This post is my version of a Spin album review

Adam Sandler was the epitome of my Jewish phase in crushes. I used to like his skits in Saturday Night Live, especially his Count Dracula alter-ego for SNL's Weekend World News where he'd sing/scream his news reports. As he eventually did in almost all his movies. And his records. (Am I the only one in the planet calling records 'records'?) I'm no fan of his movies, but I look forward to the soundtracks of those movies.

So when I heard that the soundtrack for '50 First Dates' was ska-inflected, I thought the guy was up to something. Had the opportunity to listen to the entire CD last Wednesday at Janice's place.

One thing with Sandler? He knows for a fact that the kids of the 80s are now the ones with the bulging pockets, the ones with the most purchasing power. Therefore, serve the kids of the 80s - now the rich ones in their 30s and 40s - a slice of their lost youth and you've got what I predict to be a hit OST. Hey, if it's a formula that worked with 'The Wedding Singer' it might as well work with '50 First Dates'.

The ska inflections on 80s (and some early 90s) songs was a very good concept. It worked especially well with 311's take on The Cure's 'Love Song' (sure to become a Globe/Smart ringtone in two weeks) and Wayne Wonder's 'Hold me Now'. I was especially giddy to find The Cure's 'Friday I'm in Love' (done by UB40, if I remember it right). I now understand why I managed to find the song in last Sunday's Smart Ringtones list (which I of course downloaded and is now my current ringtone) (I shudder upon realizing I just talked about RINGTONES. If I start talking about metrosexuals, Tim Yap, or even refer to Boracay as Bora, god help me.) 'Friday I'm in Love' is, unfortunately, a casualty of a high school disease that I term as 'soundtracking', i.e., attaching songs of the moment to significant events in your cheesy and pathetic high school era. My significant event for that song? Well, er, that was the song for that week in '92 when the ex started to walk along with me towards anywhere in LB. Ngark.

Low points of the soundtrack? I didn't quite like UB40's version of, well, 'Friday I'm in Love'. The soundtrack sort of faltered by the 8th track. (Unfortunately, I can't remember the rest of the songs and the artists that remade them.) All in all, the OST to '50 First Dates' is a guaranteed car-stereo staple. (I shudder again to realize I just sounded like a pithy album review never to make it either to Rolling Stone or Spin.)

Right now, I feel like my car about to run out of gas. Sputter, sputter, jolt, jolt. I think: is it my wire bra that has been jabbing on my boobs? Is it the 3rd cup of coffee working its wonders on my nerves? Or is it the fact that I'm starting to get hungry.

Heel, Amy, heel.

Thank goodness for the TOPS e-groups birthday reminder alert. Once again, I was about to forget Aileen's birthday today. Good thing also that it's only the morning of April 16 where she lives. Managed to send a quick e-card.

Since I'm on the subject of new music releases, I'd like to say something about the new Sarah McLachlan album, the title of which escapes my memory right now. But the title is not my concern. Now I remember: Afterglow. (A favorite word of catukayo, hahaha.) I started to dislike her music and her image with 'Surfacing', what with all those songs that scream 'Include me in an all-chick compilation album!' and 'Won't I be great in a Dawson's Creek soundtrack album?' It didn't help that she had that boa feather thing going on, as well as the highlighted-short-hair-with-little-clip look. In other words, her image screwed up her music.

'Afterglow' tries to rectify those years of lunacy. And it succeeds.

It might be obvious to Sarah McLachlan fans that I prefer the 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy' phase of her music. Sentimental, without being overly cloying. Bittersweet, without the pitfalls of Alanis Morissette-type pseudo-feminist ranting. The video for 'Stupid' (which I just saw this afternoon, prompting this portion on her) harks back to Paula Cole's 'I Don't Want to Wait'. Methinks the fact that she just had a baby and is of the 'I will not succumb to the image-makeover that Jewel did' mindset at this stage in her music. In other words, no short skirts, no boobs being flashed, no back-up dancers.

Change of topic.

I had a very, very exhausting Wednesday and Thursday. One good thing that came of those two days were the people I managed to meet and spend time with.

I finally met my travel agent, a.k.a. Ate Lyn, a.k.a., Kuya Jon's wife. Kuya Jon, a.k.a my cousin. True-blue Colanta, what with those marked eyebrows. Was pleased with the two boxes of buko pie that I dragged through Diliman and to Manila and finally to Ortigas (along with two other boxes for Janice and Frenzy).

Janice and Frenzy, my reliable Ortigas companions, with which I blow my money on food. With them, I really eat. A lot. And get to sample restos I would never dare step into by myself. I have to admit the pizza was too pricey, but hey, I am flexible with my food. (Pricey pizza today, munggo tomorrow.) Ended up at their place with good old SMB Light - because the conversation topic called for it. Well, let me just say it's, yet again, about dating misadventures and psyching out men. I'm getting to be a bit tired of this topic but to me it's like sisig - just when I'm about get nauseous about it, I start to like it again.

Next day, I met up with Tanja to help me look for clothes. First order of business: look for a blazer. It was not funny. Don't want to recall it anymore. To make the story short - I ended up buying only one blazer, when my list called for several items. A good thing that came out of it was chancing upon Pooching, who was harassed that morning on account of her shitty TV crew who were embarassingly late for an interview shoot with the director of the National Museum. To think that the guy doesn't do interviews and only agreed because Pooching is a friend. She also got pissed with her son, for reasons which escapes me. So when I chanced upon her, she was still in ranting mode. Tanja and I could only listen with amusement. Am thinking of looking up Edward Said books for her when I do my book hunting in NY.

Wire bra and now-growling tummy still distracts me.