First to Bata...

then to school.

It was like the first tag-line in my life, ever. I grew up with that embedded in my soul.

Fast forward to 2008...

I was walking in Berne. It was in the midst of Euro 2008, and I was in this city with 17 other people, mates from my High School MBA class.

My eye suddenly caught a Bata outlet.

My good friend Riel was walking by me and I said to him,

"You know bro, for a very long time, I thought Bata was Malaysian."

"Haha... well you were wrong, coz it's Indonesian."

"Where got... no lah..."

"It is man..."

Suddenly, our three Indian friends come bounding along, and I tell them...

"Riel thinks Bata is Indonesian!"

"Hahaha.... of course not, it's Indian!"

And I stopped all of them.

"It is not Indian either!"

"Yep it is! You can find Bata in every city in every state in India..."

"In Indonesia too..."

And the debate went on and on and on...

"I swear Bata is an Indian name!"

Thank god the other 13 didn't join in. Otherwise, Finland, Costa Rica, England, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Italy would be claiming Bata as well.

For the record, Mr. Bata is Czech.

*******

It's unfortunate, but my more recent memories of Bata in Malaysia, from a few years ago, has been the line "Sorry, no stock."

Perhaps I will walk into the next Bata outlet I come across. For old times' sake, to relive my childhood...

then I will make a trip to my school!