Just back from Suntec, hesitated for a long while before finally committing to the skates. My mom actually wasn't too enthused by the idea - either she thinks I'm a once-a-month recreational skater or she doesn't want me risking my neck - but I bought them all the same. And right now I'm getting a surge of guilt. Not just pangs, mind. It's a big surge. It's nasty not to have your own money, so I'm going to make up for it. Reduce aircon usage, stop buying unnecessary stuff like good food, and a fish-shop ban again for yet another month. And also partly because my horrid pharmaco results really make the skates so undeserving.

Anyway, about the skates - it's a trainer model, Motion 8 Titalium Men's.



Titalium PowerArch 2 chasis, ABEC5 bearings, shock absorber and speed laces. Tried them out almost immediately at west coarst park, and they were really good! Silent, smooth and comfortable. Got to get used to it though, the maneuverability is slightly different from my old Roces Barcelona skates. I took the brakes out as well, but have to find out how to silence the last wheel since removing the brakes meant that the shaft is slightly more loose, so the wheel tends to wobble about 3 degrees to each side.

Yes, very very satisfied with the purchase, and yet arghh .. the guilt. Going to keep them in the car so that 1) my parents can't find out, and 2) my sisters can't find out and destroy it like what they did to my Roces.

Now, about those racing skates. I seriously wanted to try them out, but the store didn't have my size in stock, and I wasn't about to wait for another 2 weeks before buying. OK ,shit. Now come to think of it, I SHOULD have waited. Thing is, the sales assistant's a skater himself and he owns a pair of these Pilot 9 Men's, and he admits that the microbearings are very difficult to clean and are high-maintenance, so that sort of decided me against them. He was really candid though, I'd have thought he would push for me to buy the race skates since they were more expensive. Anyway, here's the Pilot 9! More sleek, and definitely sweet.