You are going to be a Captain.

It has been quite a while since I wrote any entry in this blog. Life has not been going well lately and I find it hard to pen down any entries that I would like to remember.

It has been a disaster in my family and the whole episode though not over yet is something I would never want anyone else to go through. The running robot has also been very busy and working extra jobs to make ends meet. Hence, I have been working most of this weekend too.

Something worth remembering came by this week and I felt I should really penned it down. On Thursday, I went for my second interview for a job. It was a job with the Army. Though I do not know if I will get it yet, there is a third round of interview. Some words that were spoken during the interview strikes a chord with my heart. It was one of the more pleasant interview that I experienced since my health gave out on me in 2004.

An army major together with a human resource lady staffer interviewed me. The army major was a warm infantry officer and told me. "You know what? You and I were from the same infantry battalion. You were there in '97. I was there in '93.

Thereafter, the major began explaining my job scope in infantry acronyms and lingo. I could tell the HR staffer was all at sea with our conversation. While the bulk of the conversation was on the job. We also shared some updates on the military, talked about the countries we visited while we were infantry soldiers.

Finally the talk came to be about the ranking system of the job. I was pretty confused by the ranking system and would like someone to explained it to me. The major smiled and told the staffer, "well, its your turn."

The staffer explained, "well, the ranking system is from 1 to 16."

"This job will call for a rank from 9 to 12. Basically, if you are selected for the job, you will be at rank 10 and above.  You will be at the equivalent rank of a Captain."

My heart skipped a beat, an Army Captain, me? I do know the paygrade at that rank is decent, much more decent than what I have now. Currently, I am at the bottom rung of my company and the company is treating me like dirt. I can't wait to tell my parents about this. If I got this job.I would be able to do my parents proud again. I would be able to lift my head up high again.

"You will have officers and troops under you to assist you in your duties. But it will be a steep learning curve. You will need to go where the battalion goes, and travel too. You will be in the outdoors often, but you should be able to cope since you ran marathons." The major interrupted my thoughts.

The major then shared that if I am selected for the job, I will need to go down to Kranji Camp for a preview. My heart sank a little, I did thought this was the final round before I reported for this interview.

As I left the interview room, my feelings were mixed. The interview was pleasant and the major who was going to be my boss seems like a good lad. As much, as many of my friends think that I must be crazy to return to the army. I was looking forward to this new job. Last but no least, I really need the pay increase to pay bills.

I would have wanted the major to shake my hands and say "Welcome onboard!" But it won't be happening this day.

All I can do now is pray, pray hard...