"I can guarantee that there is no other taxi like mine in the world," said cabby Frankie Ng Hing Lam. Frankie's cab is unique in having many photographs posted inside, and this arouses the interest of many passengers. Most of the photos are of Frankie with film stars---he has had his photo taken with about 800 local and international stars in the past five years---because Frankie himself is a part-time actor.
As Frankie himself put it, "There is always a gap between taxi drivers and passengers. The photos which I took with the pop stars serve well as a common topic for both sides to talk about. "Most of the time, passengers will ask about the photos and this makes the mood warmer and more relaxing throughout the journey."
He also keeps two bags of photos in the cab for passengers who want to see more. "Some passengers find it so interesting that they are not willing to get out," said Frankie happily with his eyes sparkling.
Frankie has been a cab driver for 12 years. Before that he was a waiter in Chinese restaurants and a sailor. "I was a sailor for 10 years, and I visited about 30 countries around the world. Since then I've developed the habit of taking photos, which helps me a lot in recalling the old good days," Frankie said.
Showing the photos of his younger days, Frankie asked eagerly, "I was thinner in the past, wasn't I? I am really not this fat." In fact, the 47-year-old taxi driver is short and chubby, and he sports a pair of old fashioned eyeglasses on his rugged face. His features make him suitable for so-called "character roles".
"I am usually assigned to act as bad guys, like hideous fathers, or selfish, cunning and deceitful men. However, I can perform as a millionaire or even a great official occasionally. You can be very different kinds of people that you just can't possibly be in reality. This makes me interested in acting," he said, making a face.
Yet, to become an actor was never the cabby's dream. "I hadn't thought much about this before. I just didn't have the instinct, and I am good at nothing. How could I become a star?" Frankie said. "A friend of mine introduced me to part-time acting in 1988. At that time, taxi driving was boring to me, so I took up acting on holidays only. I just wanted to see more and have fun. My first assignment was to be a gambler in a TVB comedy with pop star Stephen Chiau. Then I acted in some films that offered more money. I become a part-time actor and full- time taxi driver from then onwards," he said.
Frankie has worked for TVB, ATV, RTHK and Macau TV. Having two jobs seems easy to Frankie, who said time management is not a problem. "I am a night-shift driver. The rest of my time is for acting and sleeping. I can sleep for five hours every day. The notice of work is issued two days beforehand, so I can arrange my time properly. But sometimes the stations are urgently in need of temporary actors. I just show up there and leave the taxi for an hour or two. It is very convenient indeed," he said.
As a cab driver, part-time actor and father of two, he gives his family and career equal weight. "I treasure both my family and my jobs; all are important to me," he said. Frankie spends his spare time -- whenever he has it---watching TV programs or films that he has taken part in, or singing karaoke with his children.
"But my wife does not watch those films with us. She did not really support my acting career at first, but I insisted that I was doing nothing wrong. Now, she has become uninterested in it. Surprisingly, she supports our daughter's acting career, however. My 10-year-old daughter is also a part-time actor. She is very interested in a performing career, especially in singing," Frankie said. He added that he would also put his 3-year-old son on the stage. As he speaks, hope sparkles in Frankie's eyes. He apparently has great expectations of his children.
Regarding his future, Frankie's greatest hope is to hold a photo exhibition of his own collection. He has had his photo taken with more than 90 percent of the local stars and many international superstars. "It will be held in two years time if I have collected photos taken with 1,000 pop stars. I hope that all the mass media will report on this special event," Frankie said earnestly.
Frankie's collection includes Jacky Chan, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung and Alan Tam. Besides, there are some Hollywood superstars like Anthony Hopkins.
Many teenage fans want to know how Frankie gets all these photos, as this is one of their fantasies. "I took the photos when I co-acted with the stars. I had no intention to do this at first. Once one of my friends showed me two albums of photos taken with stars, and I thought it was a good idea and then followed suit. Now I have got more than 10 albums of photos," said Frankie with great self- satisfaction.
Posting the photos outside his car not only bridges the gap between cab drivers and passengers, but also makes money. "I think that I earn the most tips of all taxi drivers in Hong Kong," he said. "Once I picked up a Japanese visitor who was interested in the photos I had taken with Jacky Chan. Then I let him see more photos. When he left, I sent him some photos that he liked. It ended up that he gave me $200 for a $20 trip," Frankie said happily.
"But I am not doing this for money. In fact, I don't like receiving big tips. Too often it is the passengers who are so pleased with the photos that they force tips on me. Some passengers even ask me to drive them to take photos with their idols. I seldom say no if it is possible," he said.
The photos do bring him a considerable profit anyway. Besides the tips, Frankie distributes signed photos of popular idols to some retailers. He also makes use of the convenience in his part-time job to work as a middleman between stars and mainland organizations.
People may wonder why Frankie still drives a cab rather than devoting all his time to acting. "I will never be a full-time actor because I could never be one of the main characters. Moreover, I have to support my family, and the income of a temporary actor is not enough, and it is unstable. I just hope that I can keep on with my present life."
As he approaches 50 years of age, Frankie has an established outlook on life: Wish for nothing, demand nothing. "I never thought of becoming anything great. I would be glad if I could achieve something. If I cannot, I won't mind," Frankie said.
"I don't like being compared to others. I just focus on myself. We really can't expect too much. Wealth does not necessarily bring happiness. I believe friends are more important. That's why I enjoy talking with my passengers. Superstars are humans, so we are all just the same. We use the same fitting rooms and the same cosmetics. We differ only in our occupations. The most important point is to live happily," said Frankie.