞋輕輕地捧起，好好地注視一番。好像櫻木花道那純情癡漢模樣，好喜歡。

I was born in 1982. NBA/basketball was, and still is a very popular sport in Taiwan. Growing up, it was all about the almighty Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

I remember the day like yesterday when I saw my brother's Air Jordan VI for the first time and picked it up in admiration. I was thinking in my head like, "OMG, this is so beautiful!" I was literally like Sakuragi Hanamichi from SLAM DUNK.

一直到五年級也就是兩年後，才擁有人生第一雙喬丹！當年（1993）公牛完成了隊史上第一次三連霸，隔年喬丹就退休了（哭）。八代發行的第一款顏色我甚至不喜歡，時至今日都沒有辦法真正的欣賞 aqua 的配色。最後在白跟黑之間選了黑，在之後發行的復刻版本倒是先入手了白色，才再次擁有了黑色，目前都在家中躺（像是挖掘出土破碎的歷史古物）。

很喜歡八代的鞋帶固定系統設計，在鞋帶上交叉在兩側用魔鬼氈固定。還有紅白藍黃像 Piet Mondrian 風格的圖騰。最重要的是，那種穿在腳上的世界級滿足感，絕不是虛榮心作祟（絕對是）。然而再次入手喬丹已經是很多年以後了，在這之間差不多是看著同學穿九代、十代、十一代、十二代、十三代，直到喬丹再次退休，也不再像從前那麼關注。

喬丹八代是所有系列鞋款之中最喜歡的嗎？不是，甚至不能說得上是前三。但身為第一雙喬丹在心裡永遠有它特殊的情感位置，只要有 OG 復刻或是好看的配色，都絕對會認真考慮再入手的！但這次'23年復刻已錯過... 也錯過這幾年其他兩個我很喜歡的配色（所以是在說廢話？）... 之後會更完整介紹。

It wasn't two years later that I finally had a chance to get my hands on a pair of Air Jordan. When the AJ 8 was first released in '93, to be honest, I was not a fan of the aqua colorway, I just didn't feel it as much as I did for the later releases, the white and the black colorways.

Eventually, I bought the black colorway and loved everything about it: the strap, the crazy red/white/blue/yellow pattern, and most importantly how it made me feel wearing it, the most satisfying feeling in the world.

Over the years, I copped a pair of the OG white retro and a pair of the OG black retro. They are both still in my possession (crumbled) somewhere in my house. Is the Air Jordan VIII my favorite Air Jordan of all time? No, not sure if it's even in my top 3. But it's my most memorable and one that I will always consider copping (when the colorway is right).

I didn't get another pair of Jordans until years later. During my Air Jordan-less Era, I went on to witness the 9s, 10s, 11s, 12s, and 13s, then MJ retired again. Eventually, I stopped caring until he unretired (again) with the Wizards with the 17s and the 18s.

In the end, my feet must have outgrown my AJ8 since I can't recall it being worn out and just heartlessly ending up in the trash. Can anyone take a guess which sneakers I had following the almighty Air Jordan?

Come Correct. B-9s.

— ON