Task Force

The thing about my company is that almost every issue leads to a creation of a Task Force of some sort. Every year, a third party consultant does an anonymous survey with some random employees about our Company regarding topics such as communications, compensation, and overall morale. This year, the survey results came back pretty negatively. So what happens? A task force is formed. The task force is basically a group of employees who get together on a regularly basis and try to problem-solve the issues. They come up with a bunch of recommendations, etc. I would say 90% of time, the recommendations never get executed. So basically, in my opinion, the task force is a big waste of time. It's formed for the sole purpose of proving that the company is trying. But in reality, everyone knows nothing ever changes with this company.

This week, another task force was formed. This one is an "Internal Communications" task force, which is to address how we can better communicate within the company, from the Corporate Merchandising office to the stores to Visual Merchandising to Consumer Marketing. How to get everyone calibrated on the same priorities and standards? The truth is everyone does their own thing -- trying to centralize how people communicate is too ambitious of a task in my opinion. I'm sure whatever "recommendations" the task force comes up with, will be put in the back burner 4-5 months from now.

Daiso Japan

This weekend, I brought SQ to the Daiso Japan store in Serramonte. Daiso Japan sells all sorts of houseware stuff, for cheap! Most items are priced at $1.50 each. It's kinda like your typical dollar store, except its much, much better. You get a lot more "choices" for the same product. For example, if you're looking for tape, Daiso offers over 20 different kinds. Everything is also nicely organized so it's easy to find.

It was SQ's first time there, so he was quite amazed. He spent literally 20 minutes in just the craft aisle! He picked up some wood chisels and a cutting board, all for $1.50 each. I had to 'scoot' him out of the store before he got a chance to see the hardware aisle...because it would have taken him 1 hour to get through that aisle! I have to agree, Daiso does offer a lot of good, cheap stuff!

Too bad that we don't have Muji (無印良品) in the Bay Area. That would be my favorite store!! Muji just opened a flagship store in New York. Maybe the next time I go to NY, I can find some time to sneak in there!!

The weather is getting cold. Today, I wore a turtleneck AND a sweater and it was just enough to get me comfortable. The sky is also turning darker earlier, which means that Fall is coming in full speed! I always feel nostaglic (and a bit sad) this time of year. Not sure why. I guess it's so close to the end of the year that makes me stop to realize that time passes by way too quickly. The same time last year, I remember being in Guam for work and telling other people that I will be gone for 6 weeks starting December 1st for my jaw surgery. I couldn't believe that I've had my jaw surgery for almost 1 year already! I am so happy that I did the surgery. It is one of the best decisions I've made.

Happy Birthday Hayden

Hayden with proud parents

Today is my nephew, Hayden's 1st birthday. We celebrated it with a party at Ryder Court Park in San Mateo. For parents looking for a fun place for their kids, Ryder Court Park is an excellent choice - it is a newly renovated park with nice grassy areas, picnic tables, and an aquatic playground, which is always popular among the children.

The park also has updated play structures as well as a nice trail along the shoreline. What a beautiful day to spend a day outdoors in the sun. Here are some pictures of my nephew - the birthday boy!!

A Tough Day

Today was a tough day at work. We got called into an early group meeting and our Prez made an announcement that some of the buying functions will be re-locating to Hong Kong, specifically the Watch & Jewelry, and Liquor & Tobacco teams.

About 4 years ago, our CEO, CFO and a team of execs relocated to HKG and established an executive office there. Since then, there had been an array of speculation that the SF merchandising office would soon move there. Years have passed and rumors soon subsided. But today, the news surprised us all. They are moving 2 out of the 4 categories to HKG.
What struck me hard are 2 things:

(1) Not too long ago (10 months to be exact) I WAS in the Watch & Jewelry team, which means if I HAD been still there, I could possibly (a) be asked to relocate to HKG, or (b) get laid off.

(2) Now that I am NOT in that team and unaffected by this move, I lose all my old friends and collegues. They will all be leaving soon and I am just so sad!

This is perhaps the 3rd major relocation announcement since I've been with the Company. Each time, the affected department is the exact one I WAS previously in. I don't know if I'm considered the "lucky one" who get spared of the relocation/lay off or the "unlucky one" who cursed the department.

The topic of the day is "would you move?" To be hired into our company, the first question the recruiter asks you if you are relocatable? If you are not, then you will automatically not pass the HR round. Yep, it is that simple. But you can say yes, but would you really move?? Would I move? I thought about it, and at this point in time of my life -- and if it is to Hong Kong, I would say yes. I really don't mind spending a few years in Asia, specifically HKG and China, and be part of the growing economies and experience the changes. I think it would be very exciting. But nope, not moving ... at least not yet.

End of August

Today is the last day of August. It's so hard to believe that we're stepping into Fall already. There is something about Fall that gets me a bit down. I don't know if it's because the sky turns dark earlier or the cold weather. Soon enough the orange pumpkins and brown leaves will show up in empty corner lots. And then in the blink of an eye, the Christmas trees. Another year, and another year older. Time just passes by too quickly.

Anniversary

Yesterday was the 7th anniversary of our first date. I still remember what a disaster it was!!

July 28, 2000 landed on a Friday and SQ had previously asked me out on a date that Tuesday of the same week. He had made dinner reservations at Baker St. Bistro for 7pm. He was working in Alameda and living in Berkeley at that time, and I was living with my parents in the Sunset. 5:30pm - he called and said he was running late because he needed to finish some things for work before he could leave. 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 came and went. I was getting furious and really hungry. He ran late at work; he got stuck in traffic; he got lost on his way to my house. He finally arrived at 8pm. He brought me red roses. But what's the use? We blew our 7pm reservations at Baker St. Bistro. I was super hungry and we ended up going to Yummy Yummy, a local restaurant near my house, to eat Pho. Yep, a bowl of Vietnamese soup noodle - a $6 dinner. I got a stomach ache because I didn't eat at the time I should have eaten. I wanted to go home. He didn't know about my stomach ache and didn't want to end the date so early. He took me to Eclipse in downtown SF to have drinks. As we waited to get in, I revealed to him that my stomach really hurts. He drove me home. What a night. What a first date! Judging on how distratous our first date went, I sometimes wonder how we still ended up together?! But I am so glad that we did.

Dish #7 please

I went to San Jose this Saturday with 4 girlfriends - purpose was to look for bridesmaid dresses for IT's upcoming January wedding. But what is a trip down to SJ without a stop at a Vietnamese restaurant?? We stopped by lunch at Tay Ho, where they serve one of my favorite dishes, Banh Cuon. It is a steamed rice roll with ground pork inside, served with the veggies, the Vietnamese sausage, Cha Lua, and the Vietnamese fish sauce. It was soooo yummy, not to mention that I have been craving to eat this dish for a couple of weeks! In fact, just thinking about it makes me want to eat it again!!

SQ's birthday

Friday was my hubby, SQ's birthday. We celebrated the day with a nice dinner at Plumpjack Cafe on Fillmore and Steiner. We got there around 7pm and found a parking space right outside the restaurant! SQ ordered sea scallops for appetizer and the Rib Eye for his entree. I got the cream of corn soup and a Roasted chicken. Right as we were enjoying the food, Gavin Newsom walked in! He wasn't dining there, but walked into the rear of the restaurant (where we were seated) to wait for his takeouts. As you know, Newsom owns Plumpjack, so he was merely in his kitchen getting his dinner. He waited there and chatted with the staff for a while since the food wasn't ready. I took a few quick glances at him. He was well-dressed in a suit and tie, hair slicked back as usual, tall, and quite handsome. Ok, Ok, the birthday boy was handsome too.

Finally his food came and he walked out of the restaurant. It was one thing seeing Newsom on TV or in public event, but it's one thing seeing him in a private occasion. Odd. So we finished our food and shared an apricot tarte tartin. It was yummy.
Happy Birthday sweetie!

Family Camping

This past weekend, Sean and I went camping with my family at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Kenmore. It's located in the North Bay, about 7 miles away from Santa Rosa. It is a well-run and well-maintained campsite, with various hiking trails and beautiful scenery. They also have some modern conveniences such as a flushable toilet and running water. No showers though!


We drove there after work on Friday and got lost along the way. Nothing wrong with the directions given, it's just us. We weren't paying attention to the signs. We got there aroun 10pm - just enough time to set up tent!

The next morning, we did a short hike on one of many trails. We chose one that is well-shaded and not too long. This is one that is 1-mile long and shaded. It's pretty steep though as you can see in the picture. But it was good exercise. This hike is along a creek which also has a vista point of a waterfall. But too bad, it is dried up. We didn't see much water in the creek, nor any waterfall. We're definitely experiencing a drought this year.

After the hike, we went back to camp and grilled some hotdogs and hot links for lunch. Yum ! We rested a bit and played frisbees where we caught a record of 14 times without dropping the frisbee!! Yeah! That was tough! My sister MT created a scavenger hunt for us so we separated into teams for the challenge. We are graded for team work, creativity, and intelligence! And of course, our team won!!! We had to solve puzzles to get to the next clue, perform tasks and use our creativity to think of ways to accomplish the request. We are here brainstorming to solve the puzzles. We each won a gift certificate to Polly Ann Ice Cream!


After we were done with the game, we were hungry!! We cooked with our portable grill for our gourmet dinner! And I said Gourmet because we had chicken wings, steak, mushrooms, zucchini, and sea bass! It was delicious!! We were all so full!

Here is a picture with our tent, where we stayed for 2 nights. The ground was really hard because we didn't have mats. My back really hurts today, but it was still fun!

Group Shot (L to R):
Upper row: Ethan, Mary, Derek, Cindy, ME, and Sean
Lower row: Luck, Caitlin, Benny, Catherine, Bonnie, Carolyn, Cadence, and Crystal.
Missing from Picture: Herman and Evan

Pringles Reduced Fat Chips

Please, please take my advice: DO NOT BUY. It's not the same. 30% less fat, but 100% less the taste. Yuck.

Japanese anime

I think I've came to realize that no one reads my blog... but I guess that's OK. I tried putting a counter here once, but got too depressed to see that the only time it moved was when I logged on.




Anyways, I randomly looked into Japanese anime -- first on Wikipedia, and then watching the entire 6 episodes on You tube. This show is called I"S PURE. It's a sweet, romantic story about young love and crushes. The main character is the guy on top. He has a crush on the girl (pictured in the middle). Everytime he wants to tell her, he ends up saying something he doesn't mean. The gal on the bottom is his childhood friend, who went back to Japan to visit. And yes, you guessed it, she has a crush on him! Pretty interesting. The characters all have perfect features, why of course! Big eyes, nice skin, beautiful smile. It's nice to live in this fantasy world. I sometimes wish I can live in a fantasy world.

House Remodel II

Lesson learned this weekend: Too much variety = Bad idea.

My husband and I went to several construction stores along Bayshore on Saturday and were OVERWHELMED. There are so many tile choices out there - different manufacturers, materials, designs, colors, price ranges, etc. It is impossible to choose one. We finally decided to go to Home Depot and choose among the 9-10 styles they have there. We finally bought the American Marazzi tiles in Beige for the shower walls and a brown-tan-beige combo mosaic tile for the floor. I can't wait until I see the results!

We are also planning to replace all the doorknobs in our house so they all match with the new kobs that we have downstairs. We have a total of 12 knobs, not incuding the main entry! We bought the Pegasus solid brass round knobs in a satin nickel finish. Here is a before and after shot of our knobs!

The satin nickel finish makes our doors and overall look a little more modern. Plus, we have paint all over the old knobs. I know, little detail.

House remodel

When we first bought our 1-bedroom house 5 years ago, we know that we would need to eventually remodel the garage downstairs. Fast forward 5 years later to now, we are finally in the construction phase - or should I dare say that we're close to the end of construction. We are adding an additional bedroom, bathroom, utility room, as well as retrofitting the main garage area. And yes, all these are LEGAL. We got the permits for it, and will end up paying more in property taxes - but that's the trade off of going by the books.

It has been a 3 month ordeal so far... really hope to get everything done by June! Here are some pictures:


Mar 24, 2007.
Rough framing for the bedroom
Insulated floor, ceiling, and walls
Opened up an extra window to the backyard





Mar 31, 2007.
Re-routed and installed all new copper pipes throughout
New bathroom with customized shower stall
New tankless water heater






Apr 15, 2007
New Milgard double-pane windows installed in bedroom
New Milgard double-pane sliding door out to the backyard
Recess lights throughout

May 3, 2007
Photo is of customized shower pan
Built with layer of Durock Cement board for waterproofing
Porcelain tiles for the shower stall
Travertine flooring
Built-in case work for linens

x

May 20, 2007
Dryall all-round, including garage
Seismic upgrades, beam mounts
Solid bamboo flooring in bedroom & hallway

Badminton Sundays

I've been going to the Sunset Rec Center on Lawton 2 Sundays in a row now to play badminton. They have courts set up from 5:00-7:30 every Sunday evening. 5:00-6:00 is the family hour, so unless you have a kid under 18, you can not play. 6:00-7:30 is for everyone, so you basically sign up for 20 minute intervals of playing. The Sunday program is relatively new, because the Rec Center's badminton night is usually held on Thursday. They still have the Thursday badminton nights, so Sunday is an additional night. Sundays are definitely better for me since I don't have to rush leaving work and getting to the courts in time.

I haven't played badminton since high school, which is years ago. I am so rusty with my skills. Plus, I don't exercise on a normal basis whatsoever, so all the running around gets me panting in no time. But it's still fun. It's a form of exercising, in a fun way. I am less sore today than I was last week. That's always a good sign that muscles are being used...

Sur La Table

We finally ended our meetings on Thursday with a "team-bonding event," which is a cooking class hosted by Sur La Table. We got into teams and created one of the 5 designated dishes. The ingredients were half-prepared so all we needed to do was to finish up prepping and cook the meal. We then all ate each other's dishes. As fun as that sounded, after an intense 4 days of 10+ hour meetings, this is the LAST thing people wanted to do. Everyone was dead tired and hungry but we still had to "cook." I could tell that it was just something that people didn't want to do, but because we all had to be "PC," everyone just pretended to have had great fun. On the other hand, I must admit that the food turned out really good, mainly because everyone was so hungry by the time we ate (around 9:00pm). It was definitely a very long week.

It's Over

Whew!! I'm done with the presentation!! I tried to not get nervous until the very end. I could hear my voice crack and had to swallow to regain my normal voice back. I also spoke really fast and had to refer to my paper for the numbers. There are some words that I stumbled on, but it was good that I practiced a little bit beforehand. I didn't say some of the things I wanted to say. I think I was so nervous although people tell me that I wasn't. Only one person said I showed nervousness. I really hate giving presentations! I am so glad that I'm done. Now, I can sit back and relax a little bit for the remainder of the week. That's one of the good things about doing it first. Now it is other people's turn.

Presentations

I hate giving presentations, I mean I DEPISE giving presentations. I don't like it when I am at the center of attention. I don't like it when I'm the only one talking and all eyes are on me. The irony is that I am fine speaking out in a large group during a discussion. I am fine standing up to ask a question to the presenter in a large group. It just needs to be a two-way conversation. But when I'm the only one talking and other people are not responding but just staring at me, I totally FREAK OUT!! This is what happens: I stumble - my words come out sloppy and incoherent. I speak fast. I turn red. My legs shake. I get DAMN NERVOUS. It's written all over my face and my speech. I just don't have enough practice in giving presentations so I am very inexperienced.

So I have to give a presentation this Monday to 40-50 people, including very high-level people in my company. I am so stressed about it. I've been thinking about nothing but the presentation. I am so scared and nervous. I have butterflies in my stomach. Maybe I care too much. But then again, I don't want to end up looking like a fool. Why am I more nervous about this stupid presentation than going through jaw surgery? Dang it, it just doesn't make sense. I can't wait until this is all over. It would be such a sigh of relief. Hope I will do OK.

Executing my resignation

There are many times in my 7 years of working at this company that I think about quitting. Recently, it is more frequent than not. On my work roller coaster, I often go through valleys and peaks. Right now, I can only describe myself in the valley -- a deep valley. I find my current position so uninteresting, so unchallenging. I am damn bored. I've only been in this position for 3 months and I by no means know everything. But I'm still damn bored. I feel so sluggish and hate looking at the same stuff over and over. It's just unchallenging. So I have been thinking how the day would be when I turn in my resignation notice... how I would execute my resignation?? I will tell my boss first and then my assistant, and then down the list of people I like and hang out with first. I can already see people's reactions and their faces of shock. As in any gossip, the news of my resignation will fly in record speeds, so by this time everyone would have heard about it. Some nosy people will come to me and ask where I'm going. I might even get called in to the big boss's office to talk about why I'm leaving, where I'm going, and I should consider staying... but I would say no. My mind would have already been made up. My decision would be absolute, unwavering.

When will this day be??

My favorite Starbucks drink

I took a quick walk with my collegue during lunch today. It was such a warm day. Yep, one of those lazy Sunday afternoon feel. We went to Starbucks and I got an Iced Caramel Macchiato. It's my favorite iced coffee drink at Starbucks. In case you don't know, this drink is a creamy mix of vanilla and milk (whole milk please!) over ice, combined with espresso and topped with caramel sauce. It's a whopping 190 calories for a Tall, but it is SOOOO good, especially on a hot day like today. I love it when I suck up the caramel chunks. The sweetness of the caramel has just the right to balance the bitterness of the espresso. Yum!!

Bringing back old memories

Today is such a warm gorgeous day! Although we technically lost 1 hour of sleep but waking up to a beautiful, clear, sunny morning in the Sunset district is such a treat. We stayed in bed to watch our normal Sunday home improvement shows (i.e. PBS's "This Old House") before heading off to the newly renovated Westlake mall in Daly City.


You know how you always remember the good ol' days? Well, today, I remembered how great it was back in the college days, to eat at Strings Italian Cafe. They had one in Davis, in the Marketplace, near my apartment building. On special occasions, a bunch of us would go there for dinner and it would be the best meal ever. The entree comes with a soup or salad and fresh-baked bread. I love their bread the most, because it comes out like thin-crusted pizza, in a round pan, less the toppings of course. We all loved the food there. When you're in college, these restaurants are considered top-notch. The best thing out there. Of course, back then we've never heard of Chez Panisse, French Laundry, or Michael Mina, etc.

So, my husband and I went to Strings for lunch today. We were the first ones there, at um, 12:30. That was depressing. I ordered an Eggplant Parmesan which came with a side of Penne Alfredo (switched out to Penne Pesto). My husband ordered their "Award Winning Combo" which included Lasagna Pastry, Tortellini Alla Panna and Stuffed Mushrooms. The bread was still good although it is a bit thicker than I remembered them to be. The food wasn't as good as I remembered it to be, but it was still worth the trip out there to bring some old memories back.

Cartveyors

I love the fact that there are now escalators for shopping carts (branded name is called Cartveyors). It beats having to wait for the elevators to come, only to find them all full. I first saw them at the Target store in Berkeley and was very intrigued by them. Today I saw them again at Home Depot in Daly City.

The history behind it is that in the past, large retailers have traditionally located their businesses in large, single story buildings in the suburbs. The building requires 12 to 14 acres of land to provide enough space for the average 120,000 square foot store and sufficient parking. But now, many larger retailers are moving back into urban areas where property is more dense and expensive. Obviously space is precious so the retailers are forced to build multi-level stores. Because of this, there is a need to move both people and carts to multiple floors. Hence, the CARTVEYOR was invented!

Oscars

Tonight ABC is showing the 79th Academy Awards show, hosted by Ellen Degeneres. Here are the people I'm rooting for!

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Blood Diamond"
Forest Whitaker - "The Last King of Scotland" WINNER

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin - "Little Miss Sunshine" WINNER Guessed it right!

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Meryl Streep - "The Devil Wears Prada"
Helen Mirren - "The Queen" WINNER

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Abigail Breslin - "Little Miss Sunshine"
Jennifer Hudson - "Dreamgirls" WINNER

BEST PICTURE
"The Departed" WINNER Guessed it right!

DIRECTING
Martin Scorsese - "The Departed" WINNER Guessed it right!

SCREENPLAY - ORIGINAL
Michael Arndt - "Little Miss Sunshine" WINNER Guessed it right!

Let's see how many I get right?!
4 out of 7!

Mass Exodus

I am so depressed lately. I go back to work after a 6-week leave and the 3 people in my old team resigned for one reason or another. All of these deicisions were made independent of each other, but the timing is eerie. Including my move, there are 4 vacant positions within the immediate department. It is quite a scary thought. As always, I feel sad when I see people leave the company, even though it's always this time of the year that people tend to resign. First reason is that they've stayed until Dec 31 to fulfill the requirement to receive the previous year's bonus. Plus, outside companies already have their new payroll budgets finalized in Jan and will open positions up. So, there is a mass exodus lately. I don't like it a bit. This time, it's the worst because I am especially close to the people who are leaving.

I like steadiness and don't like changes. When people say that change is good, I disagree. It's not always the case. When things are going great, why change it? I am beginning to worry about further changes in our company. I wonder if other people will start to leave and more announcements be made. I heard that our senior VP might leave or get re-assign to another position. This will effect me personally because this person has watched me grow in this company and knows me, my performance, and track record. But if he leaves, I feel like I'll have to start over to prove myself. It's not that I want to be promoted, but there is a sense of continuity and stability there. I don't know, but it's really sad thinking about all the changes happpening lately... So people tell me, at the end of the day, it's just a job. It's all business, nothing personal. But the problem is that I get so emotionally attached to the people there. That's why I'll have such a hard time quitting this place, even though I know I'm currently overworked and underpaid. I've been there 7 years -- with the friendships I've made, it's not easy to just call it quits. Well, who knows? Maybe, just maybe, this day will eventually come...

So I return to work tomorrow after 6 weeks of medical leave. I didn't spend today any differently than I did for the past 6 weeks. Woke up at 10am, went out for lunch, roamed around running some errands, and then headed home, surfed the web, blogged. I am in the state of denial right now... and sad! I have to admit that I'm really going to miss this lifestyle -- the life of no worries, no stress, flexibility, and simply doing nothing! As boring as it sounds, it's a great change to my ever stressful job and long hours. I couldn't believe that 6 weeks went by so fast. But then again, time always go by fast. I can never say this often enough.

Tomorrow and the days ahead at work will be crazy. I will be returning to another department which means that I will have to re-learn processes and meet new people. I did not seek out this new position, but had been assigned to it. It happens when people go on leave for a period of time. Prior to the leave, I managed a good department. I like the team, the business, and the people I work with. So, it's hard to adjust to this change. I question whether this change will be for better or for worse. Wouldn't it be fantastic if people can tell the outcome before making a decision?? Then there would be no bad decisions.

My husband and I are moving along towards fixing our house. We've been planning that for the past 5 years. Right now, we plan to just add a bedroom and bathroom to our unfinished basement instead of extending the house out to the backyard or adding a third level. Those construction projects will be too costly and require a lot of work to obtain building permits from the City. I went to the Planning department this past Friday by myself and it was quite an experience. Despite long wait lines, people there were generally nice and helpful. I had zero architectural experience so I had a hard time answering questions they raised. But it was because I didn't have the Title 24 (Energy efficiency) report that they required so I didn't get the permit. Better luck next time! We hope to start construction during Spring.

Recycle & Reuse

Here is something I found interesting: A group of 10 environmentally-conscious friends, who called themselves, "The Compact" are going above and beyond normal recycling. They pledge to not buy anything new for a year. They vowed to reuse, reduce waste, and be anti-consumption for the better of the our Planet Earth. Of course, they have to exclude essential things such as food, toiletries like soap, shampoo underwear, etc. that fell under the categories of health and safety. But everything else, it was fair game.

Besides shopping at thrift stores and garage sales, the group also found that it was easy. There is a network of websites that offer freebies that others want to get rid of. Here are some of the websites where people post free things online. http://www.freecycle.org and http://www.garbagescout.com

They started the pledge for 2006 and it has been successful that the group is now continuing their commitment into 2007. They follow 2 basic principles, as posted on their Yahoo! Groups page.

#1 Don't buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites, etc.)
#2 Borrow, barter, or buy used.

Honestly, I don't know if I myself can do this. It's hard not to buy anything...anyone want to take this challenge??

Happy 2007

Happy New Year, everyone! Another year... wow, where has time gone?

As tacky as it sounds, I wish that there would be world peace this year. I hope the government can finally come to their senses and withdraw from Iraq. America should mind our own business internationally and use our tax revenue to support programs domestically. How about free preschool programs or funds to improve our bridges and infrastructure?

Speaking of bridges, the Bay Bridge now costs $4 to cross. That's crazy. It was only as recent as 1997 we were still paying $1 to cross the bridge. Now fast forward 10 years, we are now paying $4. That's insane.