Five babies recently born with tails – from four mothers who were undergoing fertility treatments and one who didn’t plan to get pregnant but couldn’t resist the charm of one Luke Skywalker who supposedly sang to her tan-tatatatantan-tatatatantan-tatatatan.

Sounds like a creepy comedy skit? It’s actually an X-Files episode I was watching, make that rewatching, earlier today. It’s about a small-town guy named Eddie Van Blundht who not only has the genetic abnormality of being born with a tail but also has the ability to transform himself into the image of any other person he wishes himself to be, thanks to the abnormal abundance of striated muscles in his physiology. Now you know where Luke Skywalker came from. Having a problem with self-confidence, with his real self being this unremarkable-looking guy (who could use some diet pills) working as a janitor, he shapeshifts into other personalities, particularly to get the women who never would give him a second glance as himself. He’s a small potato, as they say, and his abilities somehow make him feel bigger.

Which brings me to my favorite scene.

That’s Fox Mulder in the suit and Faux Mulder in the sofa with Scully. Yeah.

Eddie Van Blundht said that he was a loser by birth but Mulder was a loser by choice. If anyone can be either is up for debate but if you can be somebody else, who would you want to be?

Whenever I get home late from work, which means 2 a.m. and beyond, I always make it a point to call for a taxi service. It may not sound so impractical if I don’t live about 20 minutes from our office; however, I’d shell out extra cash everytime than to risk rubbing elbows with the bad elements out there prying on the night-wandering public.   

Actually, I also feel entitled to it. After working too many overtime hours,  I am just too tired and too cowardly to commute. Last Friday, I was able to finish my work at about 3am and called the cab company I usually depend on for this but found out that their numbers have all been disconnected. Thankfully, I was able to contact another taxi service. During the drive home, I learned from the driver that the owner of the first company I called is now selling his car units because the drivers went on strike and they were not able to reach a deal. Too bad. For the owner, the drivers, and the clients/public.

The next day, a car on the side of the road with a “For Sale” tag caught my eye. I thought it still looks great for its price (Php160k); I would have been more than interested if I know I can afford it. Just the figures in auto insurance quotes online are enough to take away any excitement I may have felt.