Hey, it's me.

What are the standard proof of identification in any country? Passport, driver's license, postal I.D, voter's I.D, and social security documents are just among the many.

In Ontario, you can add to the above, your health insurance card.

Before 911, Canadians crossing the border to go the U.S. could just present a driver's license or health card, or a birth certificate.

American GI's have dog tags as additional I.D.

Wouldn't it be nice if we can all wear a similar contraption. A dog tag which contains personal data including health data that could take the place of all other IDs. This should be digital, and should include a photograph and signature. So at the airport and at borders, the security would just scan it and an international system would show all relevant information.

I'm sure this idea has been featured in some scifi films which I have probably not seen.

This dog tag can also include a fingerprint so any time you cross a U.S port of entry, you don't have to be fingerprinted anymore (Canadians don't get fingerprinted).

Carrying an international driver's license can sometimes be perilous when you are stopped by a traffic enforcer in Manila. Though recognized globally, an international driver's license indicates you are a foreigner - a tourist or a guest worker - or a balikbayan or a returning OFW. Thus, you woud be presumed to belong to a dollar earning group, and are expected to be generous.

I once got a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. I just boarded the vehicle coming from a mini mall in Quezon City, and was about to leave the street where I parked. An MMDA guy approached me and asked for my license. My passenger, my sister, was wearing her seat belt but not me. I explained that I was just about to drive, so technically I was not driving without a seat belt. The MMDA insisted on seeing my license.

Without fanfare I produced it and did not ask for any favor. I preferred to have a citation. The next day, I went to the Quezon City Hall and paid for my confiscated license. It took less than an hour to have my I.D. back.

What violations did I commit driving in Canada or the U.S.A? Driving in Canada or the U.S.A I almost always stay within the prescribed speed limit, and if ever I over speed, it would not exceed ten above the limit. But now with speed limits reaching 70 mph in most U.S states, I don't find the need to go overboard.

I always wear my seat belt, I stop at all stop signs even at the wee hours of the morning, I don't tailgate, and basically, follow all traffic rules and rules of road courtesy, most especially, letting pedestrians cross at crosswalks and driving cautiously at school zones.

But there was a two-year period wherein I collected speeding tickets in New Jersey and Pennsylvania but which have all been paid for. This episode cost me a lot of money so it taught me a lesson not to beat the limit.

Carrying a local license would be best if you intend to stay longer in a foreign country. This way, you become one of the guys, and you can blend in with whatever "system" is prevailing.