Tuesday, February 10, 2004

...... On returning back from Kuantan, our daughter call and say that they have bought a vintage car.... A Morris Oxford..The classic version.... A dream of her husband.... So they got one that was manufactured in nineteen fifty nine..... Years before both of them were born.... So they really got a real vintage!!!.... A car which is older then both of them!.... We were exited as well.... Though I am tired after that long drive from Kuantan..... I drove to their house and have a look at their new Toy.... Wow.... My first impression of this Black Beauty is that they really made a good buy... One of a kind and indeed in a really good condition..... Someone brought this car from the UK in the year two thousand and registered it with a new number plate..... And it look as good as new.... During my youth we would admire every new cars that were brought by the British Officers and paraded on the roads to their offices and residences.... Very few Malaysian had cars in nineteen fifty nine...... In the early part of our independence most of the cars are own by the Malaysian senior government officers..... We would rush to the roadside to watch eagerly those big black car.... that non of us local could afford to buy one at that time... It was a luxury for the privileged few only, especially the senior government officers... At that time only cars imported from the UK are allowed into the country, so one only seen British cars of all made in small numbers imported into the country.... Japanese cars has yet to made its present at that period in our history...... As a fomer British colony... that just got its independence.... Malaya then had still to import British goods and this includes cars.... Only after independence were cars from other countries were imported...... I am indeed happy that our children got one of this British classic car.... A car that we only could admire from afar and never in our wildest dream that we would one day be able to touch, let alone drive in one of this big car.... Now...There... park at the porch of our daughter's house is that black Morris Oxford classic.... It is just like a dream come true to me especially.... For I had always love cars from the moment I first saw cars on our roads in the little town of Kuantan in the forties..... At that time there are really few cars on the road... and whatever cars on the road are own by the government officers especially the British District Officer..... As youth we all dream of owning a car some day..... And after independence more and more made cars from Europe began to be seen on the country's road... but then non of us could afford to own one.... It is not only expensive but it is still a luxury that non of us could afford to indulge in.... So we just dream of having one and as for me the time came when I got a job as a senior government officer.... With the loan provided I bought my first car an Italian Fiat Six hundred.... A great small car at that time and a dream come true for me and my family..... No way could we afford to buy those Morris Oxford classic.... And now our children has got one.... It is as though our dream of having one came true..... Sometime in life thing like this happen.... That bring back great memories of the past...... We may dream and hope and may be.... our dream would come true... In another way.... In another time... Like this great Black Beauty at the porch of our daughter's house...The classic Morris Oxford....... What's a life..... Part of our history is preserved in time and it is as though we have travel in time to be back to the future.....

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