The Vincent Lam That I Know

In a visit to Vincent's home in a Lunar New Year, the research team was playing bowling in the clubhouse. Unlike Jay Templeton, Vincent is not a bowling genius, far from it. My dear boss fired the balls straight to the gutters beside the pathway. i didn't play well either, but still became so curious on how hard it was for him to keep the ball running down the lane. For God's sake, he kept trying and failing and tried again. By then, Vincent and his wife, Eva, had just moved into that beautiful estate for a couple of months. i thought he was so fond of playing bowling, and practice, i hoped, would make perfect.

A year later, in the same kind of festive visit, the research team again had some recreational activities in the clubhouse. i believed it must be Vincent's show time. Well, this time, he skipped the bowling court and led us to the snooker room, instead. We again had a good load of laughter on the snooker.

Vincent is an operation-minded man. Many of you know his investment performance, but few got to know his performance in other areas.

One night, Quam had its annual gathering at an exquisite dining club. More than a hundred members of staff attended. Red wine was served before the dinner. Vincent and his serious-looking research team arrived just before the event began. When we all settled down at one of the tables, the mediator invited Vincent to host a lucky draw. There he came, a red-faced Vincent with a little excitement and a little roguishness.

He hadn't drunk much, maybe one glass of wine. While smiling innocently, he rocked and rocked the lottery box fiercely, creating waves of laughter from the crowd. Oh, my dear lovely boss!

Vincent's alcoholic tolerance was next to zero. And it all showed up on his face when most of us hadn't yet felt the spirit. If we had a prize for the first one to get drunk that night, he had to be the winner.

As my boss, just like Tony Measor, is a gentleman, few people make fun of him. i dare bring up his embarrassing moments that he will never recall, or be able to remember, anyway. It is because i know he won't get mad on that. Besides, i am leaving Quam this week, which makes my gossiping risk-free.

i got my basic training in school and professional programs. i learnt the investment principles from reading investment grandfathers Ben Graham and Phil Fisher. Still, Vincent taught me much more. He taught me how to think (when being outside the bowling court and clear in mind).

i learnt from him to analyze matters from different angles and in historical timeframes. As a result, i wrote an analogy between Hong Kong property market and Kinder Chocolate Egg, an assessment on the economy from a Martian's viewpoint and an analysis on John Woo's films. i raised radical questions about conventional beliefs on income as a major source of happiness, as well as the irrational behaviors of consumers and investors.

Here ends my last article in this column. Goodbye, my dear readers. i really enjoyed writing here. And thank you for spending your time reading. If you really like my writings and do not mind acknowledging it, please hit the F5 button on the top of your keyboard (the refresh button) three times. That would boost my hit-rate statistics to surpass Marc Faber's, and i would very much appreciate it. Have a good day.

Jun 8, 2005
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