Unwritten Thoughts

While visiting Pag-Ibig building in Makati to attend a housing seminar with my friends, I stumbled on a newly published magazine called Spiff. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary magazine but what really catch my attention was the “Powering up the call center life” line. So my hands (as well my wallet) automatically moved on its own and bought it together with my unhealthy breakfast for this day.

Without further ado, I present to you, Spiff (Maiden Issue - Vol 1 - January 200 Magazine from Atlas Publishing Co. Ltd. along with some of the “excerpts” and my opinion on each topics since I’m really fired up to write a very special feature this day.

—————————————-

Title: Spiff, Powering up call center life
Media: Print
Price: P120 or $3
Pages: 98
Front Cover: Queue! The phenomenon that is call center (I think they used mirror replication technique using their featured call center agents on this issue. The same technique was used in Motorola phone before which I really love as well. A very creative piece and cover!)

—————————————-

Editor’s Note: What is Spiff? In the call center circle, Spiff is a buzzword that incites or has a tendency to incite determination or action. In plain language, Spiff means incentives, gifts, prizes, freebies, favors, bonuses, money. You work hard and you are awarded with spiff - on top of your fixed, fat salaries! So despite their young age, these professionals are considered to hold one of the biggest buying powers in the country today. They enjoy life: eat out, watch shows, listen to good music, work out, shop, travel, save, invest. These are the reasons why you now hold the magazine in your hand. Thus, SPIFF, Powering Up the Call Center Life. (This is the first time I heard this term, my goodness! I’ve been working in IT field for almost four years now and I think I’ve been missing too much important terms these days. Thanks Spiff and thanks Mel for the enlightenment!)

Contributors:

• Kevin Sabino, Creative Director/Design Director
• Janette De Veyra, Art Director
• Alex Earnshaw, Photographer
• Amy Leigh Rollera, Night-Owl Bubble Babe Service Assurance Engineer
• Bailey Agustin-Dava, Fashion Editor
• Maria Preciousa Tierra Cadenas, Wyoming?
• Eric Soriano, Free-spirited, fun-loving and adventurous
• Catherine Jasmine Tagle-Garcia, Food Specialist

Cover Story: We often hear of the term call center. Everybody is talking about it: Great paying job, no need for college diploma or professional license, just the willingness to learn the acumen of the business, flexible in terms of working hours, and have good communication skill and behavior. (Very informative! If you will read this whole section, you will find stuffs which you never encountered before. A very good researched material guys!)

Ramp Up - Dressed to the 9s: They are called ‘people of the dark.’ But they are far from gloomy. They radiate with energy, excitement, and enthusiasm as they report for work at night in the different call centers in…

• Novid Jafari, Team Leader at ICY Group
• Pauline ‘Pai’ Valenzuela, HTMT Representative
• Mitz Sumalinog, Team Leader at Confabia, Inc.
• Patrick Joseph ‘PJ’ Calpo, Team Leader at HSBC Alabang
• Danika ‘Nikka’ Yap, Trainer at Vision-X Global Solutions Inc.
• Anthony Ortiz, Real Time Analyst at APAC Cubao
• Bailey Agustin-Dava, Client Relations Manager at Vision-X Global Solutions Inc.
• Carl Alejandrino, Former Event Planner
• Pamela Cruz, Team Leader at Convergy’s Makati

(This is one of the many reasons why I like SPIFF! They give other people to shine and not only to gather all the shine or fame by themselves. How I wish I can post my stuffs here as well. Too bad, I don’t have any SLR camera and small studio yet, but who knows I might have it this year, hopefully. Visit http://makeupbycher.multiply.com for more details)

Ramp Up - Cool coverups: Brrr! It’s cold inside and out. But that doesn’t mean saying good-bye to fashionable look. (Ah yes! I forgot my own coverup at my uncle house! Grrr! Is Reydogg the name of the model here?)

Ramp Up - Window Shopping - A Guide to Buying Online by Bailey Agustin-Dava: A call center professional’s life is shifting: Up at night, down at day. Because of this unusual work schedule and life style, call center professionals rarely have time to shop. They’d rather hit the sack or go some place else to relax and unwind from the very stressful work that they do. (I only tried buying online once but I didn’t bought for a product, I bought a service which enables me to access the full feature on a certain online game. Arg! I’m such a game addict! Oh, and thanks for the links too.)

Ramp Up - All That Bling: ‘Tis the season for blings and more blings! (They featured earrings, necklaces, cuffs and bangles, bracelets and wristwatches on this section. If you’re a true kikay, this is a must see section!)

Ramp Up - Bag it and Go!: Pack your stuff in funky, but stylish bags that come in cool patterns and hot colors that match hip ankle-length zip-up boots, chic pumps or dainty slip-ons. (My mother will surely love this section! They featured bags and shoes on this one which I can only view on SPIFF. Well, it’s a girl thing anyway.)

Ramp Up - Cacha Bag! No Plastic, Please by Bailey Agustin-Dava: Wanna be a hero? Yes, you could be a hero in your own little way and help save mother earth. Start off by helping to slow down the process of global warming. How? Say no to plastic. Lke plastic bags. Did you know that a regular polythylene-based plastic bag take 100 years to degrade the environment? The best option? Cacha bag! (I totally agree with you on this one Bailey. Nice article and surely, environmentalists will surely love your piece. Say, why don’t the congress pass a law which bans plastic stuffs in the Philippines? We can always think of an alternative, right?)

Ramp Up - Scented Mallows on your feet! by Bailey Agustin-Dava: Times have flipped. Who would have thought that the lowly rubber slippers, now populary as flip flops, can be worn - and accepted - the in the workplace? (Well, I love wearing slippers as well but it hurts my feet since I’m always on the go. I also need my feet to be protected whenever I’m out of my house. Nice collections by the way!)

Tech Squad - A Touch of I: Overall, iPod Touch is a notable thingamajig but due to its price tag and limited capacity, it may give some shoppers a “break in proceedings” before they shell out their moolah. (You should watch PC World ’s Durability Test of this product in YouTube, it will surely give you a long “Awww”. Hehehe)

Tech Squad - ZENsational!: The long quiet Creative Zen is back! (I’m quite excited to see this product personally as well but I will stick to my iPod Nano for the meantime. I’m such a poor guy.)

Tech Squad - Vivid Video: Aside from Apple iPod Touch, there’s another thingamajig that makes you feel as if you are on cloud nine: Archos 605 Wi-Fi. This exceptionally designed portable video player(PVP) has a 4.3 inch TFT LCD vivid, right, glare-resistant screen, and displays a resolution of 800×480. Whoa! Another distraction for us, guys! (Yeah! Raise the roof! My father will surely love this one, maybe I should buy this item a birthday gift for him this coming March, what do you think?)

Tech Squad - The Skinny on PSPs: Who in the world is not fascinated with the new PSP (Playstation Station Portables) which is 30% lighter and 19% slimmer? (Well, I am not really fascinated by this one. But hey, I like the TV-out feature. It’s a conflicting point of view, right?)

Tech Squad - A Speaker In Your Pocket: Now comes another gadget which you can pair with your portable media player or with your favorite mobile phone: they LG MSP-200 portable speakers. (My mother’s laptop speaker is surely a bummer! I didn’t even know why the heck it has a poor quality when we bought it at a higher price! I swear to all alien lords that I will buy this for her!)

Rec Room - Survive and Thrive During the Holidays by Eden Carlos: Sometimes, we can’t help bu, feel a tinge of trepidation whenever the holidays are near. Sure, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, as the song goes, but it can also trigger stress and in, some, the blues. (I feel the same way too. Thanks for the encouragement! A must read for those people who feel low every time a holiday is getting near.)

Rec Room - The Zzz Factors: Catch That Elusive Sleep - Quick! by Eden Carlos: You’ll be surprised - it’s not just your job that affects how you sleep, but also how long takes you to get to your job. (I suggest to add in “So what do we do to make sure we get enough sleep section”, to say a silent prayer and thank God everything that happened to you in that day. An informative section especially for me who only sleeps four to five hours a day)

Rec Room - Eeek! Is this me? How To Look Fresh and refreshed After the GY Shift: You hang your headset, stretch a bit, and stand up. Your GY (Graveyard) shift is up. You are ready to hit home - and the sack. Then, you catch ’somebody’ in the mirror. You look closely. (Wah! This is not me! Thanks to this helpful article! I can save myself from everyday stress and rejuvenate myself after office hours!)

Rec Room - Puff Till You Drop by Ernee Lawagan: People smoke for a number of reasons - from emotional to physical, to psychological. It relieves tension and stress, it makes them feel more sophisticated, it makes them think better or gives them alertness in their work. (I stopped smoking three years ago and it took me a couple of days for me to stop smoking. My relatives are smoking and I am not against it since according to them, they benefit from it. Tobacco has been a special trade item even before Spanish came to the Philippines and it may take a miracle for a country to completely ban such thing for its people to use it. Kudos to you!)

Release - A Virgin Makes it On The Floor by Lotus: He is such a darling and each of his growing days makes him look more and more like his father. It’s just too bad his look-alike won’t be around to witness this phenomenon. (I like your courage to share your story Lotus. I learned a lot of things from your story and I hope for your son’s good future as well.)

Help Line - Am I Nuts - or Gay? by Confused Guy: I used to believe that I lead a charmed life: a posh condominium along EDSA, a successful career, an amazing, beautiful fiancee. Until I met a guy who changed everything about and around me. (Whoah! What a story! It’s a good thing your fiancee didn’t had the chance to knew such thing between you and that guy. My only advice is, if you still love your fiancee, go back to her and tell her the whole story. Make love to him, give her flowers, send her sweet text messages, etc. For me, you are nuts! Be strong!)

Help Line - Foul Smell by Motormouth: He was introduced to us agents as our new Team Leader wwhen our former TL was promoted to Operations manager. (Maybe he got his bad breath from not eating breakfast. It is a BIG factor. I suggest to keep your mouth shut if you are not friends with him. But if he trusts you, then be open. I’m sure it will work.)

Help Line - High On Love by Heaven: When I was in high school, I threatened to jump from the second floor of my schoo building because my first love would not speak to me. (I do not know what to say since you have a girlfriend already. I suggest you open up this topic to your girlfriend since you two are partner in everything, right?)

Edibles - Sweet Holiday by Cathy Tagle-Garcia: Free yourself from the hassles of holiday shopping. Treat your family, friends and colleagues to one-of-a-kind sweets which you can order for giveaways this season. (Now I’m feeling hungry. Grrr… I will definitely grab those stuffs later!)

Edibles - The Call of Coffee by Ernee Lawagan: COFFEE, the drink of choice of office workers, security personnel, telephone operators and in recent yearss, call center agents. (I love coffee as well! My big boss loves coffee so much that he even has a collection of different coffee beans in each country he visits. His collection can be found at his main office at Cupertino. Pretty interesting piece!)

Work Force - Talk Time: Edda Madrazo - Taking things one day at a time by Precious Cardenas: If 20-something superior can already be her subordinate’s daughter and the setting is in the call center industry, this scenario of having more and more young but mature superiors is not really farm from reality. (I admire Jedda Madrazo for being featured in SPIFF. I do not know her personally but I’m planning to meet her one of these days. Don’t worry, I won’t bite. Coffee or tea?)

Work Force - In Vogue by Eric Soriano: IVOG and ACS was featured on this one. (I admire these two companies who supports indigenous local people such as AETA. How I wish I could do the same thing in my current company.)

Work Force - Working with Honey by Bailey Agustin-Dava: You cannot help it. You enter a workplce. You meet somebody. You both get closer and closer by the day, err, night. Before you know it, you fall for each other, kayo na. (I totally agree with you on this one Bailey! It’s a good thing it never happened to me since even though I’m surrounded by sweet and young little girls. Well, you should see their pictures or meet them personally sometime. They’re cute and very lively. I love them!)

Work Force - Make your hard-earned Moolah Grow by Maan D’Asis Pamaran: You work hard for your money. The long hours, the quotas, the pesky client who reported you for being so “unhelpful.” The everyday stress is just enough to make you consider throttling your nearest supervisor, or even jumping off the roof deck during break time. Indeed, you have earned every goshdarned centavos on your pay slip. (I really learned something new again on this one Maan. I will try the Time Deposit strategy. Hopefully, it will work on my part. Please cheer for me!)

Out Bound - Waterworld by Sid Marasigan: There are, at this moment, seven wakeboard parks in Asia, but non quite like CamSur Watersports Complex (CWS). With the beautiful Mount Isarog as backdrop, the setting is picturesque and idyllic. (Maybe I should cancel my visit to Cebu and Bohol this May and visit Camarines Sur instead. Hehe, nice stuff Sid!)

Out Bound - Malayisa Beckons by C.M. Aberin: When most tourists would rather walk the Orchard Road of Singapore, take advantage of the bargains in Thailand or appreciate the Borobudur Temple of Indonesia, one other Asian country is greatly ignored, Malaysia. Why go to Malaysia? Well, for one, the tallest twin towers in the world are no longer the only attraction. (Nice pictures CM! How I wish I can also visit the place you mentioned here before the end of 2008. Maybe I can ask tip from you personally in the future when the flight plan is already in place. Cheers!)

Water Cooler - Will Is Here by C.M. Aberin: This month, Will Smith headlines yet another exciting flick with I am Legend. Smith is scientist Robert Neville, who survives a deadly virus that ultimately annihilates the entire human race. The virus has taken form and is watching his every move while Neville is on a race against time to figure out a cure for the virus out of his own blood. (This movie is the same like The Invaders but this is way cooler and fantastic! Thanks for the informative information regarding Will Smith. Boy, I’m hoping for Matrix being Smith as the star. Hehehe.)

Water Cooler - A Little Bit of Everything by Jethsel Allego: ERECTUS is no way an ordinary band. This multi-genre-ed Erectus found itself standing for over two decades in the industry with its outstanding, energetic and extraordinary performance and tounge-in-cheek original material. (I never met them personally at any bar. Maybe I’ll try visiting YouTube and other internet links regarding them. Guys! We have a new band to watch out for!)

Water Cooler - Gimik to the Max!: Different team building pictures can be seen on this section. A good source of stress reliever and laugh. (I will definitely send our team building pictures here as well! For sure, you will love them!)

Water Cooler - Mugged! by Eden Carlos: The first time, there was a quick tug and before I knew it, I was caught between holding to my bag or getting dragged by a car. The second time, I found myself staring at an icepick pointed right at me. (I was mugged as well and my cellphone was taken forcefully. Well, it’s a normal thing for me since I live somewhere in Tondo but the tug is only lucky guy. Well, I’m luckier because he didn’t get my P10k cash and video camera. I wish you luck on the third time, hehe)

Water Cooler - For Wyoming - Training Bloopers 101 by Precious Cardenas: Well trained? Whoever things that phonetics is boring stuff is surely never from a call center. (One word on this one. Never let your guard down! Put it up and put it well. Ah! Enough with the putting. Nice one Precious!)

At last, my first special feature every Saturday was finished! This is really an extensive post and I’m so proud of it! To SPIFF guys and gals, keep up the good work! I’m hoping for the best on your second issue!