my love for trams is as much as mcdreamy's love for ferries...

I love public transport!
Love the fact i can ride trams everywhere around Melbourne, or a train, or a bus.. anything but the car! Not that i don't love cars, i would be lying if i say i don't.
Cars are handy when u're travelling at night, particularly when it's cold outside.
Still..
Being able to travel without the constraint of a car (oh car-constraints are such a pain! I cannot travel safely -- and still arrive proper smelling and looking -- without a car in Jakarta), and car maintenance costs, and sky-rocketing gas prices; like a Mastercard experience; is priceless..

But there's something that i need to say about trams..

The Tram Ride Awkwardness
I don't know if anybody else has had this experience, but I sometimes feel tram rides are awkward. Like the unspoken rule of not making eye contact with other passenger, not disturbing other's life -- keep still in your own little world in the tram. When you accidentally break this rule, like in a morning tram ride your eyes just happen to sweep across the tram and met the contact of a person, you'll get very awkward. "Should I smile? Should I look away? If I do am I being impolite?" awkward. awkward.

And then the rule of offering your seat to older people especially elder ladies, and to pregnant women.. Those are awkward.. Because sometimes when you do offer your seat in light of politeness, they may not accept it! Worse they got mad at you!
I mean, what did I do? I was just trying to be polite.. DUH. Not that they go all frontal and start yelling or something, but you get that annoyed "i-can-provide-for-myself-without-your-help-thank-you-very-much" tone in their voice.

I guess I was lucky though being a girl. Guys got worse treatments. Who wants to be called a pig chauvinist? I don't even know what a chauvinist is! But pig is enough to tell it's not a good thing (note to self: must google chauvinist).

But anyway, most of the time (esp in morning or afternoon tram rides) i offer my seat to sweet old ladies. Coincidentally, those are the best times for a tram ride (6pm tram rides are full with bitter office workers).

Speaking of sweet old ladies.. On one tram ride to box hill sometime ago, I offered my seat to an old lady. And when she got off, she pat me in the back -- and then smiled most genuinely! Being easily moved, I felt sooo happy that once. all warm and fuzzy. I think she said I'm a good girl or something as she got off. Aww.. What a sweet person =)

Anyway, for my love of the trams, and the belief that there are others like me who enjoys but also suffers from tram rides, I think there should be a guide book for tram ride manners. Or have such a book exist already?

note to self: must google tram ride manners.