I'm approaching 40 and some would say I'm on the verge of a mid-life crisis. I got a nice family with 3 wonderful kids. Got a house and 2 cars, a consulting job, and a small business that I have started recently. My family is also active in the Catholic service --- oh, and yes, we pray a lot!

Guess what. Am I contented? Happy? Actually, I'm scared.

Living in a 3rd world country may seem contributory to my fears but I would also like to hear from guys from the 2nd and 1st world countries. Are our fears and feelings the same?

Let me go a bit further.

I've lived in the Philippines pratically my whole life. Some trips to the U.S., Singapore, London, Hong Kong, and Mexico have been educational for me and my family. Like in similarly economically and politically tumultous nations, our situation has always been a roller-coaster ride.

Our country would have been a tiger economy by 2000 but the Asian crisis left our economy in tatters by 1998. Two presidents later, I can't seem to find a middle class anymore. It's either you have money or you don't.

What I'm scared about most is the fact that the anarchy that was in 2002 (the aftermath of a mass protest in our famous EDSA 3) could shift from our Malacañang Palace (the seat of Philippine Governance) to our so-called exclusive enclaves. Who's going to stop another mass rampage, the security guards at the village gates? I don't think so. They themselves belong to the same poor masses. And yes, they've got guns. Scary, huh?

Well, I am optimistic that things will get better but I feel I've been scratching the bottom of the opportunity bubble for so long that I'm running out of nails to scratch with. I'm tired --- and so is the business community.

Maybe that's why I dream of retiring happy these days. Retiring abroad has been an option. Though working or migrating abroad for the next 20 years then retiring in the Philippines is a better option.

Don't get me wrong. The Philippines has a lot to offer to foreign retirees. We've got the best beaches and coral reefs in the world. The exchange rate is US$ 1.00 to Php 55.00 which means you get more value or your American Dollar here. Peace and order in the provinces is tops and the prices of housing and medical services is really low. The Filipinos by nature are hospitable, very skilled and creative and we speak fluent English. Now, that's a bonus for retirees.

No, I'm not after job security. That's been obliterated a long time ago. But where are the good jobs? Create a small business and the local government will charge you an arm and a leg before you get those permits. And there's the problem of finding people who can afford your goods or services. (People in a bad economy go for necessities, you know). So where's the joy in having you're own little shop?

Some mid-life crisis, huh? So, tell me, how can I retire a happy man? And where's my next destination before I hit 40?

Vamos!