Jakeson Eudela
Bio
I am a Filipino-Taiwanese senior high school graduate currently residing in Parañaque City and a freelance fiction and non-fiction writer.
Stories (11/0)
Should we mass promote all students because of COVID-19?
The global coronavirus pandemic completely shocked the entire world and changed things suddenly unlike any other event in human history. Shops either remained open at limited times or closed down, strict health and safety guidelines were implemented almost everywhere, gatherings had to be cancelled or suspended, many workers suddenly found themselves unemployed, and classes were also forced to be suspended. Just like work, education has forced itself to find ways to continue or studying would be sidestepped only until the risk of getting COVID-19 becomes lower. With that, schools and universities turned to online classes so that students could still continue learning from their homes while the coronavirus is still roaming around. However, many students were not happy with this idea, and they went on to campaign for mass promotion for all students amidst the pandemic. Are they right to fight for such idea?
By Jakeson Eudela4 years ago in Education
I was forced to telecommute because of COVID-19
The news of the coronavirus outbreak had been raging on since the first case in the Philippines was reported on January 2020, and I still had to go to work despite the increasing fear and risk of the virus. Headlines of the outbreak dominated the news almost every day, and the cases of COVID-19 gradually rose that the first case of local transmission (the first coronavirus case in the Philippines was a 38-year old Chinese woman who had travel history in Wuhan, the ground zero of the pandemic) was reported on March 2020. From that point, the Philippine government realized that the virus is spreading fast in the country which prompted them to place the entire island of Luzon under enhanced community quarantine starting March 17. Initially, the quarantine should last only until April 12 but upon the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF-EID, the quarantine was further extended until April 30. After that, the quarantine was then lifted in some areas but in Metro Manila and other "high-risk" areas, the enhanced community quarantine was further extended until May 15. Nevertheless, the government encouraged companies from different sectors to set up flexible working schemes for their employees, including work-from-home and lodging.
By Jakeson Eudela4 years ago in Journal
Why I Won't Vote in Today's Elections
It's that time of the year again, where in around 60 million registered Filipino voters will go to the voting precincts, and vote for their preferred candidates for seats in the Senate, the House of Representatives, and also local government positions such as Mayors, Vice Mayors, and Councillors. 2019 is the third year of Rodrigo Duterte's term after he was elected in 2016, promising to curb the rampant criminality, corruption, and prevalence of drugs. Filipinos still retain a great amount of trust in him despite all the controversies he, his allies, and even some of his family members were embroiled in as showed by the latest polls from the Social Weather Survey, wherein Duterte enjoyed a satisfaction rating of around 79 percent during the first quarter of the year. With this, the battle between the candidates from the Administration (those in the Hugpong ng Pagbabago and PDP-Laban coalition) and the candidates from Otso Diretso (Liberal Party slate) and other senatorial bets from the Opposition are getting deeper, and more heated. This battle takes on many different fronts, from senatorial debates hosted by the Philippines' biggest television networks, to social media posts, and candidates from both sides devised different kinds of strategies, and gimmicks to capture the attention, as well as the hearts and minds, of the voting public. This election will also be the first time that members of the Gen Z population, those born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, will be able to demonstrate their power in making their voice heard in perhaps one of the most divisive, and debated elections in history. Everything is up for grabs in this election, which at first doesn't seem to show importance at first glance. Everyone, from former Senators, lawyers, civil society leaders, and re-electionists to sons and daughters of former politicians, and even a doctor famous on social media named Dr. Willie Ong is testing their luck to gain the privilege to be among the members of one of the most powerful bodies in the Philippine government. Every Filipino is also picking their bets on this elections, citing their various reasons from candidates' credentials, and past accomplishments to the perceived charm, and kindness a senatorial candidate possesses. Nonetheless, the 2019 midterm elections is the talk of the town. Despite my constant activity when it comes to politics, and also the power that new and young voters are now willing to wield, on May 13, I will choose not to vote in today's elections, no matter how historical its importance could be.
By Jakeson Eudela5 years ago in The Swamp
What the “PewDiePie vs T-Series” Battle Taught Me About YouTube and Capitalism
On March 31, 2019, PewDiePie (or Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg) uploaded a music video on YouTube titled “Congratulations” months since the supposed rivalry between him, and an Indian music video channel T-Series, run by a corporation founded in 1983 by an Indian fruit juice seller named Gulshan Kumar, had begun. The diss track, the second one PewDiePie had made since the release of “Bitch Lasagna,” throwing insults at T-Series, and making references to Indian stereotypes in the song that caused offense among some Indians, ironically congratulated T-Series for overtaking PewDiePie in terms of subscriber count, and similar to "Bitch Lasagna," attacking the Indian music video channel further, using a new set of Indian stereotypes in the song, and even making some references on India’s economic status, and the infamous caste system. However, what made "Congratulations" different from "Bitch Lasagna" is that it shortly featured PewDiePie thanking all his fans for sticking with him, and his channel through the many controversies he and his channel had been through during his career. This online competition for being the most subscribed YouTube channel in the world evolved into multiple facets, and had gained a considerable amount of following among both fans of the two competing channels, and the general public, despite remarks from PewDiePie in his YouTube channel, saying that the “rivalry” between his channel and T-Series is really nothing, but old fashioned online trolling, and that he doesn’t really care about who gets to be the most subscribed YouTube channel, as well as initial comments from T-Series managing director and chairman Bhushan Kumar, who is also the son of Gulshan Kumar, noting that he is not bothered by the race. Nevertheless, many prominent YouTubers around the globe voiced their support of PewDiePie, and many Indians, both ordinary ones, as well as Indian YouTubers, who felt insulted by PewDiePie’s seemingly racist remarks against Indians on his diss track “Bitch Lasagna,” flocked to T-Series, and began supporting the channel, which was “the Indian version of VEVO,” as said by one Indian who was interviewed in an Asian Boss YouTube video titled “What Indians Think of PewDiePie vs T-Series,” which was a street interview asking Indians about their opinions on the online competition between the two Youtube channels. Bhushan Kumar retracted his initial comments as well, and rallied Indians to subscribe to T-Series in his Twitter posts, tying the concept of Indian nationalism into the online battle, and arguing that T-Series being the most subscribed YouTube channel in the world would be a great source of Indian pride.
By Jakeson Eudela5 years ago in Journal
I Tried Self-Publishing an Ebook–I Might Not Do It Again (For Now)
Back on February 24, 2019, I made a decision that would be considered a milestone for every aspiring writer. After writing my crime novella for almost three weeks after Christmas, which was about a teenager who discovered a murder in the evening of Christmas, I went on to think about what should I do next. During that time, I had three novel submissions in my name as well, as a short story compilation posted on a writing platform called Sweek that I worked hard to share with my friends. But due to its poor performance, there is a possibility that I would post the anthology on another platform such as Wattpad, or worse withdraw it from Sweek, and make an unsolicited submission to a publisher instead, hoping that it could get accepted. Despite my lack of patience, and frequent frustration with the progress of building my career, and improving my craft, I always understood that success in writing, be it in fiction or non-fiction, never comes easily, and instantly. Success in writing takes years and years of editing, creating story arcs, and of course writing continuously, and refining my work non-stop, until it achieves an optimal condition that would make it appreciated by both readers and publishers alike. This is also one reason why I continually searched for methods to publish my works, as well as publishers where I could send them, and platforms where I could post my other works. Back then I used a website called Submittable to facilitate my fiction submissions to magazines and publishers, and until now I use it to send non-fiction submissions to magazines and publishers. Only this year I knew about another method of publishing, and I decided to try it, just to see if it would be the key to the success I have been waiting for.
By Jakeson Eudela5 years ago in Journal
'Assassin's Creed Rogue' Could Be the Most Underrated Game in the Series
I have been a fan of the Assassin’s Creed game series since way back a couple of years ago, when I discovered it through the internet. I wasn’t so fond of video games back then. I only played a few online games, as well as some video games from Grand Theft Auto to Left 4 Dead. When I saw Assassin’s Creed for the first time on YouTube by watching its game trailers, I was instantly stunned by it. I could consider myself as a history lover, and I also wanted to learn how to do parkour, as well as fighting sports, and swordsmanship ever since I was a kid, and Assassin’s Creed mixed all three, which made the game my instant favourite. Unfortunately though, since I have no proper computer to play the game on, let alone money to buy it in the first place, or even time to consider playing it, I have no choice, but to satisfy my love for the game by watching walkthroughs on YouTube, reading about the game series on fan wikis, and in Wikipedia, and if I got the time and permission, to play some of the game in an internet cafe, often for around one to two hours. As my knowledge of the game’s story and features grew, so did my desire to play it. I finally got a chance to do just that when I had my own laptop, and an internet connection in our home. I could choose a lot of the games in the Assassin’s Creed series to download from. There is Assassin’s Creed 3 set in America during the American Revolutionary War. There is Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag set in the Golden Age of Piracy. There is also Assassin’s Creed Unity set in France before and during the French Revolution. But of all the games in Assassin’s Creed that caught my eyes first, Assassin’s Creed Rogue, which was a prequel to Assassin’s Creed Unity and even Assassin’s Creed 3, was the one that gained my attention first, and therefore the first game in the series I decided to play before the others.
By Jakeson Eudela5 years ago in Gamers
The Emperor Has Abdicated—Long Live the Emperor!
Back in 2016, now former Japanese Emperor, Akihito, announced his intent to abdicate from the Chrysanthemum Throne, after more than 30 years of reign, which began in 1989 after the death of Emperor Hirohito, Japan's Emperor during the Second World War, due to failing health and his own concern in fulfilling his duties as the symbol of the Japanese people and the state.
By Jakeson Eudela5 years ago in The Swamp
American Politics in the Eyes of a Filipino
One thing worth admiring about the United States of America is that it has continued existing for around 240 years, and its stayed almost the same, when countries around the globe failed and fell, including its former archenemy, the Soviet Union. Of course, the history of the United States has not been all rainbows and butterflies. It has suffered wars with other countries, and even with itself during the American Civil War, and it has gone through multiple economic recessions and depressions, the most recent being in 2008.
By Jakeson Eudela5 years ago in The Swamp
What Is Federalism, and Would It Help the Philippines?
The word "Federalism" has been a trending one all over the mainstream, and social, media. People both online and offline are debating about whether federalism is something that the Philippines needs. In a country composed of more than 7,000 islands that is a home to about 187 languages, and hundreds of ethnic groups, as well as the perceived failure of the current unitary system has made the topic more relevant than ever. But what is federalism? And would it help the Philippines develop and prosper?
By Jakeson Eudela5 years ago in The Swamp
- Top Story - April 2019
I Had My First Earthquake Experience—It Was a Psychologically Terrifying OneTop Story - April 2019
The day was April 22, 2019. It seemed like a normal day for me and my mother. We did the usual kind of stuff such as household chores, playing games on our gadgets, spending time on social media, and lazing around. We had our plans arranged for the week so that we wouldn’t be lost in path and we could be able to accomplish our goals. When the afternoon came at almost 5 PM, we were preparing to go out to buy some of the stuff we needed. My mother was in the bathroom while I was in the living room, walking around and chatting with my friends from abroad as well as playing a game on my tablet.
By Jakeson Eudela5 years ago in Psyche
Just-World Hypothesis: Conservatism's Fantasyland
If people are asked to think of words they could associate with conservatism, it is certain that most of them would answer religion or free markets and we cannot blame them for that. Both a desire to uphold religious values and traditions and promote free-market policies had been a staple of conservatism, most especially American conservatism. However, asking people how conservatives perceive society and their surroundings would seem a more daunting task. Nevertheless, conservatives’ perception of the world could be summarised into three words: just-world hypothesis.
By Jakeson Eudela5 years ago in The Swamp