Crazy brain

I've been getting a few emails lately from various Aussie friends in the UK on working holidays.  (As an aside, it makes me wonder at times why I chose Bangladesh for my quarter-life crisis.)  A few have commented about getting a particular line from The Waifs' song London Still stuck in their heads, whilst taking the Tube over to Camden to wander around.  (I don't know how many have bought some funky records with that old Motown sound, though.)

After writing the title for my previous blog post, I've had another Waifs song in my head - Crazy Train.  With a bit of creative word substitution, it's almost made today's experience of getting text messages, missed calls* and actual calls from various admirers** I've picked up along the way somewhat enjoyable.  I wish I was a good enough harmonica player to recreate my own groovy instrumental interludes to my poor singing of Crazy Brain.  I did have a little attempt, cos I brought my harmonica with me, but it was really unsatisfactory cos I'm shit at playing harmonica.  (Having your name in the instrument's name doesn't automatically mean you'll be good at it.  One actually needs to dedicate some time to learning and practising.)

So, all Waifs fans out there, maybe have a crack at seeing me in your kitchen and picturing me now as I toast to my small town and drink the happy hour (or dance around in my floral orange mu-mu and drink the oral rehydration salts)...

Oh crazy brain, rolling down that crazy BRAC***

* Missed calls are a peculiarly Bangladeshi phenomenon (this is a statement made from my extensive international experience, of course - particularly given that this is the first overseas trip where I've had a mobile!).  Basic gist is someone calls you but only lets the phone ring once before they hang up.  I'm yet to work out what the purpose is.  Maybe it's like when you first got your driver's license and honked the horn whenever you drove past a friend's house?  The 21st century way of saying, "I don't actually want to talk to you but I just want you to know that I'm thinking of you."  Which is all well and good, but a bit strange when the caller is someone whose number you don't have.  Or maybe, given that most people here aren't too flush for cash, they're hoping that you'll call back.  Again, well and good, but rests on the (usually misguided) assumption that you want to talk to them.  I think someone should propose an AYAD assignment for "text message education officer", to educate people about the wonders of the SMS.  If someone sent me a text saying "I want to talk to you about X but have no credit. Can you call me back?" I'd be much more likely to talk to them.  And text messages are so much cheaper than calling!

** "Admirer" is my attempt to be slightly more positive about my "stalkers".  Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic - there haven't been any gifts of toenail clippings or anything seriously film-script-inspiringly stalker-like.  Continuing to call after up to 15 calls have not been answered is a bit abnormal though, in my book.

*** BRAC is the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, the world's largest NGO (in terms of employees - over 100,000!) - and found in Bangladesh!  It is testament to the NGO "industry" here.  So yeah, totally unrelated to the "crazy brain" thing, except that it's Bangladeshi.  Pretty dubious association, but it made me have a little giggle to myself at my ingenious context-specific rhyming word substitution.

POSTSCRIPT: I just ignored 2 calls from my supervisor. It's 11:39pm, dude!  I'm bloody sleeping!  (Well, clearly I'm not given that I'm awake and typing this - but re-reading the above ramblings confirms that I definitely should be asleep.  Right after I hit "publish post" and expose my over-tired, diarrhoeatic thoughts to the world.  Or my small number of loyal readers, anyway.)