The Untimely Death Of Kobe Bryant

On January 26, 2020 at approximately 2PM PST I received a call from my mother who informed me that news was breaking that Kobe Bryant had passed away. It caught me off guard and my reaction was disbelief. “Are you sure?” I asked and she replied “Yes, it is all over the news.” My mother had a soft spot for Kobe as she had met him in person years ago at PF Chang’s in Newport Beach, California USA. My mother is from Costa Rica and she is not a big basketball fan but she definitely knew at that time that Kobe was the star of the Los Angeles Lakers and very famous. I had just left the restaurant with my boyfriend and didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Kobe that day but ever since my mother loved Kobe. She didn’t love him because of his amazing basketball skills, his fame, his fortune, his success nor any of all of the other inspirational things that he was. She loved him only for the way he treated her that day their paths crossed at PF Chang’s. She told me he was humble and kind. She said he signed an autograph for her on a PF Chang's napkin, put his arm around her shoulder then proceeded to have a warm, friendly conversation with her.

I, on the other hand, am an avid Lakers fan and like millions of Angelinos and fans around the world am deeply saddened by this terrible news. The one thing I know for sure is that life has a beginning and an end and we don’t get to choose the end; that is within God’s almighty power. It brings me great solace to know that on the day of the accident just hours before they perished, Kobe and his daughter attended Catholic Mass and received Holy Communion (a symbol of the body and blood of Christ) at the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels in Newport Beach, California USA. Some people are non-believers or think that it is not cool to be spiritual but this tragic event is proof positive that death comes without warning and we must be aware of our mortality and spirituality. I respect all religions and even the positions of non-believes but I will still leave you with these words...

IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT JESUS IS LORD AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED.

I pray for all of the souls of the victims who perished in this tragic accident: Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester and Ara Zobayan. And I pray for the pain of their surviving family members.

Jacqueline Sebiane

Natural Beauty In The Motherland Costa Rica

Your Walk On Planet Earth

I am not a negative person but rather one who sits and observes. I have always had the awareness that in time all truths shall be revealed. And that what is done in darkness shall be revealed in the light. Throughout my journey in this beautiful God-given life I have witnessed and experienced great miracles. I have, in great contrast, also seen the worst of humanity; the lowest of the low spreading the seed of sin in the depths and chasms of evil. And with the passage of time I know, and have known, through faith, one thing for sure... that I believe in almighty God. I feel His essence through the Holy Spirit. I am not here to convince you but only to bear witness, testify and share with you what I know and feel. And that is, that all good things come from above starting with the inexplicable feeling of pure love. I know that God's word is the moral compass set in stone for mankind to obey and that all deviations thereof will most certainly lead to chaos, entropy, decay and destruction. And so I leave you with just a few simple but powerful words that are required of you by our heavenly Father: ACT JUSTLY, BE MERCIFUL AND WALK IN HUMILITY.

Jacqueline Sebiane

Ricki Lake: Troubled Hair, Don't Care

I use to date this really affectionate guy, Christian Evans. He was a jewelry designer who hailed from Arizona. I had no idea at the time that he would later marry and divorce actress and former talk show host Ricki Lake and sadly commit suicide some years later in February of 2017. I have always had this connection to fame through my personal life and career in entertainment. And I have always had a connection to, and deep understanding of, people in pain. Even though we stayed connected for a long time, I never allowed my relationship with Christian to flourish and we eventually lost touch. When I started writing my autobiography I looked for Christian and that is how I found out he had married Ricki Lake. Every time I hear about Ricki Lake now, I think of my intimate relationship with Christian Evans and his sad, tragic death.

Here is a personal, painful story from Ricki Lake that I am posting in the hope that it can help others with similar issues. 

View this post on Instagram

Liberated and Free, Me. First things first, I am not sick. (THANK GOD.) I am not having a mid-life crisis. nor am I having a mental breakdown, though I have been suffering. Suffering mostly in silence off and on for almost 30 years. AND I am finally ready to share my secret. Deep breath Ricki…. Here goes….. I have been struggling with hair loss for most of my adult life. It has been debilitating, embarrassing, painful, scary, depressing, lonely, all the things. There have been a few times where I have even felt suicidal over it. Almost no one in my life knew the level of deep pain and trauma I was experiencing. Not even my therapist/s over the years knew my truth. I know that by sharing my truth, I will be striking a chord with so so many women and men. I am not alone in this and my goal is to help others while at the same time unshackle myself from this quiet hell I have been living in. Ever since I played Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray back in 1988 and they triple-processed and teased my then healthy virgin hair every 2 weeks during filming, my hair was never the same. (Yes, that was all my own hair in the film.) From Hairspray to Hairless. :( In my case, I believe my hair loss was due to many factors, yo-yo dieting, hormonal birth control, radical weight fluctuations over the years, my pregnancies, genetics, stress, and hair dyes and extensions. Working as talent on various shows and movies, whether DWTS or my talk show, also took its toll on my fine hair. I got used to wearing extensions, really just over the last decade. All different kinds, tried them all, the ones that are glued on, the tape-ins, the clip ins, and then into a total hair system that I hated, and finally to a unique solution that really did work pretty well for me for the last 4 or 5 years. I tried wigs on a few occasions but never could get used to them. It all felt fake and I was super self-conscious and uncomfortable. I’ve been to many doctors, gotten steroid shots in my head, taking all the supplements and then some. My hair would recover and then shed again. It was maddening. To read more: please go to my Facebook page. ❤️

A post shared by Ricki Lake (@rickilake) on Jan 1, 2020 at 11:25am PST

Sound Advice From Jesse Meester

                                                

Jesse Meester is at Catalina Island.

January 2 at 9:09 AM · Avalon, CA ·

Visiting #CatalinaIsland today before I head back to NYC again. I was thinking how #2019 went by quick, but so will #2020. Last year was showtime, this year is practice. It’s time to control your new year which starts with controlling your mind by regulating the thoughts that you choose to dwell upon. ⁣

Your thoughts determine your actions, and your actions determine the life that you live. For 2020 I leave you with this: control your own destiny. It’s your decisions, your outcomes, your life. No victim, but victor. You are in control over yourself, nobody else is.⁣⁣

No one has power over you unless you give it to them, you are in control of your life and your choices decide your own fate. ⁣⁣

Much love to you! Thanks for all your continued support @meesterstore and coaching @meesterpt which allows our company to scale philanthropy each year. ⁣⁣⁣

#happynewyear