Arvin Tolentino actually had to interrupt his well-deserved vacation in Boracay, book an extra ticket to fly back to Manila, and then travel through the heavy Friday rush hour traffic to Antipolo only to get a couple of minutes of screen time while receiving his first Best Player of the Conference award.

Was it worth it? 

Every bit of it according to the NorthPort star.

And that short moment raising his plaque in front of a huge Finals Game 4 crowd felt like an eternity as he basked in the joy after winning the top individual honor in the conference – a sequence that he will repeatedly play in his imagination.

“Hindi ko in-expect na makukuha ko ito,” said Tolentino who stressed that his only focus was to help his team reach a higher level every after conferences.

And perhaps, the award was just a testament of the work he put in day in and day out just to achieve that goal.

“The whole time, I was just trying to be better. Trying to improve myself every day.

"And then, ito yung naging reward. Sobrang happy ako dahil every day, pinu-push ko yung sarili ko,” said the 29-year-old forward

“Not intentionally para manalo ng kung anong award (but) to really get better every day. To help my team win. And to hopefully win a championship again. It's a bonus.  I'm very happy. Kasi ilan player lang yung nakaka-achieve ng ganito. Yung name ko nandiyan na. Sobrang saya,” he added.

Tolentino just couldn’t contain the wide smile and elation after he bested fellow young star Calvin Oftana for the plum, along with perennial contenders in Robert Bolick, June Mar Fajardo and super rookie Jordan Heading.

And to be mentioned in the same breath with such great company, Tolentino is already proud of himself.

“Parang testament din also na kuung paano ako trabahoin every day na talagang... To be one of the best. Actually, like I said before. Mataas ako mga harap eh. I really want to be the best. And to be the best. Kailangan niyo yung pinaka-hardworking,” he added.

As for the interrupted vacation, there’s no qualms whatsoever for Tolentino. In fact, he would go back to Boracay and rejoin his family with a wider smile, this time for a much more deserving respite.