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# A year of brilliance!

Today, 27 September 2014, I celebrate a year of membership in Brilliant. I've really learnt so much in the course of these 365 days. I really wanna thank Brilliant so much. And I'd like to share my story on Brilliant.

When I first joined Brilliant on that fateful day 27 September 2013, I was a noob. I mean REALLY noob. So at that time, Brilliant was still holding 1-week challenges, and had only 4 topics. Now, I would probably call that a rigid structure. But anyway, I learnt to enjoy the problems on Brilliant. They helped me rekindle my passion for math. But still, I solved them pretty easily. I craved more. More. More. By then Brilliant got a little... boring. I needed more math. More problems. MORE!!!!!!

And then, suddenly, Brilliant exploded. Exploded. The feed had changed completely, with so many new topics, new problems... It was just what I needed. Brilliant had finally evolved into a beautiful, bustling, gigantic, vibrant community. I met so many motivational people on Brilliant, like Finn Hulse and Sharky Kesa and so many other talented, amazing people. And all the time Brilliant was going viral. I managed to get people hooked on Brilliant too, like ZhiJie Goh, Luke Tan, Ng Yi Pen and others.

One day, I decided to try create my own problems. And then it got really fun. I thought of so many wild and fantastical ideas (but of course posted only the legit ones :D), and I didn't even tire. I was enjoying it.

All the time, my passion for math grew and grew, and my streak grew and grew. And Brilliant's community grew and grew. Brilliant, such a colourful, incredible, enjoyable community.

Of course, I had quite a few "close shaves" in the wrong sense. If Calvin Lin had stayed in Raffles Institution for maybe an hour longer, I would probably have met him. (lol :D)

I know my $$229- \text{day}$$ streak's dead, but that doesn't mean my passion is dead. I know, compared to people like Trevor Arashiro, Finn Hulse, Sharky Kesa, and Victor Loh, I am really still quite a noob on Brilliant.

But the problems have taught me perseverance and resilience.

The streak has taught me determination.

Its connectivity has taught me communication.

The feed has taught me how to present my problems, solutions and even allowed me to think from the perspective of the problem-setter to let me better solve harder questions.

So overall, despite my lowly status on Brilliant, I have really learnt so much from Brilliant, and these life lessons are what I find the most valuable. I'm not even a moderator. But at least, I enjoy Brilliant. I truly appreciate Brilliant. These life lessons are what let me know my time on Brilliant is worthwhile.

And so my story ends here. I know so many more people on Brilliant share this same story and, like me, have really benefitted so much from Brilliant.

So on behalf of all these grateful people, I'd like to say," Thanks so much, Brilliant." And I know that there'll always be new things here for me to explore, new problems to learn from, and I know Brilliant is going to expand and widen to eventually become one of the best sites in the world. Because Brilliant is truly -- Brilliant.

Note by Yuxuan Seah
2 years, 8 months ago

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Well just look at you! Calling yourself a "noob" on Brilliant when you have Level 5 in Algebra, Geometry, NUMBER THEORY, and level 4 in Combinatorics and Computer Science?? Boy, you're as much a noob as $$1+1=3$$.

Now drop the noobfulness, and get cracking! The streak ain't gonna build itself, ya'know?

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) · 2 years, 8 months ago

Thanks! :P · 2 years, 8 months ago

Special thanks to all these awesome people -- :D

@Victor Loh -- for your true awesomeness. And for being my true friend for so long :)

@Suyeon Khim -- for creating Brilliant, the website I love so much

@Calvin Lin -- for creating Brilliant too :D

@Finn Hulse -- for being a real genius and one of the nicest people I've met on Brilliant :D :D :D

@Sharky Kesa -- same as Finn (lol :D)

@ZhiJie Goh -- for allowing me to hook you on Brilliant XD and for your awesomeness too. :)

@Luke Tan -- for allowing me to hook you onto Brilliant :D

@Ng Yi Pen -- for being awesome and for allowing me to hook you onto Brilliant too :)

And so many others! To all of you guys, THANKS SO MUCH! :D :D :D · 2 years, 8 months ago

Awww, thanks. I recently had my year on Brilliant complete as well. September 21 (or thereabouts), 2013, I found Brilliant · 2 years, 7 months ago

Thanks :) · 2 years, 8 months ago

You've gotten it totally reversed. Compared to you, I'm the noob XD. And I love your problems, they're unique and always very original. · 2 years, 8 months ago

Aww thanks :D · 2 years, 8 months ago

Aww, thank you so much! :D · 2 years, 8 months ago

Oh, and special mention to these people too -- :D :D :D

@Charlton Teo @Joel Tan @Joshua Ong @Jowell Ling @Fengyu Seah @Michael Lee @TJ Ng · 2 years, 8 months ago

Thanks dear :) · 2 years, 8 months ago

ha ha thanks but i am also a noob the real studying real math starts now for me, thanks for mentioning me. I was inspired by you guys @Yuxuan Seah · 2 years, 8 months ago

i am also noobies lol · 2 years, 8 months ago

Thanks for your encouragement. I'm glad that newsfeed fed your hunger for more problems, and that you also enjoyed creating problems to contribute to the community. We have just started the Brilliant Wiki, and would appreciate your support by creating and editing articles, so that others can learn from you.

Oh, I was in RI for most of the day. Mrs Soh had to teach her class, so I met her for the 30 minutes before that. Then I met up with Miss Tang Keen Yeen, and we were sitting at the tables outside the staffroom (above the atrium) for quite a while. Then we went off for lunch at Crystal Jade.

It was a last minute trip back to Singapore for me, and I was quite rushed. I gave several lessons at SIMO, so you could have caught me there. The next time I'm back, I will try and organize something broader. Staff · 2 years, 8 months ago

@Calvin Lin the Brilliant wiki is really great! It would really offer some help to others who need it. :D I've written a few pages already lol · 2 years, 8 months ago

Argh too bad I didn't get in SIMO... :( I'll try though :D

I do really wanna meet you someday :) · 2 years, 8 months ago

Haha I want to too. · 2 years, 7 months ago

Nice!! Thanks for getting me hooked onto Brilliant :P · 2 years, 8 months ago