These were the dreaded words I'd hear each time I started a new school or was with a new cohort. Little did I know that this phrase would follow me into my professional career as well.
Since starting my grad scheme three weeks ago (at the time of writing), I have had the same icebreaker repeatedly: 'tell us a fun fact about yourself'. Although I should have expected this, there was always that inevitable second or two of panic as I tried to think of a fact that was interesting enough to warrant its statement, without appearing boastful. Additionally, I couldn't just think of one single fact and use it repeatedly as often the groups included individuals I'd already met.
After a couple of days, I developed a repertoire of handy 'fun facts' and decided they were worth sharing for future reference, in the event that I ever find myself needing to reel them off again.
I've held a human brain before
In actuality, I've held several, but that doesn't have the same ring to it. Anyone I studied with would be extremely underwhelmed by this fact, as for those of you who don't know, I studied Neuroscience. However, outside of my cohort this is actually a very rare and meaningful experience; to hold the matter that determines everything about a person, from their thoughts and memories to their personality and physiological functions. It's hard to convey the feeling of having another human's whole life in your hands, but it's incredible to be able to have felt it!
I was in the Guinness Book of World Records
I'll warn you now, this fact sounds a lot cooler than it really is. In fact, I was tempted to leave it there, but to prevent dissatisfaction I'll expand. Essentially, when I was in primary school, the whole school (including the senior school and teachers) got together to compete for 'the largest hockey lesson' at the time (c. 2009). In turn, this meant that I was one of a few hundred people to hold this record (hence why it is less impressive on explanation), which has probably been beaten since.
The first time I rode a motorbike, I wrote it off
For the full story, click here.
I know someone who hired a hitman
This is my go-to fact and never fails to entertain, however for the sake of the individuals' privacy, I will keep details to a minimum. In short, I know of someone who hired a hitman (who turned out to be an undercover cop) to kill their spouse after the spouse decided to file for a divorce.
I've performed at the Royal Albert Hall
Similarly to Guinness Book of World Records fact, this one is best left unexplained as it becomes infinitely less impressive as I reveal the details, but in brief: at my first primary school I was a member of the choir, and we partook in a national school competition, with the winner being able to perform at the Royal Albert Hall. Admittedly, I don't remember much about the process, except that we competed in various venues beforehand and ended up in the newspapers and on TV! I recall us singing a few classics, including 'Surfin' USA' and 'In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle', with animal costumes for the entertainment factor too.
The 5 facts above are my go-tos as they warrant an explanation, without being ostentatious, however some back-ups include:
I can solve a Rubiks cube
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but it was a 2019 resolution of mine and I succeeded in February 2019.
This year I've read 60+ books
Every year I set myself a GoodReads challenge, and this year the aim was to read 40 books. COVID-19 actually enabled me to surpass this goal, and by Summer I'd reached my bucket list goal of 52. Since then, I've kept reading (albeit at a much slower pace). There's a post on my favourite books in the pipeline so stay tuned!
I've travelled to 70+ countries
The main reason I started this blog was to keep a digital diary of where I've been and my thoughts on each place. I absolutely love travelling and although COVID-19 prevented me from adding to this figure, I'm excited to explore again once we can.
I've skydived
This tends to get said a lot during icebreakers so I avoid it, but nonetheless this was a big bucket-list item for me, and was one of my favourite experiences to-date. To read more about it, click here.
My favourite hobby is skiing/snowboarding
Again, if you are an avid reader of my blog, this won't come as a surprise, however most people are shocked when I say that I love snow-sports. Regardless, it's probably my favourite pastime, closely followed by scuba diving.
As hopeful as I am to avoid this question in the near future, I actually love hearing other people's fun facts and hope that you enjoyed learning about mine too.
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