The Bus Etiquette

Most of my friends know that I am not a big fan of driving. I drive when I need to but I would not initiate anything crazy like a road trip and volunteer to be the designated driver. Luckily I have quite a few friends enjoying doing this and I am usually happy to tag along.

As such I am on public transport a lot. Buses are my main means of travelling when I was in Hong Kong and now in Sydney. The good thing with going on a bus is that most of the time you can just sit there and get to your destination without much fuss. If you are in a traffic jam a whole bunch of people are sharing that with you on the bus so you feel less personal. Also as an actor I like to observe other people in case I can pick up something for future characterisation.

However, as with all good things there are always down sides. There were so many occasions that I was just outright annoyed by inconsiderate passengers who just have zero concern for the welfare of their fellow bus riders. I just ran into another one tonight and her inconsiderate behaviour really prompted me to think about some basic bus etiquettes.

1.    When there are empty seats, take them

There are a lot of times that some people just sit right next to me even when more than half of the bus is empty. I understand that certain people may long for companion and such, but when you squeeze into other people’s space when there are lots of space that is just bad form. Further I am not here to cater to your personal needs. I am just a fellow bus rider who wants some serenity when the bus is not busy.

2.    I am not interested in your phone conversation

With the blessing of modern technology, we stay connected with everyone all the time. However, not everyone is interested in other strangers’ businesses. There was once a girl who was biatching about her supposed to be friend to another friend on the phone. Now I know the reception on a bus might be bad or the noisy environment is not conducive for phone conversation. But that does not give you a golden pass to project you voice loudly in a confined space. Maybe you should take the sign from the universe that bad reception and noisy environments mean that you should shut the f up and hang up.

3.    Move inside when there is space

I understand that some people may want to be close to the exit door as much as possible so they could get out quickly on a crowded bus. But if there are still 1200 stops before you reach your destination, just be considerate and move inside the bus so other people can get on. It is not that claustrophobic at the rear end of the bus and to be honest, if you are claustrophobic, you should not be on a bus in the first place.

4.    Get ready before you need to get off

If you have pressed the bell and knowing that you need to get off, for God’s sake get ready for it. I understand that sometimes you might not want to soil the mint paper bag from Prada or Tiffany, but if you have that money to spend might as well spend another couple of tens to grab a cab instead of sitting right at the back, press the bell and when the door opens you take a trillion year to brush through other people to part ways like Red Sea for you. And for your information, Moses did not wear Prada.

5.    Buy pre-paid tickets or get your money ready

I really could not understand why people did not prepare themselves when they get on the bus. Pre-paid tickets are no longer like needle in a haystack anymore, so get them if you are regular bus rider. If not, I can understand that you might not know the fare if you are not a regular bus rider, I can totally get how intimidating it is with a bus fare system more complicated than the constellation chart. However, one tiny bit of courtesy is you can have some coins prepared in your hand so that you would not be salvaging and counting 5 cents from all your pockets, purse, wallet, handbag etc for a $3.20 fare.  Other people on the bus have better things to do than waiting for you to collect bus fare from your chosen charity you know?

I think tonight’s experience has gotten me babbling on for too long. I should shut up, have a shower and go to bed. Tomorrow would be another bus riding day and I am sure tomorrow it will be better.

The Big Gold Mountain

Recently I had a chance to participate in a new theatre project called “The Big Gold Mountain” Also because of this project I got a chance to visit Perth again, a city that I once considered settling in when I decided to move to Australia. The project itself was a great journey and gave me the satisfaction that I thought was lost.

I love acting and I like the stage. There is nothing better than unfolding someone else’s story live on stage in front of a live audience. Every move, every word, every gesture and every look matters. The adrenalin rush makes acting on stage so much more satisfying.

However, the satisfaction of the Big Gold Mountain was not just because it was a theatrical production. It is also a production about Chinese migrants in Australia in 1850s. Even more special was that an Australian playwright Russell Roberts, who has keen interests in this part of the Australian history, wrote this play.

When Russell first contacted me about the project, apart from the project being in Perth, I was not quite sure whether I want to be another soup shop owner again. However after I read the script Russell sent over, I know that I am in for a very special project. The rest were just logistics – getting to Perth, the accommodation (which Russell both skilfully sorted for me) and getting time off from work. I was excited when I got on the plane on Sunday to get ready for the workshop on Monday.

A quick synopsis about the play – it is about a group of Chinese migrant who came to Bendigo Creek near Melbourne in the 1850s to look for gold. They thought that was the Big Gold Mountain where gold is readily available and they could live a good life without the turmoil in China. Little did they know that something less attractive and more sinister was waiting for them. It is a story about settling in a foreign land, adapting, identity crisis, and of course inevitably racism during that period of time. My character owns a soup shop where workers, when they have money, come to visit for some home flavours to quench their thirst for home. My character also was in a serious relationship with a British woman but the family was torn apart because of racial disapproval. As a result my daughter, who is mixed kid, found it hard to fit into the society because she was neither regarded as Chinese nor British.

By reading the play you knew that Russell had done extensive research about that period of time. He is very precise about the etiquette and customs that different groups of people had at that time. This is expressed both in the play and in the staging requirements in the rehearsal room. Although I knew that I a lot of people do not like to have the playwright in the room during rehearsals, but for me the benefit of having Russell in the room was that he knows exactly what is right and what is wrong.  He managed to balance vision with theatrical and background requirements of the piece. He was determined to make it right.

Another aspect of the production that I have great respect for was the fact that Russell and John, our director, specifically requested us not to consciously put on a Chinese accent for the production. They insisted that as this is a story about Chinese migrants who had lived in Australia for different periods of time, the accent should be as natural as possible to reflect that. So it is best not to consciously putting any accent to ruin the authenticity of the characters. This is something that I applauded to. There were so many occasions that people asked me to speak like a Chinese with a specific accent, which in my whole life, had never sounded like that. With both the playwright and the director giving us this bit of creative freedom it means a lot to me and I believe the whole cast thought so too.

The workshop ended with a move reading for potential funders. So far the responses were good. I had a chance to talk to some of the potential funders at the drinks afterwards and they seemed to be very keen to tell this part of the Australian history. I sincerely hope that the project could go ahead with additional funding as this is not just because it is a potential job, but it has become something that holds dear to me and have a special place in my heart.

I wish everyone at the Big Gold Mountain Productions all the best with the project. I am very proud of you all.