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Chapter 1: Only No 1 (2) – Part IV

Here’s the fourth part of Dr. Tzemin’s fiction. A Different Truths exclusive.

The wonderful thing is that although I couldn’t learn normally English, Mandarin, history, etc., which must communicate with others. However, God had secretly stuffed me a few super-powers that other children do not have. First of all, I can fully understand all the mathematical and physical contents, while intoxicating in daydreaming in class. Besides, I can draw vivid and fun comics and write out a lot of brilliant stories. Of course, this is another reason why I couldn’t make friends because these kinds of super-powers had severely defeated everyone who laughed at me. God wanted me to play a child with learning disabilities but on the one hand, made me possess math and painting talent, it’s too hard for me. Therefore, I have no choice always have been reincarnation between “the first place” and “the last place” in my whole life. This was interesting, wasn’t it?

As far as I can and memories, when I graduated from kindergarten, I got the first “No. 1” in my life with an old hen picture.

“Asperger’s disease” just made me into a boy, who with clumsy action and liked to indulge in fantasy.

During my elementary school, I met two teachers, one who liked sports, especially for vaulting box; the other who liked literature, especially in writing a composition. “Asperger’s disease” just made me into a boy, who with clumsy action and liked to indulge in fantasy. So I was not good at sports and I was very good at writing. I very clearly believe that in the mind of the former teacher, I should be the “last No. 1” student, and instead, in the latter teacher’s mind, I am truthful the “No.1” student.

When I was in middle school, the teacher kicked me out to the cattle-raising class for two disgraceful reasons. First, because my English score was always zero (of course, the “last No.1”), and second, after school, I have no money to go to his home for additional tutoring. However, my dear teacher did not notice that I didn’t need any additional tutoring. My math, physics, and composition always got full marks. I am the No 1 in the performance of these aspects, which is enough for me to enter the best high school in the county, and to be the king in my cattle-raising class.

Because of the slow pace of learning, when I was in high school, I was rushed to the cattle-raising class again from the gifted class.

But history will always repeat itself. Because of the slow pace of learning, when I was in high school, I have rushed to the cattle-raising class again from the gifted class. I will never forget that in our pre-university simulation exams in the whole school, I only took the final second place in the school (two hundred and one points). Later, the last one, the only brother in the world who has the means to lose to me, (two hundred points), committed suicide, made me won the title of “The Last No. 1” in the whole school back again. With an exhilarating mood, three months later, I was admitted to the Department of Chemical Engineering of the National Central University with extremely high-quality mathematics and physical scores, and defeated all the classmates who kicked me out to the cattle-raising class two year ago. Once again, I regained my “No. 1”.

When I was in college, the world outside the glass bottle attracted me deeply. I was addicted to mahjong gambling and fishing so that my grades were like a falling abyss. In a total of eight semesters, I had a total average of three-semester failures, and no one semester was higher than 70. Of course, when we graduated, it was another “last No. 1” record in my life. However, after finishing the military, after a year of very hard studies, it is unfortunate that I finally turned out to be the only person in the class who was admitted to the Taiwan University Research Institute, the number one school in our country, I changed back to the “No. 1” again of our class.

Because my IQ ranks the last one of the more than 1,000 people in the intelligence test of enlisting, the force commander determined that I was every inch an idiot.

Because my IQ ranks the last one of the more than 1,000 people in the intelligence test of enlisting, the force commander determined that I was every inch an idiot. In order to be sympathetic to my unpromising, he exempted me from strict military training. I was called to paint the barracks for three months, I could not reaffirm my admiration for him enough.

After the training, I became an administrative commissioner in the army, specialising in managing the money, and accidentally got the “No. 1” in the accounting review of the whole division. The reason was not that there was a complete zero error in my statement, but not a financial officer could understand how I figured it out, they had no choice but to give me the “first place.”

During my time at graduate school, I finally realised that life is still needed to work hard. However, the learning disabilities and bad interpersonal relationships brought about by Asperger’s disease make me often in a state of depression and embarrassment. In the end, I inevitably graduated with “the last place” again. After graduating, I decided to look for a second self. In the background of non-mathematics, I was admitted to the Institute of Applied Mathematics of Jiaotong University with my first choice. I became the only one who owns simultaneously the Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and the Master of Science in Mathematics of my classmates.

I have taught calculus for more than 30 years in college.

Now, while telling this story, I have taught calculus for more than 30 years in college. The students I have taught everywhere, even all over the country, but there were few really like calculus. I must be a “last No. 1” teacher, and this made me getting more tired of science and mathematics. Maybe I was old enough to think about retirement.

So now I want to pursue another life dream, I am determined to become a “No. 1” writer, cartoonist and Rubik’s Cube player in the world.

If you ask me: “What is your life volunteer?”

I hope to possess three pens and two squares. The three pens are chalk, pencil and ink-pen.

I will answer: “I hope to possess three pens and two squares. The three pens are chalk, pencil and ink-pen. Two squares refer to camera and Rubik’s Cube. Among them, chalk should be used as a teacher to teach countless schoolchildren; pencils be used as to be a painter, draw all the time brings evanescence of worldly affairs pictures of life; ink-pens be used as a writer, write all stories of my life. The first box is the camera. I want to use it to record people’s life. The second box is a Rubik’s Cube. I believe that the Rubik’s Cube will leave my name be handed down to posterity and make me be the universe invincible super genius.”

If you continue to ask: “What is worth boasting in your life?”

I will be very proud to say: “I must be the most intelligent idiot on this planet.”

(To be continued)

©Dr. Tzemin Ition Tsai

Photos from the Internet

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Dr. Tzemin Ition Tsai
Dr. Tzemin Ition Tsai (蔡澤民博士) is from Taiwan, Republic of China. He is a professor at Asia University (Taiwan), a scholar with a wide range of expertise, has won many national literary awards. His literary works have been anthologised and published in books, journals, and newspapers in more than 40 countries and have been translated into more than 20 languages.

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