Women are such incredible motivators for men to do great things. Or if not, then to just get off their lazy butts and do constructive things with their lives. It's sort of biologically hardwired in us guys that women have to be impressed, and so we scramble to make ourselves more outstanding, to prove we can provide, to otherwise jump up and down, wave out arms and yell, "Pick me! Pick me!"

But over time, guys discovered the online world, and they have started overwriting their biological programming with Internet code. It's something of a revolution. They're tired of women pushing them around, making them jump through hoops, and saddling them with irrational domestic responsibilities at the prime of their lives. No longer are guys content to be willing victims, sacrificing themselves to the altar of the preying mantis / black widow sisterhood. Guys have finally found a way to turn their backs on hormonal tyranny and return to what nature intended them to be: slacking, unwashed neanderthals, as they "huddle together and have fun" for the rest of their parents' lives. The Internet: the saviour of MANkind, fancy that!

Boys. Heh, what do they know? All it takes is one woman to be firm enough, who will reach out, grab and drag the unwary guy home by the ear to reactivate the biological imperative again. For me, I believe that when June decided to take me home, reality split in two. In one reality, June never appeared in my life and I'm still the 'home boy' that I was more than a decade ago. But in this reality, I have a great wife, a home of my own, an interesting job, a decent income AND I still have the Internet to regress to when I feel like it.

Women are great motivators. Men are easy prey.

You'd think Maui was totally sedate, the way he curls up to sleep...

but he's also got real guts staring down Kaiser like this.

There's more testosterone flowing through my house than ever before.

Maui launches a surprise attack.

The boys play "King of the Hill"

Year of the rat notwithstanding, the new kitten rulez!

Maui takes a swipe , but the teddy bear's reflexes are just too fast.

Mom? You in there?

Cover me! I'm going in!

For the second year running, we had our clan reunion dinner at Ban Leong Wah Hoe, Casuarina. The food portions were as generous as always: from our three tables, we collected several containers worth of leftovers to take away.

The clan reconvened at Aunt L's to carry out our traditional Chinese familial duties. This year, the game was Bingo, with Aunt L particularly anxious to put her brand-new lottery ball tumbler to good use. Won a little, lost more; but it was for a good cause. The family that plays together, stays together...though not necessarily in the same house.

Happy year of the rat!

Our little newcomer is making Q-tip a little uneasy. June's officially calling him Maui, and while he's adjusting to his new environment, we're devoting a lot of time and attention to him to make him feel safe and welcome.

Q-tip's a little jealous of this new addition competing for our time, so she's temporarily abandoned her usual reserve and reticence to hang out longer with us in the living room. Or else she's frequently hovering within our peripheral vision just to make sure we remember that we still have a dog in the house.

It'll be a delicate balancing game of dealing with Q-tip's insecurities and Maui's demands for attention, but I believe June and I are pretty fair with our pets. One more shouldn't disrupt our routine too much. I know we'll adapt and manage.

"If you save someone's life, you become responsible for that life." I can't verify this quote anywhere, but I'll take it to be true anyway. Hence, I have a new member in my family: this four-week old kitten, as yet unnamed.

It happened when we took Mimi to the vet for her shot and a follow-up exam of her recent allergy attack. I found this little guy sitting atop the car in front of mine in the parking lot. No way he could have got up there by himself, and I can't bear to think what would have happened to him if later the car drove off with him still on top.

I couldn't put him back on the street either 'cos the cars were passing by so close to the slip of a sidewalk, the only place I could have put him on. So it looks like he's gonna be my third cat despite the resistance I've put up over the years not to have more than two.

He's tiny now, and so fragile, though Kasey gave him a clean bill of health. But his paws tell me he's got great growth potential. We got him some milk, a personal sandbox to suit his size, and recycled a sleeping basket for his comfort. He hates being left alone right now, so I let him fall asleep on my stomach before transferring him to his basket.

He's the smallest ball of fur we've ever picked up. He's just awakened again so now he's sharing my office chair as I'm typing. I can't help it. I want him to know that as long as I'm around, I'll protect him and keep him safe, come what may.

Hmm... hope he'll be ok when June and I go to work tomorrow.