Our quarterly company social event at work was last Thursday night and I was in a competitive mood. Remembering that our group finished second the last time we were there, I was feeling ultra-confident that we would at least do the same if not better. Plus we had a zippy name – Quizimodos – to back us up. Unfortunately, the first question set the tone for the rest of the evening.

‘What is the name of the largest fish species in the world?’

I knew it had to be a shark but the five other people in my group seemed stumped. I tried guessing it was a ‘Great White’, while someone else suggested the moray eel (!). Ultimately, someone wrote down ‘Blue Shark’ and for the life of me I really felt it wasn’t right but at the same time I wasn’t sure if they were entirely wrong. As the questions came zipping by one after another, I was getting flustered and couldn’t think straight enough. The correct answer – the Whale Shark. For that first round, we got 1 question right — out of 5. Not good.

We fared better as the game went along but the damage was done. Other groups were getting just as many questions right and by the end, we didn’t even place in the top 5. Much like the last time, it did turn out to be a lot of fun in the end, and steady streams of wine and pizza made up for that hollow feeling of leaving empty-handed. I guess it’s just more motivation for the next time.