"The mind is a terrible thing to waste."

We are different from the rest of the animal kingdom. Walking on hind legs, hairless skin, small build, it looked like man would be the weakest animal on the planet except for one thing. It had intelligence.

Today's advanced technology is attributed to the power of man's brain. Mankind was able to invent and discover many things but that doesn't mean intelligence works only for that. Most people think intelligence is all about math, science, wearing glasses, and getting high grades. But intelligence is more than that. Intelligence also covers the capacities of the mind to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn.

Ever since I was young, my dad was a street-smart person. When we would go to supermarkets with stands that gave away free samples, my dad always encouraged me to take as many as I wanted even if I thought I was taking too much. If we got caught by the policeman for traffic violations, my dad kept a cool head and smoothly talked his way out of getting tickets. He told me he was a bit mischievous in his days and I admired his cunning and his quick-thinking that often saved us inconveniences in life. If there's one thing he taught me in life, it's that cheaters never win but squares don't either.

As I grew up, I learned to use my intelligence and develop my cunning. When I was caught during the haircut inspection (That was really unfair. I have no idea why he thought my hair was long.), my mind suddenly awoke. It recognized being caught as a problem, a possible inconvenience for the next week and simply annoyance. It quickly thought of solutions and possible outcomes. Run away? No, they'll probably chase me and I'd be in more trouble. Hope they forget? Very unlikely. Since I wasn't caught by any of the earlier officers, I assumed they thought my hair was ok. My plan was to get an alibi to get through. It could work. So I went up to the next officer and asked if my hair was long. He said it was fine and told me to move along. Now, I had an excuse to go back into the line and move along. As I passed by the officer that caught me, he didn't so much as lift a finger to stop me. Either he was too preoccupied or he thought I was listed already. I didn't pull a magic trick and 'cheated' or anything, I simply asked the opinion of another. With that, I stepped back into the sunlight and marched triumphantly back to the classroom defeating my supposed fate.

In a way, I am like a robot or a computer. I analyze problems very thoroughly and think of possible solutions. Then, one by one, I think of possible outcomes and the chances that it may fail or succeed. Once I find a reasonable solution with a high success rate, I take it.

This is how I go through everyday life. Assessing details and finding the most efficient way possible to solve them.

I do this because being calm and calculated keeps me confident. And feeling confident keeps me secure and comfortable. I am very proud of this gift and I thank God for giving me this and I thank my father for teaching me how to use it to its utmost value.

The stage is set.

The cards are dealt.

The time is right.

And, I move in for the kill.

I am Joshua Tan and this is how my everyday problems go down.