mrrarcega

two new stories for this weekend, based on real and current events!
          
          thanks to my good friend "anonymous commuter d" for the inspiration and the photographs used in this installment. i'm crediting her as co-writer, because she thought up some of the scenarios here, especially for #2.
          
          my gratitude goes out, also, to the manila standard for the VERY APT cartoon portraying the MRT as it was during the last half of last week (see story #2).
          
          1. "We knew what 'it' was - the strange rule the LRT had that seats would become 'movable' at management's discretion, in order to manage space within the cars better.
          
          But shouldn't it be a rule that seats should appear and disappear while the trains aren't running? Not, say, while schoolgirls are innocently sitting on one of them, happily and innocently chatting away?"
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/427225854-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-962-sent-by-marcop
          
          2. "A train on the northbound L line of the MRT wobbled violently from side to side en route to Santolan station. Passengers were able to get off safely at Santolan station, after which the errant train was set aside and investigated.  Authorities mandated that all MRT trains run at 20kph in order to avoid a similar incident, while the other trains in the fleet were checked.
          
          Official reason: Investigators found that the train had a broken axle. However, regular MRT riders doubted this was the real reason why all other trains had to run slowly. They had their own ideas."
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/427232656-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-487-sent-by-anonymous

since i don't have a new piece for the Commute series for valentine's day this year, have a poem!
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/99222747-we-could-die-at-any-time

one short piece to celebrate the start of 2017!
          
          inspired by real events.
          
          ' "The bones stay, of course. For several months. But flesh is weak and falls away quite easily."
          
          I looked at the people around us. No one met my gaze. Either they were on their gadgets and not paying attention, or they were happily pretending they couldn't hear.'
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/353189147-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-295-sent-by-anonymous

SEVEN MONTHS NO UPDATE. what's good y'all~
          
          finished three short pieces over the weekend. trying to make up for lost time while knowing it's a futile exercise. really hope i can finish more before Christmas, though. at least one more (please)
          
          enjoy the new things!
          
          1. "You shouldn't NEED invisible creatures pushing you back in the queue just so you can STAY in the queue! This should've been taught to you people as you were starting elementary school, GOSH!!" 
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/347307256-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-468-sent-by
          
          2. The Curious Case of the Cockroach in Car 5 (with thanks to my friend Cindy for the inspiration <3)
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/347309132-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-746-sent-by
          
          3. The doors of the LRT line 2 sometimes don't open at Mabulo station. And sometimes they don't open at Pinagbuhatan station. As both stations look EXACTLY the same, getting off at the right one is tricky.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/347310796-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-197-sent-by-anonymous

i'd hoped to finish the newest installment to Reasons to Hate the Commute before the end of my mother's birthday, but the opportunity to write only came at around 11 pm. i only had an hour to work with. and so 12 am of may 3 came and went :(
          
          this one is short and raw and pointless, but i'm going to share it anyway. for all its flaws, this installment is special. it's the first one with an embedded picture!
          
          the picture is an original photograph that i personally took, of a small piece of graffiti that caught my eye. i spotted it on the wall of the tunnel under Guadalupe bridge, right beside the pasig river, as i wrote in the story. however, it is not at all high-resolution, as i wrote in the story.
          
          the artist is unknown. if anyone could point me in the direction of the artist, i'd be most grateful! i'd like to convey my gratitude for the inspiration. and secretly stalk them for their other works, sshhh.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/252333720-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-418-sent-by-anonymous

Reasons to Hate the Commute turns 1 year old today! To celebrate, we have 2 new updates:
          
          1. https://www.wattpad.com/236189212-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-387-sent-by-anonymous
          
          "It always starts with one. Loud. BANG. Like something big has attached itself to the side of your jeepney. Or the back, close to where the portal is. Or the top.
          
          And then the banging starts to move."
          
          2. https://www.wattpad.com/236190708-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-309-sent-by
          
          Sometimes, small, supernatural creatures attach themselves to jeepneys and take fares from passengers. It is not known if "Punggok" is the proper term for them, but they have never indicated that they don't like it.

happy lunar new year, guys!
          
          new update to start the year off right:
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/218328408-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-1282-sent-by
          
          ^ inspired by each and every day on the train.
          
          i also forgot to mention i posted an update last christmas! it's one of my longest and most favorite installments, and i hope you give it a shot.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/200052806-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-2016-sent-by-anonymous
          
          ^ inspired by the news reports in the year 2011 (or was it 2010?), when the government declared it would take 5 years for the trains to come to the country. why 5 years, i asked myself? was it because the trains were just planted and they took that long to mature?
          
          what if it was, no?

new part up. inspired by that sign on the North Avenue MRT station about un-fixed escalators that's been there since February, to the best of my recollection. https://www.wattpad.com/185635759-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-1885-sent-by

two new "Reasons to Hate the Commute" shorts this week:
          
          1. "The plants under the Cubao underpass are d*cks" (warning for obscenity) https://www.wattpad.com/165162288-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-542-sent-by-signora
          
          2. "Water from the air conditioning pours down your head and ruins your clothes and hair, and any device you might have been stupid enough to take out." https://www.wattpad.com/165164323-reasons-to-hate-the-commute-886-sent-by-anonymous
          
          this one was inspired by 2 things:
          
          a. the fact that on the MRT as it is currently, water from air conditioning DOES pour onto your head when you least expect it, which is a terrible thing to go through when the car is crowded and you can't move out of the way; and
          
          b. the wonderful 2014 Hugo award-winning short story "The Water That Falls On You From Nowhere" by John Chu. read it. love it. http://www.tor.com/2013/02/20/the-water-that-falls-on-you-from-nowhere/

hi guys. just got back from vacation, with two updates this week for "Reasons to Hate the Commute"!