I have a few friends and acquaintances who are getting serious about their craft and finally putting out the kind of work that they’ve been meaning to do so for a long time. Bhex has been an accomplished writer for years, but now she’s releasing her first book, a collection of short stories titled Reasons to Hate the Commute.

During an aggressive PPP (public-private partnership) drive, the Philippine government partnered up with the massive but extremely secretive Sinauna Group of Companies to deliver a host of basic services to the Filipino people.

One of those services is transportation. The partnership vastly improved the quality of service of local providers – while sparking major changes, such as pedestrian wormholes, shapeshifting bus conductors, creepy ladies in black dresses handing out flyers for condos, and other odd occurrences.

Adapting to change came easily to the commuting population of Manila, but of course the occasional gripe was to be expected. An influencer named Stella Avluela, more widely known by the username stellamaris_, started a list of reasons to hate the commute in Manila, and made space for people to contribute their own complaints.

These are some of the more highly-rated contributions.

It will be available at the Manila International Book Fair on September 9 to 13, 2026, where Bhex will be signing copies over at Booth 2-118 on the second floor of the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. Can’t wait to get my own copy!