December has a way of asking for pauses, of reminding me that not everything needs to be shared the moment it happens. Some things need to be felt privately before they’re put into words.
That being said, I won an award in November, and I am writing about it now.
At the 18th Best Cebu Blogs Awards, Bean in Transit was named Best Cebu Travel Blog 2025.
Can you believe it?
This blog has never been loud. It didn’t grow by chasing trends or keeping up with algorithms. It grew slowly, through seasons of showing up and long stretches of silence. Through posts written late at night, during in-between phases of life, and in moments when I wasn’t even sure anyone was still reading.
For a long time, I learned how to shrink myself in rooms like that. To tell myself I was just lucky to be there. But that night felt different. I accepted the award knowing this recognition could have gone to someone else and that it still found its way to me.
What stayed with me most from the night was a shared honesty among many of us: that we’re tired. That we’re evolving. That some of us are quietly considering stepping away from blogging altogether. I’m one of them. I don’t post the way I used to. I don’t share every trip, every detail, every highlight. These days, I write when something feels true enough to be written down.
I never thought this space would be recognized as a travel blog. I’ve always believed my strength lived in reflection, in storytelling, in the emotions that travel stir rather than the itineraries it produces. Apparently, that still counts. Apparently, that still matters.
So thank you to the Best Cebu Blogs Awards for this quiet affirmation. And thank you to the readers who’ve stayed even when I disappear, even when the posts are few and far between. This win belongs to all of us who keep choosing honesty over noise, depth over reach, and stories that don’t rush to prove themselves.
Sometimes, the wins don’t shout.
Sometimes, they sit beside you and say, "Keep going, however slowly you need to."
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