gotta love shopping!

So I'm not quite sure who came up with the idea for the Aussie shopping center but I'm pretty sure they were almost a genius. I would say shopping centers (or centres) here are completely unlike anything I've ever seen in the states. They are very similar to the typical American mall in the sense that they are enclosed and have the normal range of shops that typical American malls have (electronics, book stores, jewelry, hair, food court) but there are a few differences. Most of the ones I've seen have at least some undercover parking, either in the form of parking garages or sailshades (which are essentially giant canvas tarps). Anchor stores tend to be places like Kmart, Target, Big W (the Aussie Walmart), and grocery stores. (The mall in Ithaca was kinda similar since it had non-typical dept stores for anchor stores but not quite the same.) There also tend to be more anchor stores than what you would find at a mall of similar size in the states. This is great because it is one-stop shopping but you have options on where you buy things! At the shopping center near where I live there is a Kmart, Target, and 2 grocery stores. The entrances to the grocery stores are about 50 steps from each other. If one doesn't have what you're looking for try the other or you know something you want is on sale that week but everything else is cheaper at the other store not a problem. You don't have to worry about wasting gas driving around to get the best deals. Another difference is more of the shopping centers tend to be multiple levels and have inclined moving sidewalks to get from level to level instead of escalators. You can take your buggy on these and magnets keep it from sliding all around. The buggies are also different, instead of having 2 rotating wheels and 2 fixed wheels, all 4 wheels rotate!! That can make them a bit difficult to control sometimes :P Other differences mostly revolve around the prices of things :P

you're it!!!

So Alvina tagged me on this whole 8 questions thing and to make her happy I figured I'd do it :P besides it is kinda interesting :)

1) If you could spend 6 weeks learning about something (basketweaving, audio mixing, the guitar, cooking, photography, chemistry, painting, etc.), what would it be and why?
oooh definitely pastry and chocolate making!! it'd be awesome to learn that type of thing from a professional. and so much yummyness :) painting would actually be a close tie for second... though i'm not sure i'd like to learn about it as much as just spend time doing it... maybe i could do each for 3 weeks! :)
2) What would you order for your last meal on earth?
jim bobs chicken fingers, bbq ribs, mashed potatoes, banana pudding and brownies :)
3) If you are handed two plane tickets and 7 nights hotel, where would you go and who would you take?
i thought the where would be easy cuz my first thought was the big island of hawaii so i could see lava. but been there done that so if i can go anywhere maybe i should go somewhere else... so i think that somewhere else would be... at the moment i think costa rica... there's a volcano there too!! though who am i kidding i really want to go back to see the lava in hawaii :) the who will depend on when i get these plane tickets :P
4) Name 5 things on your bucket list.
1. skydiving
2. visit every continent
3. spend several weeks traveling across europe
4. hike the entire appalachian trail (or a similar long backpacking trip)
5. own an island

5) What are the last things you do before you fall asleep?
brush teeth, say a prayer and read a bit til i feel like i can sleep :)

6) What are your favorite pizza toppings?
cheese!! sausage and pepperoni if i'm going for classic pizza toppings, chicken and pesto if i want to spice things up a bit

7) What's your cell phone wall paper?
somerset dam with all the gates open releasing water!

8) What are 3 things you always take with you out the door everyday (minus the keys)?
cellphone, wallet, and a purse to put it all in

Since I don't really having many blogging friends (and probably even fewer friends that actually read this), everyone who reads this is tagged :P and you can either leave your answers to my questions in the comments or post on your blog and leave me a link! The questions I have for you are as follows:

1. What are 5 things (food or something else) you would have shipped to you if you were living in an area that you couldn't find those things in the store?
2. Assuming it was possible to live on a different planet, which planet would you choose to live on and why?
3. What record would you try to set to get into the Guinness Book of World records? Why?
4. If you could only have one kind of birthday cake for the rest of your life what would it be?
5. 90F weather or 40F weather?
6. What was your favorite grade in school and why?
7. How many email addresses have you had (past and present)?
8. What are 3 spices/herbs/seasonings you couldn't live without?

rice krispy treats!

So marshmallows you find in the grocery store here are different. They come in small bags, look kinda crusty, feel less fluffy, and are pink and white! Supposedly the different colors taste the same but I'm skeptical... (quick side note: I saw the word skeptical in the paper today and it was spelled "sceptical", that was weird...) Well, I had read on a forum that you could find American marshmallows in Target (yes, we have Target here but it's a little different from Target in the states). So I decided I need to make a special trip to Target to find these American marshmallows because I had a craving for rice krispy treats :) (ok, maybe it wasn't really that special of a trip... I just went on my way home from work :P) and I found them!! There was much rejoicing :P
I made rice krispy treats tonight and they are yummy :)