Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Quiz Show

A couple of weeks back a colleague from the office and I decided to go as a team to a quiz contest organised by the British Council as part of its World Book Day celebrations. Needless to say we both thought we would 'do very well'. Did you base this on any good reason or was it just plain arrogance, I hear you ask. Well the theme of the quiz was British Books and Movies. So now you understand that if I dont do well in this, well I'm never going to succeed in anything in life.
The quiz was fun though a bit nerve-wracking at times. I liked the college studenty-silly-geeky section of the participants -- because we clearly knew a lot more about the subject than them. Its these professional quiz goers who kind of ruined it for us. I felt like those Brits in Chariots of Fire. They were really just college students, lords and vicars who ran part-time; as a hobby. And when they got to the Olympics, they came face to face with these grim Americans who were professional athletes, all focused on training and diet and whatnot. They sort of destroyed the whole spirit of the thing by taking it all far too seriously. And it was the same with us, dear reader. These guys just learn facts. They dont really know the answer (like the guy in Slumdog Millionaire says), they just learn trivia. Thats the only way you could get Richard and David Attenburgh mixed up.
Anyway, all things considered, third place wasnt bad. Second was realistic actually but we were undone by a bit a bad luck with the questions in the last round. Still, cant complain. Got a Landmark voucher for our pains and some more experience under our belt.