After 1 year 1 month and 4 days I finally made the leap from Expert to Candidate. It's been a really great trip but this isn't the end. M is the next goal and I'm not planning to take another year to get there.

My advice for any one out there who wants to reach CM is a quote I heard, "Obsession beats talent". So just spend a lot of time practicing and you'll just find your ratings sky rocket.