Blind Date

Paul and I have been setting up his brother on a blind date with one of my officemates. We wanted it to be a surprise for the both of them, but Sam had been very persistent in asking me for some details about his date.

I promised Sarah (my officemate) not to tell Sam anything about her except her name. She wouldn’t even let me tell him her age. This got Sam more curious as to the identity of his date.

I knew it was a mistake for me to have given him Sarah’s last name. Sam wasted no time in searching for any detail about her on the Internet. It’s a good thing that there are many Sarah Bakers in the state. He gave up on the search after spending 5 hours on the computer.

Sam looked at the wrong places. MySpace alone produced hundreds of results when he typed in Sarah’s name. He should’ve just checked an online birth record database or vital records search service for a look at Sarah’s background. Well, I guess he’ll have to wait until Saturday.

Not So Secret Marriages

Is there such a thing as a secret marriage? We’ve all seen movies wherein couples secretly escape from their parents who disapprove of their relationship, and ask a priest to marry them.

Stories like that are very romantic indeed, but they are far from being real (well, at least the part where their union stays unknown for eternity).

Vital records, such as those pertaining to marriage, are open to the public. Hence, one cannot validly claim that he or she had a secret marriage. Anybody could inquire or check out marriage records to verify if a person is married or not.

The civil status of a person is a matter of public concern or interest. Everybody has a right to know if one is married or not, especially if the former plans to enter into a contractual relation or agreement with the latter. Remember that marriage has certain implications on contracts entered into with either or both spouses.

Former Russian Spy Dies

I was quite surprised to hear that former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, died from poisoning. Litvinenko has fled the former communist state for fear that he would be killed because of the disclosures that he had made against his former bosses.

Yesterday’s headline about his death would not have shocked me if the alleged murder happened 20 years ago when the former Stalinist state still had an iron grip on its citizens. But Russia is now a democracy, and its once feared KGB has already been decimated due to lack of funding.

Although the London hospital where Litvinenko was confined said that he died due to poisoning, some doctors and analysts claim that the cause of death has not yet been conclusively determined. I haven’t read the latest news on the issue yet. Maybe they have already determined the cause. I might have to check his death records online to verify if he has indeed died of poisoning, or of some other cause.

For Better or for Worse

Call me a hopeless romantic, but I’m one of those who espouse the belief or position that marriages should last longer than diamonds. It’s true that marital discords can’t be avoided, but the dissolution of the bond should not be the logical conclusion or remedy for such problems.

I’m quite disturbed by the fact that many spouses are too quick to jump the gun whenever they are beset with problems or disagreements. While some of the divorce decrees that I’ve read have cited justifiable grounds in dissolving the marriage, many have just based their decision on dubious grounds.

Spouses should read these vital records in order to forestall any similar event or conflict that might lead them to contemplate on having a divorce. The couples have started out with much love and hope for each other when they gave their vows on their wedding day. I believe that such affection can still be rekindled if the parties are given the chance to explore other avenues to resolve their differences.

Cloning

Are you fond of watching Arnold Schwarzenegger movies? Many say that the California governor acts like a cyborg or clone. Well, if I’m not mistaken, I think he did play the role of a clone or cyborg in one of his countless movies.

Cloning is a staple in sci-fi movies. The genre is replete with titles where humans or animals are being cloned in order to spy on their subjects or enemies. While present-day scientists have already cloned a sheep, I think it would still be quite some time before I can see my artificial twin.

There is another kind of cloning that is going on today that is more irritating and damaging than seeing a double of yourself kissing your spouse and playing with your dog.

Identity theft is becoming rampant, and the authorities are having a hard time curbing it. This kind of cloning robs you of critical personal information that are usually contained in various vital records, such as birth certificates. These data can be used to purchase things or consummate various kinds of transactions online! So be very careful when opening up to people. Who knows, you might find a clone of yourself buying things at e-Bay.

House H(a)unting

My sister made a surprise visit last Sunday. I was really glad to see her, but my initial reaction was anything but cheerful since I was still sleeping when she rang the bell.

I had no clue as to why she passed by. We talk regularly on the phone, but we seldom see each other because her place is a good 2-hour bus ride from mine. When I jokingly asked her if she was in the neighborhood to distribute Thanksgiving invitations, she just raised an eyebrow and told me that she was actually in town to look for a new home.

There’s a small unit a few blocks from mine that has been begging to be bought for over a year now. The vendor claims to be the son of the house’s previous tenant who died a year ago in Pennsylvania.

I haven’t seen that neighbor of mine for around 2 years already. I guess he really did pass away. Some of my neighbors are a bit skeptical, though. They suspect that the vendor is just trying to con his father. I haven’t told my sister yet about that house. I’m thinking of running a vital records search on the previous owner first, particularly for death records or files, before prodding her to seriously consider buying the unit.

Muscled and Aged-Out

Paul called me up a few days ago to ask if I wanted to watch his daughter’s soccer game. Being a rabid fan of football (soccer, I know), I happily obliged.

Lizzy plays midfield. She kicks hard and runs fast, but her stamina usually betrays her midway during the second half. She’s quite big for her age, but her opponents still outsize her. They even seem quite old to be enrolled in middle school.

Anyway, Lizzy’s team lost. Paul said that she takes defeats lightly. However, I heard her complain that some of the opposing team’s players are already over-aged.

I didn’t want to meddle, and I certainly wanted to give the other team the benefit of the doubt. However, I still told Paul that he should try checking out the vital records of Lizzy’s opponents, such as their birth records, in order to determine once and for all if the other team played fair or not.

I still haven’t heard from him about it.

Personality Prediction

One of the weird things that I love doing during my free time is personality-guessing. I don’t have a crystal ball for this hobby of mine. All I usually have are just vital records that were freely given to me. The subjects of my “experiment” are usually close relatives since they’re the only ones who are willing to fill me in on their birth and other personal details.

A person’s disposition or temperament will be mainly determined by his genes and by the environment under which he will be reared. If his parents are very kind and loving persons, then you could reasonably expect him to be the same when he becomes a parent. If he’s born and brought up in a place where everybody’s struggling, then you can bet that he’ll also be tough as he grows up.

A birth certificate doesn’t only tell how and when a person was born. This vital document could also very well predict how he will turn out to be in the future.

Is She... Dead?

I’m not really a fan of horror movies. Even if I’m already too old to believe in the boogey man, ghost movies and stories still scare the goose bumps out of me.

I was unfortunate enough to watch a frightening movie about a girl who was haunted by her sister whom she’d never met. The graphic and sound effects really did their thing because my goose bumps were never shy in showing themselves throughout the film.

My mind was hypnotized for 90 minutes, absorbing every detail that the director has thrown in the movie. When the film ended though, my mind started to work again and began questioning the storyline.

The girl in the movie suspected that it was her long lost sister who was haunting her. However, no proof of her death was ever shown. Hence, the ghost could’ve been anybody’s. She could’ve at least checked some databases containing death and other vital records to see if her sister was indeed already dead. Who knows, it might’ve turned out that that the ghost wasn’t that of her sister’s after all.

What a way to ruin the movie experience, huh?

The Best Evidence...

Which of the following can best tell or prove the date of your birth?

a. your mom
b. your dad
c. your birth certificate
d. all of the above

Your mom had probably etched that date in her heart (not to mention in her tummy when it’s a caesarian section) because of the pain and the joy that she felt when she gave birth to you. On the other hand, your birth record contains all the essential details regarding your natal day, including the people who took part in it.

Both sources are reliable. However, your birth certificate weighs heavily since it is the best evidence of your existence. If both sources would be pitted against each other in court, the paper would definitely win. The law gives more credence to documentary transcripts or accounts of an event than to oral testimonies. The reason for this is simple – man’s memory is fallible.

Vital Friends and Relatives

Going through government registries or databases for a person’s birth records or marriage records can be a bummer. Acquiring these documents might also take days and will also cost you a few dollars. You might be wondering then if there is an easier or cheaper alternative. Well, of course there is, and it doesn’t even require the participation of your purse or wallet.

If you want to know a person’s birth date, or if he is still single or married, try asking his relatives. Choose only the immediate ones though, preferably his parents or siblings. Cousins are not really that reliable. My cousin Anne lives only a few blocks away and we frequently go out on family gatherings, but still I can’t get her birth date nailed on my mind.

Friends are also good alternatives to vital records as far as personal info is concerned. Take note of the rule that I’ve mentioned with regard to relatives. Ask only his close friends. Don’t rely on just one either. Ask two or three of his friends so that you’re more or less sure that the information you’ve received are correct.

Don’t Waste Paper

Having too much of anything is definitely bad. Likewise, focusing on a particular thing with a frightening intensity makes one miss the whole picture. Everything has to be taken in moderation. Hmmm... so what am I getting at? Well, I just realized that I may have excessively highlighted the importance of vital records in my previous posts.

There’s nothing wrong with relying on official records to verify a person’s claim as to his personal circumstances. However, relying solely on them may be a little bit too much, especially if the reason for it is not that important. I mean, you wouldn’t ask your best friend for his or her birth certificate when she fills out the “date of birth” line in your journal would you?

Resorting to vital records to verify a person’s background or personal circumstances is justified if it concerns an important transaction or activity. However, don’t ask for a death certificate when your friend tells you that her father has just died and that she wants you to come to the funeral. Such insensitivity might earn you a similar certificate of your own.