A Tale of Two Steves

iTri. iSad.

Steve Larsen (1970-2009)
Uber Cyclist, Ironman Triathlete


Steve Jobs (1955-2011)
Visionary, Innovator.

Update: ICanTri for ICanServe

Dear Friends and Family,

I guess you know what they say about the best laid plans.

First The bad news: the Ironman event in China originally scheduled for this
weekend has been called off. Just weeks before the event was to take
place the organizers encountered problems with the local government. Repairs
being done in the area where we were to swim would apparently not be ready in
time.

Now for some good news. The organizers have been kind enough to give
the participants a full refund and a chance to join an Ironman event in another
destination. I am registered to swim, bike and run on July 3 in Jeju, Korea. More
importantly, I am determined more than ever to raise funds for the ICanServe
foundation. NOTHING WOULD MAKE ME PROUDER THAN to do this in honor
of the brave women that bravely fight breast cancer. Nothing would make me
humbler than having you help me realize this goal.

Donations and pledges can be sent or emailed to: javy.olives@gmail.com. For your convenience we can arrange to pick these
up too.

Thank you again.

Javy Olives

My Other Passion

My other passion has brought me halfway around the world to Barcelona, to attend the GSMA Mobile World Congress. This is not a shameless plug, I am really passionate about my work, and the industry in which it thrives. It's also the perfect way to forget the fact I'll be attempting an Ironman in less than 2 weeks.

Rewind. My passion for the Internet started way back in the late 80's/early 90's, when the world wide web did not even exist. Access to the Internet then was via direct dial-up (IDD), with a whopping 9.6kbps US Robotics Modem. The 'Internet' then consisted of Gopher Sites, and Usenets. Content was very limited but the idea of a web of networks intrigued me. Search engines back then were called Archie, Jughead and Veronica. Suprisingly, Jughead and Veronica actually stood for something - Jonzy's Universal Gopher Hierarchy Excavation And Display & Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computer Archives, although they were chosen first for obvious reasons, then forced to be acronyms later on.

A few years later came the real Internet - the World Wide Web. By then, the US Robotics modem was a speedy 14.4kbps, and local ISPs were born. The Google then was Webcrawler or AltaVista. THE web browser was Netscape Navigator, years before Microsoft 'eased' them out in a very controversial way.



I was in highschool and began studying Internet programming as a hobby. I built my first website and got hooked. After college, I went straight into programming. Ever since, my work (and now social) life has revolved around the Internet.

Fast foward to 2010. The buzzwords here at the MWC are SmartPhones, 4G, Mobile Internet, Mobile Payment and Telco 2.0. I encountered some interesting products and solutions over the first 2 days.

What caught my eye (pun intended) was a quite amusing but very interesting product by NTT Docomo - Eye Controlled Earphones. Yes, you heard me right. Apparently, slight eye movements cause electrical differences which are detected by tiny electrodes which reside on the earphones. Volume control consisted of rotating your gaze as if it were a volume knob. Looking left then right meant a play/pause, and looking to the right twice meant next track. Wild eh? What's next?

Demo-ing the earphones

This afternoon, I caught the demo of the Windows 7 Mobile Phone. Finally, it looks like Microsoft got it right. The OS is based on the Zune platform, so it's more a Multimedia device than a Microcomputer...thank God. Who the hell wants to see that little start button on the bottom left corner in a phone? It was very Iphone-esque but added some cool features, like Wifi synching. They had a cool setup too, a giant touch screen which served as a phone emulator.

Sweet looking interface!

Other cool stuff were...

Team Highroad's Scott Plasma @ HTC booth


Team Highroad's Jersey @ HTC booth

Chicks at the CBOSS booth

Whoops! Back to work.

T minus 9 days and counting...

'Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say. '
- from Pink Floyd's 'Time'

The Journey Begins

It's been quite a while since I've last blogged. I have been busy in different ways over the past month. After the Powerade Olympic Duathlon last December, I was meaning to begin training once again. As most of you already know, I will be doing Ironman Malaysia next month. However, several bouts with dehydration, freak fevers and a really bad case of food poisoning stopped me from training most of December. I literally got rid of all the shit of 2009, as I celebrated New Year's tucked in my hotel bed, stuffed with everything from Ciprobay to Imodium to Probiotics, to even Po Chai (a Chinese remedy for diarrhea which looks like goat shit). I was desperate. 8 days later I recovered, and it took a while for me to get my strength back. Finally, last week, my Ironman Journey began.

I can't help but look back at 2009, my first real year of doing triathlons.

It began with my first Olympic Distance Triathlon back in April, during the Terry Larazabal Bike Festival. There were not many of us, but the bike route was very tough, and the run was hella hot! In that race I learned how pacing is key.

Sweating buckets, hoping to see the finish line soon at TLBF

About a month later, came SUBIT, my 2nd Olympic Distance Triathlon. Again it was hot as hell, and over 300 of us were crammed into the swim start, making it a true washing machine. It was a tough day, but for the first time, I was able to hit my targets. In that race I was able to pace correctly and find my rhythm...something which til this day I still struggle with. Equally important was the 'launch' of sorts of Team Super - my triathlon family.

3/4 of Team Super at the Lighthouse Marina Resort in Subic

Back in August was last year's biggest local race, Ironman 70.3 Philippines. We all had a blast, including my stomach which went south 3km into the run. In that race, I learned how important the 4th discipline in triathlon is - Nutrition.

With Macca, Ironman World Champion

Redemption was the name of the game for quite a handful of us, and that's what we sought after at WhiteRock in November. The run course was tough, and so was the heat, but all of us crossed the finish line with a smile on our face.

Surprisingly I still had some energy left to pull of my signature headstand at the finish

There were a handful of footraces along the way, like the Happy Run, Mizuno 15k, and my first (and still only) Half Marathon at Condura which were welcome breaks in training. There were also a few Powerade Duathlons, which were not only well attended, but were challenging in their own right.

2009 was great. Multi-sport, not only triathlon, is growing by leaps & bounds...its exciting. 2010 is here, and I can't wait.

And so my journey begins (or has begun last week). In 6 weeks I try to conquer the Ironman - a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2 marathon run. So help me God.

With the help of my one-woman support group Hannah, my training buddies Drew, Mer and Hec, and my senseis Levy, Harvie and Makoy, hopefully my journey will be somewhat enjoyable.

'Til then...

'You call me a fool
You say it's a crazy scheme
This one's for real
I already bought the dream
So useless to ask me why
Throw a kiss and say goodbye
I'll make it this time
I'm ready to cross that fine line'
-Deacon Blues by Steely Dan

Weight and Motivation

It's that time of the year again...time for the dreaded Annual Physical Exam (APE). Last year, my APE was horrible. I was classified as Stage 1 Obese. I was well over 185lbs, ate very bad, drank quite alot of alcohol and smoked like a chimney. It was then when I realized I had to make a lifestyle change.

I started with boxing...and then started running because of Hannah. Part of that story is here. A month later, I literally and figuratively dove headfirst into my first triathlon. Since then I have been hooked. What started with a plan to lose weight and become healthy,has turned into somewhat an obsession.

My APE results came in last week, and it was not good. From being Obese Stage 1 a year ago, I was now classified as Overweight. I had high levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) which, as the doctor said, may lead to heart problems. He also said I should watch my diet and put in some exercise. This was not what I was expecting at all. After all the hard work and mileage I put in over the past year, I thought I'd be at least at the 'Normal/Average' range. Looking at the brighter side - I no longer smoke, drink...and I am no longer obese.

Oftentimes I find myself watching 'The Biggest Loser'. I guess you could consider it my guilty pleasure(aside from Dr. Love). I draw inspiration from the show, as I can relate with the hardwork that the contestants are putting in. My own 'Biggest Loser' Before/After is chronicled here. Just last weekend, during the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, the 2005 Biggest Loser winner, Matt Hoover, completed his first Ironman. Although he missed the 17 hour cutoff by just 3 minutes, He completed the distance. This is indeed an incredible feat for someone who lost half his body weight.


Another inspiring story at this year's Ironman World Championships is Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a double amputee (above the leg) and paralympic champion. After a great swim, he struggled to finish the 180km bike leg, and missed the bike cutoff. Unlike other above the leg amputees, Rudy chose to ride a normal bike instead of a hand cycle, which meant he had only his gleutal muscles to move himself forward. His quest to be the first above the leg double amputee to complete the Ironman ended prematurely, but he will be back.


I guess it is that time of the year...time to HTFU and work my ass off and try to be a BAMF like everyone else. I will be back, and at next year's APE, I hope to finally make the cutoff.