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I have lost count on how many weeks I have gone jogging with Jihan, my blockmate. I think it has gone on for the entirety of the past month. She did ask me if I wanted to go jogging with her, and we set up this twice-a-week evening thing, all in the name of getting fit.

I'm still at a loss where she found out I was jogging in Ateneo on Sunday evenings. I do that at pain of loss of priviledges and a deteriorating hypertension that is bothering my body.

I knew I needed some form of motivation. I find that if I do engage in self-improvement, I like knowing I'm not self-improving for MY sake alone, and that I can help somebody else. Jihan mentioned a nagging diabetes history in her family, so I agreed, lest she start taking insulin shots.

It's been quite an interesting arrangement. I pick her up at her boarding house in Teacher's Village, go to Ateneo, and run an average of three (3) kilometers a round. Then I drop her home. We meet up two days hence. If it rains, we re-schedule, and keep at it.

It's fun. I can mentally re-live my "inner wannabe Patrick Vieira" as I rush past the football field.

We run. We walk. We jog. We talk. We discuss school events. We discuss weird anecdotes that we've heard passed around. We've discussed secrets, and my strange talent of getting to learn people's secrets. We talked about family, the block, possible plans for the future, and the occasional health tip or two for the newbie runner (which we both are).

Running is a boring exercise. Hence, having her around helps alleviate the boredom! After all, an iPod or a CD player can only go so far, depending on the music selection.

I also have found the arrangement to be a factor that has been drawing me closer to Jihan. I remember a time when she'd regard me with darting, suspicious glances from our Non-Fiction class (particularly at how I would be one of the class' harshest critics). Nowadays, she can ask me anything, however bluntly, and I can answer fully and honestly.

Heck, if there were some kind of impersonation going around a la Harry Potter's Polyjuice Potion, I'm in hot soup.

People say I'm losing weight. I just thank them. I'm not a good judge of personal development. I just do what I can.

Of course, if I start getting new breaks because of a spiffy new physique, I'll start owing Jihan a LOT. And I wonder if I can really repay.