"Why you're so upset, you don't even know her"

Twenty years.  It has been a long time.  Are we going to Hyde Park and Kensington Palace?  Maybe in the next few days?

Perhaps it was the radiance on her wedding day which captured people's imagination.  She looked so beautiful.  My childhood from the age seven was about a glimpse of her from newspapers and "not even " glossy magazines.  

Magazines in the Philippines in the 80's were mostly newsprint that one buys in the sidewalk.  But we had a monthly supply of Good Housekeping from America (God Bless my godmother!), which sometimes feature a few photo shoots of Princess Diana and her family. Newsweek and Time magazines also provided news on the Royal Family, so we read and were updated. The pictures they painted was such a fairy tale.  

Then as early as like 1987 (or was it '88?), rumours were surfacing about cracks in the marriage. I even played a puzzle game (based on an American game show) with my classmates sophomore year in high school just to assuage myself that yes, fairy tales do come true.  

Of course I was a fool, relationships and marriages are hard work.  People who thought they were in-love in the beginning then discovered they have nothing in common, separate.  What chances do arranged marriages have for bliss and longevity? (Although I had a discussion in Singapore with a colleague about her happiness and contentment on her arranged marriage. Really?). 

So, Princess Diana's union with the Prince of Wales fell apart. I concluded he was a fool for enticing a 20-year old into a world of heartache. After that I just wanted Princess Diana to find her joy.  If it was another union or working on her charities, so be it.  She auctioned her dresses for a cause, that was very kind of her, to give of herself to others.  

When she died in an accident, I was bawling, perhaps the only celebrity who made me so sad.  I cried for her youth and her potential to find comfort and serenity.  But she was ever so brave for taking the cause of Land Mines.  I didn't even knew about land mines before she pushed that issue into the forefront. 

Despite her soft voice and ideal family, I find Kate Middleton features a bit too sharp. She doesn't have the delicate charms of Princess Diana. She has a degree from Uni, masters in history of art.  She should be relatable. Plus her mom's company Party Pieces is so convenient for my daughter's birthday parties as well.  But I couldn't dissect any resonance.

While Princess Diana was the manor born, did not even study for a degree and yet she was the one who could project charisma.  Maybe it was the clothes she wore but I reckon it's the age of social media and the internet.  There are a lot of celebrities in these modern times. Reality television like TOWIE, Love Island et al has catapulted a lot of unknowns into front pages of Hello! magazine.

But then they are the Royals  (ceremonial, ribbon-cutting purposes) -- magazines, newspapers and websites would find them newsworthy, whether it's having their photographs taken in their tour of Commonwealth nations or the choice of school for their children. Although I haven't seen any outpouring of grief in the scale of the Diana funeral in the 20 years since her death.  Not even Michael Jackson nor the Queen Mother.  

So why did I get so upset when she died when I didn't even know her? Because, my dear Prince William, she had the allure of an angel? Or my life was so boring compared to her headline-grabbing session at the gym? I don't know, she just did and she still does after two decades. Despite the mean things trolls say about her.  Well, trolls, sorry, you don't have as much impact with your dead-end lifestyle.

my love from the star ph

It has been such a joy viewing My Love from the Star, the Philippine remake/adaptation. It was such a heartwarming love story.  I've not really been a connoisseur of Korean drama/comedy series during the past 15 years.  Although I was such a regular viewer from 2000 to 2002, prior to Youtube and before K-dramas popularity exploded in the Philippines.  I still don't follow them now and the actors I used to watch are now older and would probably be playing support roles.

But since I have to play background shows/vlogs when I do chores like ironing, folding or packing for work.  I chanced upon the first episode of My Love from the Star from GMA network.  The last time I embraced a drama series was Judy Ann's Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala and I only watch Judy Ann Santos and no one else's.  I read the headlines of the young stars of Philippine show business but I don't watch any of their programs. I wonder how they sound.   

But since English Only Please, I don't mind Jennylyn Mercado and her films and Sarah Geronimo (although I only saw her movies with Gerald Anderson, that's it). 

The concept of My Love from the Star (or You from Another Star or You Who Came from the Stars, Korean-English translations be damned) is about an alien (Matteo Domingo) stuck on Earth for 300 years (400 years in the original version) and about to leave Earth in three months when he crossed paths with a high-strung, self-absorbed actress (Steffi Chavez) as neighbor. Aliens or immortality are a  kind of creepy concept.  But it's something different, much like Superman and Lois Lane. 

The alien in the GMA version is Gil Cuerva, 21, no prior acting experience and  (owner of such beautiful, luminous skin) paired with someone (Mercado) with a few Best Actress trophies displayed in her gorgeous house.  And ta da .... they had chemistry.  They were believable as a couple.  I've read tweets and yes, age is just a number, the nine-year age gap is not apparent through the magic of make-up?   For a newcomer, Gil Cuerva's  acting is actually viable.  He could project and his presence registered well with his emotions.  I didn't expect a Piolo Pascual or a Jericho Rosales level of camera nuances. But the young man could actually pursue acting.  

I've seen a few actors (hyped by machinery) project with a lot less muster.  They try to cry, to deliver punch lines but it's still a vacuous enterprise. (Steffi Chavez  said it well in her critique of an usurper, "umiiyak na iyan ha, pero wala akong ma-feel"). Jennylyn played it big in the first few episodes and then settled down and delivered the goods.  I don't know with other actresses her age but she has amazing skills and she could soar further in her career without an FHM magazine title attached to her image.  I love her outfits in the series.  Kudos to the stylist. And the set designers, you know only the rich could afford those neighbouring condominium units. 

Joyce Bernal is good with kilig.  Kilig rules Philippine mainstream showbiz since the black and white era (so annoying). I know it was a throwback (more than a decade later from its release when I saw it) but Joyce Bernal made Judy Ann-Onemig pairing work.  Or Regine-Robin.

 The cinematography in the series was quite passable, the Korean version had all the technology of course. But the remake's  special effects weren't too deflating.  Something might have just been amiss with Gabby Eigenmann hanging from a building or Jennylyn flying in the air. But I'll let that go.

With the writing, there were only a few bits and pieces from Matteo's past lives.  I have to re-view an episode on how he acquired vast track of real estate gems.  How does the lead male character maintain his assets when one dies every ten years? It didn't explain who would inherit his properties by the time he leaves Earth.  Maybe the writers just ran out of time. And the ending did not explain anything (except for the kilig!).  I read the Korean drama recaps and I realise that logic is hard to explain in the world of make-believe.  But whatever loopholes, this is still a feel-good story, very light and soft, makes you forget about the mess in the world.