Back Home

My flight to Malaysia was on the 27th of July. Before reaching Malaysia, I had to stop over at Hong Kong. The flight to Hong Kong was a dreadful 13 hours. 13 hours sitting still in the plane would definitely kill me but fortunately,I slept most of the time during the flight seeing that I stood up all night on the previous day. The moment I woke up, the estimated time of arrival to Hong Kong was 3 more hours. Geez, I didn't know I could sleep that long in a plane (10 hours of sleep). Usually I find it very difficult to sleep in a plane unless I've got a cute girl's shoulder next to me to rest my head. So, I guess I must be pretty dead tired back then. My connecting flight to Hong Kong was 3 hours. Feeling very eager to go back and impatient, I thought about occupying myself with something to kill my impatience. Fortunately, I had my Idiot's World Conflict book with me. As the time P.A. on the airport announcwed it was time to leave for Malaysia, I immediately got my stuff ready and headed for my flight gate. The moment I stepped into the plane, I knew I was hours away from home. The flight from Hong Kong to Malaysia was also 3 hours. Despite that it was better than the Canada-Hong Kong flight (in terms of time travel), I still thought that 3 hours was too much to handle. Fortunately the intresting inflight movies kept me occupied. I watched Letters From Iwwo Jima throughout my flight. By the time the movie ended, the pilot announced that we will be reaching KL in another 10 minutes time. Hahaha, talk about good timing. The moment I reached KLIA, I felt a big difference in terms of the weather. The weakther back here was hot and humid. For a second, I experienced a slight difficulty in breathing. After going through the customs and picking my bags up, my mum greeted me at the arrival gate. I wasn't sure whether she was happy to see me but I couldn't be bothered less. All I wanted that time was too see my friends. Basically, that was my main reason for coming back. My mum was slightly shock to see how much I changed and throught out my journey back home from the airport, my parents were constantly asking me stuff about Canada. I only replied to their question barely a sentence not really concerntrating as all I could ever thought of that time was my friends. I thought about how would they react to see how much I chnaged, whether some of them would spend time with me or not and the list goes on. After an hour drive from the aiport, I was finally home. As I stepped into my home, I realised that the air was stuffy which then started to irritate me. Everything around me at home was smaller than before. Even my bed in my bedroom was smaller than usual. Either I grew fat or it was something else. After taking a nice cold ice shower, I unpacked my stuff. A framed picture of me and my Strike Team on my study table got my attention. As I was looking at the picture of us in Malacca hanging out and having a great time together, I almost broke out in tears as I missed those good old days. I then wondered about them...whether were they back in Malaysia or were they all busy with their work. After putting away the picture, I turned my laptop on and listened to some songs. Later on, I remembered about my Muay Thai training. Yes! Something fun (but extremely tiring) to do for the entire day. I told my parents that I would be attending today's Muay Thai class but like usual they objected seeing that they thought I should rest. Despite their objection, I still insisted on going for classes. At that day's class, I was greeted and welcomed by a Malay classmate who missed me a lot. We talked a lot as there was a lot to catch up with. Later on class started and it was time for some good old Muay Thai training. The instructor for the day was a Chinese guy who's a fresh instructor. Lessons weren't that intresting with him around but fortunately for me, my favourite kru, Jak Othman joined in later on. He was happy to see me and I guess he missed me a lot as I saw the joy on his face the moment he saw me. It really felt good to know that there are a lot of people who are happy to see me again.

G.I. Jane and the Study of Sociology

The blockbuster movie G.I. Jane spawns several concepts and perspectives that can be related to the study of Sociology

The blockbuster movie G.I. Jane revolves around Lieutenant O’ Neil ( Demi Moore), a military geographical analyst who was selected to undergo C.R.T. (Combined Reconnaissance Team) training with member of the Navy SEALs, Delta Force and Marine Force Recon. Her selection was conducted with the purpose of aiding the political ambitions of a senator who was trying to advocate women’s role as a combat soldier in the military. The malicious training of C.R.T. spearheaded by inhuman and ruthless Navy SEAL instructors becomes a test of courage and determination for Lieutenant O’Neil once it became clear that no one—powerful politicians, top military brass or her male Navy SEAL teammates—wants her to succeed. The content of this movie spawns several concepts and perspectives that can be related to the study of Sociology.

The elite Navy SEALs are known for their aggressive, violent and secretive combat nature. These specially trained commandos who are often dispatched to conduct covert operations in foreign countries that involve dispelling terrorism or assisting military adventures in unconventional warfare have a taint reputation seeing that most of their actions are classified by the Pentagon. Knowing that every detail regarding their involvement in every military conflict is highly classified, Navy SEALs are often regarded as “dirty” soldiers instead of honorable and majestic heroes within the military community. By practicing cultural relativism to understand the culture of this elite unit, the Navy SEAL must be viewed within the context of its background. Navy SEALs are the Special Forces of the United States army therefore they have very different roles from conventional infantries. Unlike conventional soldiers, Special Forces are dispatched deep behind enemy lines for the purposes of reconnaissance, sabotage and counter terrorism (Mc Manners, 2006). Their actions are highly secretive in order to avoid enemy detection and in the event that they are captured by enemy forces, their existence is usually denied by the government. Due to their secretive nature, Navy SEALs are specially trained for combat in squads of small numbers for stealth purposes. Although they operate in small groups, their combat capabilities which are equivalent to several companies of infantries make them an elite fighting unit. Their combat capabilities are fueled with physical tormenting training and tactical combat exercises together with sophisticated equipments provide the SEALs with an arsenal of violent yet effective tactics on the battleground. By understanding the background of the Navy SEAL, the role that they play in the military community justifies their culture as an elite unit.

The concept of a subculture within a subculture can be illustrated by the United States Navy SEAL. The division of the Navy in the United States army consists of a variety of departments like the submarine force, the navy diving unit, the battleship force and the naval special operation groups. Seeing that each department has a different role and function in the Navy, every one of these departments can be regarded as a subculture within a subculture (that is the military as a whole in society). The SEALs fall under the naval special operation groups and since it has a different role from other navy departments, the SEALs can also be considered a subculture within a subculture. Values and principal of the SEALs that strongly prioritize comradeship and mission success can be illustrated by their mottos of “leave no man behind” and “failure is not an option”. This sets the SEALs apart from other navy department. Furthermore, the physically and mentally torturing training they undergo during the BUD’s (Basic Underwater Demolition) “Hell Week” makes the SEALs different from any other division in the Navy that has a lenient training program. A SEAL operator’s job description which involves a life of anonymity, thankless hard work in miserable conditions, morale-sapping danger and relentless, exhausting training (Mc Manners, 2006) distinct the Navy SEALs from other department of the Navy or any other military units. Consequently, it would not be exaggerating to qualify the SEALs as a subculture within a subculture.

A particular scene from the movie where Lieutenant O’Neil begins her C.R.T. training in a boot camp can be a perfect example to illustrate the concept of total institutions as an extreme spectrum of resocialization. Lieutenant O’Neil who is only a military geographical analyst prepares herself to undergo a harsh process where she will learn new norms, values, attitudes and behaviors that is needed to be a member of America’s elite naval commando unit. Like the rest of the C.R.T. trainees, Lieutenant O’Neil is cut off from the rest of the society as her training camp is located in a highly restricted military base. The trainees are strictly monitored and controlled by the merciless Master Chief Urgayle (Virgo Mortenssen) and his instructors. As the new batch of C.R.T. trainees stood by waiting nervously to commence their training, they were all greeted by a degradation ceremony where instructors constantly yelled and humiliated every one of them. The verbally abusive instructors were constantly reminding the trainees in an insulting and degrading manner that in order to be part of an elite fighting force, they will have to drop their current pathetic characteristics and adopt a tough one. Such actions from the instructors and Master Chief Urgayle clearly exemplified the purpose of the degradation ceremony—to recreate the self by stripping away the individual’s current identity and stamping a new one in its place ( Henslin, 2007). The entire lives of the trainees—eating, training, showering and sleeping are all closely supervised by the Master Chief and his instructors which further reinforced the concept of a total institution. Apart from monitoring the lives of the trainees, the Master Chief and his instructors were also in charge of distributing the rewards and punishments. Failing to complete an exercise within a given time or performing an exercise in an inappropriate manner, the trainees are often punished by being required to re do the exercise. Trainees who complete certain training or pass a graded exercise will be rewarded by the instructors with additional rest time. The aspects of C.R.T. training that Lieutenant O’ Neil underwent clearly illustrate the concept of total institutions as a method of resocialization.

The award ceremony of Navy Wings to the trainees after successfully completing an escort mission in the Middle East at the end of the movie is an example of the status symbols concept. The presented Navy Wings indicated that the trainees of C.R.T. have graduated from the training program and they are officially members of the elite Navy SEAL. These medals pinned to their uniform clearly inform others that they are active members of a Special Operations community specifically the United States Navy SEAL which distinguish them from other soldiers. Besides that, the Navy Wing is a display that indicates the soldier’s unique combat capabilities to perform tremendously in military campaigns that involve unconventional warfare or special operations. Since the Navy Wing is more than just a tiny metallic plate because it identifies a status, the idea of status symbols can be related in the movie.

The participation of Lieutenant O’Neil in the Navy SEAL sparks status inconsistency. Navy SEAL is the only Special Operation Force that limits their enrolment to males only due to physical issues. Seeing that Lieutenant O’Neil is a female, her participation in the C.R.T training program contradicted the SEAL entry requirement. As a result of such status inconsistency, her male teammates are upset about her unexpected presence in their training camp as this was illustrated by Sergeant Cortez’s (David Vadim) constant dislike for her. Having a woman around also confused the male trainees as they were unsure about whether they should treat the Lieutenant as a woman or a man. Because of the Lieutenant’s participation in the C.R.T. program, a contradiction in terms of the entry requirements occurred which angered and confused most of her male trainees thus making the concept of social inconsistency an obvious element in the movie.

To sum it up, the content of G.I. Jane spawns several concepts and perspectives that can be related to the study of Sociology. The movie exposed a controversial possibility of women serving in a highly dangerous and secretive unit such as the SEALs which ignited debates regarding gender equality. Apart from that, G.I. Jane also provided the audience with an in depth exploration regarding the training process of America’s specially trained naval commandos that have been defending America’s liberty since the Kennedy administration.

The Navy SEAL's entry requirement is only limited to males only. Shown above is the participation of Lieutenant O' Neil in the SEAL's C.R.T. training program that triggered status inconsistency as the entry requirement has been contradicted which also angered and confused the male trainees.


The award ceremony of Navy Wings in the movie strongly illustrates the concept of status symbols. Navy Wings are more than just a tiny metallic medal as it informs others that they are official members of the Navy SEAL.

Boot camp is an example of a total institution as a method of resocialization. The trainees are welcomed with a degradation ceremony where they are constantly yelled and degraded by verbally abusive drill instructors. The trainees are disconnected from society during their training periods and their daily life at the camp are strictly monitored by drill instructors. Rewards and punishment usually related to the trainees training performance are administered by the drill instructors.

My Very First Episode of Kansas City SWAT

Finally! I managed to catch a full episode of Kansas City SWAT. I've been desperately trying to watch one of the SWAT series ever since I noticed their existence through the internet. Initially, I searched every video blog on the net to watch a full episode of SWAT but most of the time, my search results often return with nothing I wanted. Just recently, I logged onto the official website of Dallas SWAT and to my joy, I discovered a link for the show schedules on AE channel. Fortunately for me, there was a Kansas City SWAT episode for today and the best thing about it was I managed to watch it. The first episode was sufficient enough to get me addicted for more SWAT series. Believe me, it's that good.

So in today's Kansas City SWAT, the team were called in to lure a mentally unstable man out from his hotel room after he apparently stabs one of the hotel employee. The situation was so intense and I was practically on the edge of my seat watching it with excitement. Prior to the arrival of the SWAT team, the police negotiator was trying to communicate with the suspect from the police command vehicle. After receiving no response from the suspect, the negotiator's concern started to escalate. Upon arrival, the SWAT team secured the perimeter of the hotel parking lot. SWAT snipers were placed on the stairs of the opposite building and they were desperately trying to eyeball the situation in the unstable man's hotel room. Unfortunately, the snipers failed to obtain a visual of the room seeing that the room's curtains obstructed their view. Once again, the negotiator tried to establish a platform of communication with the suspect but like previously, there was no response. Knowing that if the police do not act any further, the situation would get worse. Therefore, the SWAT team was mobilized for an assault formation. Since SWAT is a life saving unit, the team decided to resort to a non lethal method. I couldn't really remember what was the name of the weapon but it looked like a grenade launcher that launches wooden or chalk rounds instead of grenades. The element team began to approach the windows of the suspect's room while being covered by the snipers. One of the SWAT officer used a long pole to smash the window from the side and at the same time another officer rips the curtains out to obtain a clearer visual in the room. Another couple of officers provided cover outside the windows while demanding the suspect to drop to the ground. The remaining SWAT officers breached the door and went in to sub do the suspect only to realized that the suspect turned the knife on himself. Fortunately the suspect was still alive and he was immediately rushed to the hospital. The surprising thing was, he was immediately released after medical treatment and he wasn't charged with assault. Hmmm....

Later on in today's episode, the team was assigned to assist the narcotics division to apprehend a drug dealer. The plan for serving this arrest was truly interesting. One of the undercover narcotic officer was supposed to meet up with a couple of drug dealer to cut a deal. The meet up point was at a parking lot. During the meet up, SWAT was already standing by in a normal black civilian vans located a couple of blocks from the meet up point. There were 2 vans containing SWAT officers and they were eager to conduct their buy-bust on the drug dealers. As the undercover narcotic officer left the scene after completing the deal, the vans immediately rushed to the parking lot before unloading two elements of gung- ho SWAT team to apprehend the suspects. In the process of their assault, the team was caught off guard by an unexpected vehicle. The team released a couple of shots on the tires to disable the vehicle before dragging the suspects out from the vehicle. Fortunately, there was no gun retaliation from the suspects and the entire operation was a success.

Today's episode in Kansas City SWAT was really great. There's a repeat later on at 1 in the morning and I might watch it again just to experience the intense police action again. I'm really looking forward to another brand new episode of Kansas City SWAT. At the same time, I'm also excited to catch an episode of Dallas and Detroit SWAT in the future. Finally, all those awesome SWAT actions are finally delivered to my TV.