Shein Jacob-Ribleza

“I no longer have the energy for meaningless friendships, forced interactions or unnecessary conversations.”

I notice a lot of people have very low standards for themselves and others. Of course, you’ll say standards are subjective… but are they?

“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.”

“It’s easy to find someone to chill with. But it’s hard to find someone to build with.”

I don't know what it is like to not have deep emotions. Even when I feel nothing, I feel it completely.

“You can’t be strong all the time. Sometimes you just need to be alone and let your tears out.”

“But never have I been a blue calm sea. I have always been a storm.”

I think we desperately need to return to analog culture and slow life. Handwritten letters, seeing movies in the cinema, taking pictures and frame them or put them into physical photo albums, reading physical books, in-person visits and interacting, and time spent outdoors. Our lives weren’t meant to be entirely online. The simple joys of tangible living are irreplaceable and can never be taken away from us. No screen can replicate the weight of a book in your hands, the smell of it, the warmth of someone’s voice without lag, or the way time slows when you’re fully present. Memories feel different when they’re not curated for an audience. The most meaningful moments were never meant to be documented; they were meant to be fully lived.