Yes, there *is* a story behind the toilet. As you can see by the labels, there is a tap coming out of the top of the toilet which runs back INTO the toilet. Now this tap doesn't have a handle where you can turn it on and off. Nope. It works when you flush the toilet only... uh huh...

The other interesting thing about my toilet is that the handle has a "big" and "small" label. If you turn the handle away from you, that is "big". If you turn it towards you, that is "small". Let your imagination run wild.

This picture caught the toilet in action. On a "big" flush. Hence, the tap is going at full power now.

This thing took up enough of my time to warrant a picture. If you read the first few days of my journal, you'd notice that a recurring theme is my frustration with the hot water heater. This thing would not give me hot water. This thing did not make me happy. This thing made me go temporarily insane. This thing --- aaaargh! I'm just glad I've mastered the technique

Would YOU understand those instructions?!? That's what I said. This is the reason I bought myself my Kanji dictionary... to read the instructions on the hot water heater. For everyone's reference, this is how you get hot water:

• push down the knob slightly (note: not all the way) and turn it from the 0 to the 1, passing over the 2.
• wait 10 seconds or so at the 1, keeping the knob pushed down slightly.
• release the knob. Turn it slightly to the right so it pops up. Return it to the 2 position, then press it ALL the way down, and turn it to the 3.
• hold the knob down at the 3 until you hear a "whhhhoooosh" - the sound of the whole thing going up in flames
• release the knob. Turn it back to the 2. Then turn it back to the 3. Quickly. Then, hot water should come out the tap.

Do you see why I was peeved????

So this is my kitchen with it's big, big steel counter-top. To quote Jason "Wow, that's one hell of a couter top". Actually, I don't know if he said that exactly, but he *did* comment on it.

And, this is the main room. That's my table in the middle, my bed to the left, and my TV, my awesome new 3D stereo, etc to the right. And the balcony straight ahead. That is all my furniture. No chair, no couch (ack!)... Yes, that's a hard wood floor, and a hard wood ceiling (?) Strange. This pic was taken from the doorway of my kitchen, and the kitchen picture (right above) was taken from the same place, 180 degree displacement. So maybe you can get a feel for the size of the place. Not too big, not too small.

And that's all for the apartment pictures for now..