Melissa Seymour

Blog Archive: June 2009

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June 01: Claudia Schiffer
June 02: Eminem MTV Movie Awards stunt
June 03: Melbourne has better men than Sydney (yawn)
June 04: Internship, anyone? And those Chaser Boys
June 05: Jodi Gordon drama
June 09: My little shopping secret!
June 10: I'm a Yahoo!7 Travel blogger!
June 15: Women returning to more traditional roles?
June 15: 9 to 5 interview - Life as a WAG
June 21: Woman's Day article out soon
June 22: Said article is out but...
June 23: Shocked & Rocked / Hate & Love
June 24: Thank you for the emails!
June 25: Around the world in politics
June 25: Farrah Fawcett
June 26: Rocked - responses to the interview
June 26: Shocked - RIP Michael Jackson
June 29: Facebook, please email me instead
June 29: 'Insightful' news on attractiveness
June 29: Sun-Herald column
June 30: Hot: Michelle Leslie

June 30 200 | [ Back to archive listing ]

I'm writing to you from my hospital bed. The sun is shining through the barren trees and into my room. Anyway, sorry! I digressed from the task at hand which was to find a fabulously dressed celebrity from last nights Bruno premiere. There were slim pickings. It was ultimately between Michelle Leslie (because she struck a pose (sort of)) and Kerri Ann. KAK looked great too but the pic just didn't do it for me. So Michelle Leslie - last night you were a hottie.

June 29 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Thank you so much to everybody for the emails - whilst I'm incapacitated at the hospital, I will write back to each and everyone of you.
Over the weekend there was a column in the Sun-Herald about me going back to hospital:

June 29 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Well, you learn something new everyday - A study conducted by a US University found that men's view on the attractiveness of different women was defined by physical features, with women who looked thin and seductive getting the highest ratings!

Lucky our poster girl ticks all those boxes!
You can read the insightful news here.

June 29 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Quite a few people contact me via Facebook, which makes it really difficult for me to respond (because when you respond to someone, apparently you give them access to your page). I have very few friends on Facebook, which reflects the number of people I would call friends in real life. I don't have one of those pages that accepts everyone, whether I know them or not - you know the ones that have hundreds and hundreds of friends. My Facebook page holds lots of personal stuff - you know, the kind you share with friends - photos, comments, invites etc... So please email me via this site - I do get back to everyone, even though my personal email address is not posted up here, Narae does pass everything on to me. From time to time, there are some 'odd' emails that do come through which is why I don't have my personal email available. Thanks - I hope you understand!

June 26 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

It's sad that Michael Jackson has died, but lets not be sad - lets celebrate the good times. We've all had them, dancing to his music on the dance floor, at birthday parties, weddings or just at a club - I don't think any other musician could get you up off your butt and onto the floor like Michael Jackson!

My favorites are Thriller, I Want to Rock With You, Beat It..... enjoy!

p.s. Sadly Farrah passed on. Very sad. Prayers for her family and close friends who would be devastated.

June 26 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

It was such a conflicting decision for me to come out and talk about my illness in such a public way. Everyone around me told me not to do it. But I had a gut feeling that I should. And I am SO SO SO GLAD I did it because I have received hundreds of emails from fellow sufferers reaching out to me. There are two types of emails I get. One is from people offering me advice on how to deal with this because they have Trigeminal Neuralgia too. The other type of email breaks my heart - from people who haven't got a diagnosis and who are just suffering alone and are being told by Dr's that they have a psychological problem or who are dealing with the stigma of people thinking they are just after the drugs. Of course, as diagnosed sufferers know, you need some pretty heavy duty drugs to get rid of the pain. My heart breaks for these people and they are in this situation because the Doctors they are seeing don't know enough about TN to diagnose it. It's those people that I hope I can help through referrals to Doctors whom I know, know a lot about this condition and who can hopefully help to get them on track.

It's called the 'Suicide Condition' because the pain is the worse known to man - including childbirth and I can vouch for that. I've had two natural births and the pain doesn't come close. It's much, much worse. So I am grateful and feel humbled to be in a position to help the people who have contacted me.

Now I am thinking about reaching a wider audience because whilst Woman's Day has a pretty big readership, there are more people to out there - medical professionals included - that need to be made aware of this illness. When you think that there are people out there in so much pain that they want to kill themselves, something has to be done. How fortunate is it then that I happen to own a marketing communications agency? We're on the case and have sketched up the first stage of the plan, so hopefully you'll be hearing more and more about this in the media.

So I am 'ROCKED" this week at the responses to the interview (and it's funny that I don't care that I look shocking in the pictures at all - whatever).

June 25 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Sending blessings to Farrah Fawcett who is in hospital, apparently given her 'last rites'. Very very sad and she has been through such a long battle with her cancer. Her long time partner Ryan O'neal only said days ago that they planned - after all those years together - to finally get married! It's just so sad. Am praying for miracle.

xMel

Gorgeous -
farrah

June 25 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Oh how I love being an Aussie! Especially when you take a look at what's happening around the world in politics:

Italy - Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister is knee-deep in sleaze, but manages to survive! Yes he does - in fact, he seems to do better politically the creepier his personal life gets. Despite the latest revelations - young women staying overnight in his villa in Rome and being paid for sex - his constituents don't seem to mind at all. They have just handed his party control of 9 more provinces.

Of course, I love this quote from the Prime Minister "I have never paid a woman. I don't understood what satisfaction is when you are missing the pleasure of conquest"

USA - The Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, went MIA (missing in action) recently - he told everyone that he was going hiking along the Appalachian Trail - of course, that wasn't what he was doing - he was off to Argentina with his mistress whom he met on the internet.

And in Australia, what is our political scandal of the moment............ 'UTEGATE'! I stand firm on this - I just love being an Australian.

Enough said.

xMel

June 24 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Wow, in my wildest dreams I couldn't have expected the email response I have had to the article in Woman's Day. 99.9% of the responses have touched my heart and I am almost (almost!) thankful to go through this, just to have touched people enough for them to write to me - about their own experiences from which they're offering me advice and from others who are out there alone in a wilderness of pain not knowing what to do. There is a lot of love out there people!

Then there is that .01% that have so rightly had a go at me for the headline "My Perfect Life Is Over" - to wit, can I first of all say that I couldn't agree more. My life is not over, like so many people out there who are facing a terminal illness prognosis, or who have children in this situation! I didn't say this, I don't believe it for a second and I am sorry for any offense it has caused. In fact I am not just sorry, I am deeply sorry.

Keep the emails rolling in and I will pass on some of the great treatment advice I am receiving from people who have lived with this for a lot longer than 7 months (me). A lovely man named Peter emailed to let me know that there is a Trigeminal Neuralgia Association of Australia. I am going to investigate and post up some information about that here shortly. Thank you Peter. I would love to be involved in some way in the Conference coming up in August so will contact the President.

Just so you (readers of the article know) - because a lot of people have pointed this treatment option out to me - I have already had the Microvascular Decompression surgery (brain surgery) which wasn't really pointed out in the article clearly. Unfortunately it didn't work. My V2 and now V3 areas are affected. I contracted Meningitis from having this surgery and had a long recovery - and is why my face looks so lopsided and swollen in the pics which were taken just weeks after having this operation.
Thanks xx

xMel

June 23 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Hate: Greg Bird gets 9 months jail time. Harsh in comparison to other comparable offences e.g. Wayne Carey. What is astonishing is that he was allowed to get on a plane to France until the appeal is heard later this year. I doubt he will do even a day in jail. Then over to the USA and Chris Brown gets hard labour (removing graffiti and picking up rubbish - seriously). Sadly, I don't think his relationship with Rihanna is OVER.

Love: Rockin' Rory

June 22 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Morning!

Well said article has come out in Woman's Day. What do I think? I think I should have taken the part in the contract re signing off on all photos more seriously! I signed off on the words, but the pictures (@#%#@#$%#) - if I can be so vain. The headline - no sign off and again (@#$%$&^$%^&).

What you need to know - if you read it - is that I did the interview coming close to two months ago now. While I am a lot better than what I was then - I had not long been out of hospital after having had brain surgery - I still have severe trigeminal neuralgia attacks that knock me sideways and into bed for days at a time. I recently did another stint in hospital (post interview) because the pain was so bad that I had to be put on IV morphine. But hopefully we are coming close to the end of a long journey.

I did this interview to connect and offer up some advice to people going through a similar thing. So far, emails are pouring in from people who have read the article and who also suffer from Trigeminal Neuralgia or a chronic pain condition and practically all of them have been where I am and are offering me advice - thank you. That outpouring is amazing! I would really love to hear from those who haven't yet had a diagnosis and are wondering what is wrong with them. It can be very difficult to get a diagnosis and it can be a long, lonely road. When people can't actually see anything wrong with you, it's very hard for them to

sympathise with you too. So feel free to send me an email, I'd hate for people to be out there on their own with this!

Ooops! Sorry, here I am ranting on about something that I've assumed you've read. Now that the cat is out of the bag (article out, can talk freely now without breeching confidentiality agreement) - I've been really sick for about 7 months. Had brain surgery even. So really sick. Diagnosis is Trigeminal Neuralgia. You can read about that here - very severe pain disorder. Its nickname is the suicide illness because so many people kill themselves when pain relief is unavailable. After brain surgery (which didn't work unfortunately) I contracted meningitis in the hospital and I've never really been myself since it all started. Mainly because of the drugs I am having to take (morphine) to deal with the pain. So that is what the magazine article is all about - basically a rant and whinge about it all. A bit sensational for my liking but if it helps someone out there, then I've done the right thing.

xMel

- Woman's Day website
- Read an excerpt of the article in Woman's Day

June 21 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Hello Friends,

If you're a follower of this blog (really hope so!), then you'll know that I've been waiting ever so patiently for an interview I did with Woman's Day magazine to come out. The interview covers something quite large that's happened in my life and basically how my family and I have been dealing with this. It's an exclusive story - confidentiality agreement - so I haven't been able to write about it. You can imagine how I've been busting to talk about it but each week that I thought the interview was in, sordid stories involving soap stars etc... Have bumped me out. Don't get your hopes up, nothing sordid going on with me. Anyway, it will be in this week’s magazine - totally confirmed. Please buy it. And if you or someone you know is going through the same thing - email me, I'd love to hear your stories.

Once the mag is out - tomorrow, I'll blog some more about the whole thing. In fact, I probably won't shut up about it (!)

xMel

June 15 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Magazine land is such an odd place. I did this interview last week for 9 to 5 Magazine and zippety zip, here it is below. Meanwhile, I did a much bigger interview for Woman's Day a fairly long time ago now - basically about something quite huge that is going on in my life at the moment for which I signed a Confidentiality Agreement, so I can't speak a word about this BIG thing going on - and being a blogger, you can imagine how much I am chomping at the bit to talk about said BIG thing! So we buy Woman's Day each week to check it out and nadda (not there). I am sure they would tell me when it was going to press, but we (people in my office) get a kick out of seeing who has had me bumped each week - this week, bets on that it was Jodi Gordon (hot story of the moment, compared to my not so racy and raucous story). I actually think we'll be disappointed the week it comes out - we'll have to think of another game Monday mornings!

June 15 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

I thought I'd buy into the debate happening (see 60 Minutes last night) about whether women are returning to more traditional roles and chucking in their careers - because they've realised they can't have it all afterall. I often get asked the question how I do it all and I addressed this in my book - "Girl's Guide to Turning Your Turning Your Idea into a Business" - Section 3, 'The Balancing Act'. Here is a little extract:

The Balancing Act

A very hot topic is how to deal with the ever-increasing demands on us as women, mothers, lovers, friends and businesswomen. Not to mention getting in exercise and eating a healthy balanced diet. So much fuss is made about all the roles we have to play and how demanding and overwhelming this is. I just don't subscribe to this school of thought. Like everything, how you perceive a situation is exactly how it is. If you perceive that something is hard, then hard it will be.

If you want more, then go buy my book - I have a mortgage to pay!

xMel

June 10 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Good Morning!

What a gloriously windy day in Sydney today - and I have to go into the CBD with Narae where the high rise buildings make for great wind tunnels and the temperature is a couple of degrees colder!

I have exciting news. My beloved Narae has done a deal with Yahoo!7 for melissaseymour.com to become a part of Yahoo!7 Travel. So I am joining them as a Travel Blogger, posting regular blogs & vlogs and they will also host my travel columns for My Child Magazine. For the most part, my travel exploits will see Brad & I travel the globe in style - sounds exciting huh? - but here is the kick - with our kids in tow. There will be long distance car travel (my cherished ones are 2 & 6 ;) ), long haul plane travel (never before have upgrades been so important!) and we'll flush out the best hotels for you to stay in, if you are (I guess even if you aren't) traveling with children.

Every time we travel, we'll have new tips we've learnt and I'll be posting these up to my blog immediately. In fact, when we're 'on trip' we'll be posting (well, I will be. It may be a little beyond Brad's computer skills at this point. Teaching him will be a good idea before I go - travel tip number 1.) DAILY, sometimes more, but at least daily. We'll also be Vlogging, so you can take in detailed parts of our destinaton - and we'll throw in some of the kids tantrums, they'll love us when they're older.

Are they the echos of someone screaming child exploitation? Nope, they are not. They are the sounds of Kimora, here I come... with a tiny little budget.

xMel

June 9 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Good Afternoon!

Good News first! I am going to let you in on a little shopping secret of mine mywardrobe.com - go straight to the 'sale' section which is perfect (when shopping on any sites in the Northern Hemisphere, because we are always a season behind the UK & US) so we are shopping on trend. The sale is driving me nuts and I've already ordered twice from it. If you like designers like By Malene Birger, Antik Batik, Betty Jackson and Tara Jarmon then do yourself a favour and check it out... My last order arrived like this: I shopped Friday night, it was delivered Monday afternoon. Insane.

And here comes the bad news. If you believe Michael Pascoe who writes for The Age and is a regular media commentator on all things Finance, then WE ARE IN A TECHNICAL RECESSION afterall. You can read about it here. He makes an excellent argument for it. And if you believe it, it unfortunately makes this week's issue of Grazia look pretty 'off trend' as they celebrate the fact that we aren't in a recession and tell everyone to just shop shop shop!!

Which is pretty much what I've told you to do too - and in another Country. Which, if I'm honest with myself is just plain wrong. K Rudd will be outraged. We're supposed to be keeping the Aussie dollar ashore. But when there is heavily discounted, favourite designers on sale, then... you do what is right for your conscience. I've already shopped twice, which makes me bad, very bad. But here's another secret...

I bought up big, VERY big on the Romance Was Born new season collection. They are Australian, they are fabulous so I think I can sleep at night. And I am not even slightly worried about the bill because we found a way to trade services. That'd be contra. Ain't that just fabulous! If you have a business, you've gotta try it out.

xMel

June 5 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Good Morning,

Gosh, wouldn't you hate to be working at Network 7's publicity department today? Have you seen the front page of the Daily Telegraph (Sydney). Who knows what happened, but to make any comment on it all - apart from wishing her well and hoping she is ok today (it would have to be a pretty bad feeling waking up to this media storm today) - is that there will be so many different versions of the story doing the rounds. Only Jodi knows what really happened and I bet a million dollars, that whatever comes out from her camp - will be designed to protect her image and sponsorships which include being the face of Crystelle Lingerie. So as intriguing as this story is, don't bet on finding out the truth. Her image to date has been squeeky clean, so I am giving her benefit of the doubt that something really terrible happened to her - in that whatever she set out to do, she ended up in the wrong hands and things got way out of control. Her drink could have been spiked at a function and she ended up with the wrong people. That's what I'm betting on. I have had my drink spiked before and thank god I sensed it and my girlfriend took me straight home where I had to get another friend to come and stay with me because I was out of control - in my own home (hallucinating, trying to be a stripper - yes, out of control). So I can imagine how easily this could have happened to her. Have sympathy. As I said, you won't ever know the truth and nor should you.

Hot on the heels of Jodi's predicament is news that her fellow Home & Away star Lincoln Lewis has a sex tape of him and another unnamed 'starlet'. Apparently it was filmed on a mobile phone. It appears (not that I've seen it) but from media reports, to be all consensual so - YAWN.

So, I'm betting the publicity department at 7 will all enjoy a well earned drink tonight and will be glad it's Friday (not for the senior staff though, the Jodi story isn't going to go away fast, so their mobiles will probably still ring hot over our long weekend).

xMel

p.s. regular readers of this Blog will know that I'm an enormous fan of Vanity Fair Magazine and when it arrives I just get SO excited and can't wait to Number 1: read the Editor (Graydon Carter's) Letter. Since the Bush Administration has left Office, his columns are getting even more interesting - before he used his column pretty much in its entirety to Bush Bash. The Number 2: see what James Wolcott's got to say (I read his blog too) and Number 3: run a tall sumptuous bath, complete with oils, salts and whatever else I can dig up. Light about ten candles and ~~ask~~ plead for no interruptions and then just soak up the rest of the issue. The new issue has arrived. And it's a long weekend. Joy!

June 4 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Good afternoon,

I've got a couple of things for you today. Firstly, are you interested or do you know of anyone interested in an internship at my Marketing Communications Agency? We're looking for someone who has completed a degreeable course in web development - they must be proficient at Flash, Dreamweaver, Photoshop & Illustrator and have a strong understanding of coding. Photoshop is of the greatest importance - especially on all photos of me.

I just have to comment on the Chaser Boy's recent stunt pretending to be from Make A Wish Foundation to incredibly sick children in hospital - you have got to be f------ kidding. I don't get, how, in a group of seemingly intelligent men (there could be women involved in their production too) not one person could see how awful, distasteful and insensitive this is on every level. A PR stunt probably - it worked - it got my attention and I won't be watching ever again.

I'm writing from bed today - ah bliss! But today of all days, there is major construction going on next door - grrrrrr.

xMel

June 3 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Well, it looks like I got it wrong - the MTV stunt yesterday, that is. Apparently MTV have come out and said that it was all a stunt. All I can say is, Eminem is a great actor (!) I want to talk about an interesting (not) campaign that Melbourne has just come out with to lure women to the south - that Melbourne has better men than Sydney (yawn). Why does Melbourne always have to be 'better than' Sydney? Why can't they just be who they are and be satisfied with that? They have so much going for them - I would say, as someone who travels to Melbourne at least monthly, that Melbourne has better restaurants, better liquor licensing laws (you can sit at a cafe and just have a glass of wine without having to order food), better cultural events and you won't find the kind of passion and loyalty for sporting teams in NSW or probably anywhere for that matter. Melbourne is fantastic, in fact we've thought of moving there before. The only problem they have is their weather. It's their only downfall. Better men? I would say the men are better dressed but you don't choose someone on this basis alone. Give the campaign to our communications agency - L'umiere - I think they need an outsiders perspective.

Today I have been awarded 'The worst Best Friend in the world'. Sad but true. This is my tale. I forgot by besties birthday a few months ago because I was immersed in my own 'stuff'. A friend of hers who doesn't come close to being her bestie took her to lunch and then afterwards to a day spa (!) Meanwhile, I am oblivious to it being her birthday but chatted to her on the phone and she didn't say anything until the end of the conversation, when I finally stopped talking about myself to ask how her day was. "Oh, it was great darling, such and such took me here there and everywhere for my birthday.... can you imagine how small I felt? I apologise profusely but can't take back her day. So the other day, she was going to a Day Spa appointment and I said "Oh, maybe I could pay for it, you know, for your birthday" which is so BAD, I can't believe I actuallly said that - where is the thoughtfullness in that!!. So I call said Day Spa to pay in advance and they don't take my credit card (!*&%^**) So I owe her money now for a spa treatment she had booked for herself that I was supposed to pay for. I really need to get out of my own head!

June 2 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Good Morning,

Have you heard all the hype about Eminem walking out of the MTV Movie Awards because of the stunt performed by Sacha Baron Cohen? Well if you haven't I'll bring you up to speed (if you have, just skip over this part ;)). Well, SBC's new alter-ego the gay fahsion reporter Bruno was suspended from the roof and was flying around when mid-flight - let me just interrupt right here to say he was looking pretty gorgeous in his white feathered angel wings and white jockstrap - he ran into trouble and was lowered down into the crowd - gorgeous or not though, I don't think I'd appreciate his spread apart legs in my face. Which is precisely what happened when he landed on Eminem. What everyone is talking about today is - was Eminem walking out a stunt or not? Check out the pic below - what do you think? I think the look on his face says it all. xMel

June 1 2009 | [ Back to archive listing ]

Good Morning,

Seems I got my facts wrong, OR someone gave me the incorrect information (it was the latter, but who's pointing the finger?) about my story appearing in Woman's Day this week. It's not there. The feeling here in the office is that I look way too much like Claudia Schiffer on the inside front cover which would have knocked my story out of this issue. Ahhh, what to do? As a reality check, my husband told me of late I look more like the guy on the inside back cover. Now you're just going to have to buy it anyway to know what we're talking about. Husband was kidding, girls in the office weren't (even if they weren't, I'll take the compliment anyway - thanks chickette's). xMel

This is a pic of Claudia - in case you were confused (!)