San Josenyong Gala is one of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2013!

In the beginning...

I started my blog last year, around July 2012, after trying my very first solo travel at Baler, Aurora. Too bad, I was not able to maintain the blog and it became stagnant for almost a year. Then, my interest in blogging was rekindled after doing so many travels alone and with other people. That was the time I felt the need to share my experiences and the joys I have felt touring the Philippines, and started writing blog entries again.

I formally launched my blog last July 2013 and from then on, I regularly posts new article every week. At first, my only audience are my family and friends. My mother actually joked, "puro kamag-anak lang naman natin nagbabasa ng blog mo eh!". That was true at first (and it was actually not half-meant but full meant! Lol!) After sometime, my viewership increased and I noticed that many of my new readers are actually not my relatives and friends anymore. I jokingly told my mother, "See ma? meron na kong mga readers na hindi ko kilala!"

My Blog's Objectives defined

During these past few months, I was able to ascertain what will be my travel blog's objective. The main objective is still for me to be able to visit all the Philippine provinces and cities. But in addition to that: 1. I decided I have to focus on visiting and promoting lesser-known and visited towns and places in the Philippines, and 2. I will promote heritage tourism and preservation, first and foremost, and nature (eco)tourism, second.

With these objectives in mind, I continued my most of the time solitary wanderings, visiting cities and towns, here and there, taking pictures of churches, ancestral houses, city and town halls, provincial capitols, falls, mountains, rivers, and any beautiful things my digital camera can capture.

Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2013

Perhaps it was really meant to be, I stumble upon an FB post in one of my groups about a writing project called "Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2013" and I became interested. Since I would like to reach more people and let them know of my desire to promote lesser-known and visited places in the Philippines, I decided to join the writing project. I fulfilled all the requirements and submitted my blog for consideration. Bloggers with blog which started July 2012 are qualified to be nominated by any blog/bloggers who would want to nominate them. The top 10 blogs with the highest number of nomination will be declared the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2013.

with Ms. Janette Toral, the proponent of the writing project

And through God's guidance and will, I was included in the roster of winners come the results day! It was a mixture of utter joy and surprise when I received an email telling me that I am one of the winners for this year's writing project. I was very happy because being part of the winner's roster means that there are people who appreciates my ideas, objectives and style of writing. I was surprised because there are many other very good blogs nominated which are also very deserving to win.

Aside from me, 2 newly-met (online) friends also won : RJ Abellera of rjdexplorer.com and Jeffrey Rilles of sarap-pinoy.com. Other winners include A Letter Writer, Wazzup Pilipinas, Online Jobs Lifestyle, Filipiknow, Business What Ifs, Travel Blog-PH, Teresay and Saranghae Korea.

The awarding was held during the Digital Influencers Marketing Summit 2013 last September 21 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, Pasay City. 

Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs

Being a winner of this writing project is a very overwhelming, and at the same time, humbling experience for me. It made me realize that I have to do my best to never fail my readers while also not failing my blog's objectives. It also has given me the much needed motivation to continue blogging, and improve my writing skills.

Thanks is due to Ms. Janette Toral of the DigitalFilipino.com, to the bloggers and readers who supported San Josenyong Gala, and also, to God Above.