and the correct answer is...

A couple of nights ago, The Husband and I decided to inject a little bit of novelty into our week, by joining a few friends at The Kingslander Pub for its weekly quiz night. We did not regret the decision. It was a fun night, despite the fact that we weren't even close to winning the damn thing. Thankfully, we weren't the bottom-most team either.

Based on this experience, I'd have to say quiz nights are a marvellous Kiwi tradition. Well actually, I'm not really sure if it's a Kiwi-thing, since this is the first time I've ever been to one, but it is certainly popular amongst the locals. Not only is it a great way to meet people, hang out, and have a drink or two, but you're also being mentally challenged in a way you probably haven't been since passing your fifth grade General Knowledge exam. And of course, it only gets harder, more challenging, and slightly silly, the more alcohol you have in your system.

From Food and Drinks, Sports, Entertainment, to Geography, History and Music, the questions span various categories, and the team that accurately answers most of the questions by the end of the night, wins. Speaking of which, I'm not quite sure what it is you actually win - but who cares when you've already had a few glasses of wine, and remembered just in time that it was The Righteous Brothers who sang 'You've Lost that Loving Feeling'?

For those who've never been to one, I can assure you, it isn't easy. After all, how many of us know or remember, the name of the person who shot the other person in the first televised murder in history? Or the name of the classical composer who died a long, long, time ago, and was dug up years later to have his head removed? I certainly didn't learn that piece of trivia in my ten long years of musical education! Nevertheless, if you're slightly nerdy like I am (okay, I didn't just admit that), you'll have a fun time wrecking your brains to figure out the answer, possibly surprising yourself with what you know, and what others do.

We'll definitely be going back again; but in the meantime, I need to find an atlas and memorise it. I am hopeless when it comes to geography, and wouldn't be able to point out Lima, the capital of Peru, if you had a gun shoved to my head.