The REALationship Method

Behind the Ink: Love, Life & Lowrider Culture with Kayla

Chris Lomboy Season 5 Episode 108

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You can tell a lot about a person by what they choose to put on their body and why, but you learn even more when you hear the stories behind it. We link up with Kayla, a Waipahu tattoo artist at Tattoo Crew, a lowrider model, and a mom, for a conversation that bounces from shop life to family life without losing the thread: be real, be intentional, and protect your peace.

We talk about the growing wave of AI tattoo design and why so many artists hate it, especially when tattooing is supposed to be about creativity, skill, and personal style. Kayla walks through how she gets into tattooing through ombre brows and an apprenticeship, what a legit tattoo portfolio should show, and why rejection is part of the path if you want to break into the tattoo industry. We also hit the tattoos that age badly, like partner name tattoos, and what makes her excited to work on a piece, especially when a client comes with meaning and a story.

Then we open it up: lowrider culture in Hawaii and what it takes to get respect in a tight knit community, motherhood and therapy, making time for self care without guilt, and the hard parenting conversations around bullying, fighting, and accountability. We even get into relationship boundaries like separate bank accounts and whether being friends with an ex ever really stays clean.

If you vibe with honest talk and real life lessons, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What topic hit you hardest: tattoos, parenting, or relationship boundaries?

• why AI tattoo design feels like a shortcut and how to spot it
• how Kayla starts with ombre brows then commits to a tattoo apprenticeship
• what to put in a tattoo portfolio and why you will hear no a lot
• tattoo red flags like partner name tattoos and trend quotes
• what makes a tattoo a green flag for an artist to take on
• lowrider modeling in Hawaii and earning respect by loving the culture
• patience, therapy, and making guilt free time for yourself as a parent
• kids fighting, guns, and why parents have to be accountable
• a real bullying story and rules for self defense without starting fights
• separate bank accounts, joint savings, and avoiding money fights
• staying cordial in blended families while keeping boundaries with exes
• handling rumors, name droppers, and weird DMs by protecting your peace

Meet Kayla And Real Talk Warmup

SPEAKER_01

Are you ready? Um okay, my four three two one. Welcome back to another episode of the Relationship Method Podcast. It's your boy Chris. Today I have one of Hawaii's favorites. Um she is a model. A lowrider. A low rider model at that. She's uh a tattoo artist going on for three years now. Yes. Hell yeah. And she's also a mama bear. Aww. Awwww. Motherfucker, I got Miss Caleb on this bitch. Hello! Hello. Miss Caleb. Hello, hello.

SPEAKER_02

What's up?

SPEAKER_01

How's it going? Man, it it is going. Like I've been up since wee early of the morning.

SPEAKER_00

I I seen that. I seen your DM.

SPEAKER_01

Girl, right? Um, I was taking a shit. Um, people that don't know, uh, I said this before. Uh when I wake up and I'm in the bathroom, that's when I do a lot of my responding.

SPEAKER_00

Same.

SPEAKER_01

You know, on the toilet. Same. Because when I'm with the fam, my phone is down because I have to tend to these kids and I have to tend to the spouse.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, feel that. But also, I feel like the toilet is like your thinking chair.

SPEAKER_01

Girl, let's normalize that. Yeah. Like as parents or even as a person, yes. Normalize the the back of the space. You're in a little space.

SPEAKER_00

You're in a little cubicle, you know? No kids to bother you, no noise, except your own thoughts.

SPEAKER_01

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00

So, same. Feel you.

SPEAKER_01

Little poop ploop here and there. Yeah, that.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know about that.

SPEAKER_01

Oh. Kayla, do you uh Kayla, do you drive?

SPEAKER_00

I do.

SPEAKER_01

Okay. Are you a left-handed steering wheel or a right-handed steering wheel?

SPEAKER_00

I'm a right-handed steering wheel person. Are you really? Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Do you have a car that's the the steering steering wheels on the right? JDM?

SPEAKER_00

No. I will. Oh, you mean like if I drive with the right hand?

SPEAKER_01

No, no, like your steering wheel, is it on the right?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, it's a left hand. Like a normal car. Just a normal car?

SPEAKER_01

Okay. Um, I was thinking the other day. Um, I normally drive with my left hand. But I wipe my butt with my right. But I tried this, I couldn't wipe my ass with my left. Therefore, I trust my life with my left, my non-dominant hand. Are you the same way?

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_01

So you drive right, you wipe right.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. Why is that? I don't think I do a damn thing with my left hand, honestly.

SPEAKER_01

Really? You can't do tattoo with your left, or do you hold it?

SPEAKER_00

The only thing I do with my left hand is the stretching, which is so funny because I have carpal tunnel in this hand.

SPEAKER_01

What else is wrong with Miss Pink?

SPEAKER_00

I'm blind. I was born deaf, y'all, and I got carpal tunnel, leave me alone.

SPEAKER_01

Oh gosh. Okay. So you got carpal tunnel on your left, yeah?

SPEAKER_00

Yes. It comes and goes, but I really don't know why. I've had it since before I was like an a full-time artist. Like at my other jobs, my office jobs, it would come and grow. Yeah, I would feel like that. Yeah, but like also too, my mom had it.

SPEAKER_01

Hereditary.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe, but she said it's probably because this hand is not really like doing much. It's just not a real hand. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

It's just there to take up space.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it comes and goes. I actually just it actually just went away. Like carpal tunnel. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Are you doing are you?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know if it's a carpal. I don't know if it's carpal tunnel or a ganglion cis. I really haven't gone to the doctor for it. I'm just like, whatever.

SPEAKER_01

That was a great word. A ganglion a list.

SPEAKER_00

A ganglion cis? Ganglion sis. You learned something new today.

SPEAKER_01

I sure did. I knew I knew what a cyst was, but the ganglion thing.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That means you're either educated or you got it looked at.

SPEAKER_00

I looked on Google.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. There you go.

SPEAKER_00

Like everything else in life.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, right?

AI Tattoos And Why It Matters

SPEAKER_01

Chat GPT, that motherfucker.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Thank God for your AI and ChatGPT.

SPEAKER_01

Are you a big believer or do you do you depend a lot of things on AI?

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_01

No?

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_01

Good for you. Neither do I.

SPEAKER_00

So, like in the tattoo industry, a lot of people are starting to create designs with AI.

SPEAKER_01

Holy fuck. I've seen those.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, and you can tell too when it's AI to not AI'd, even if you're not an artist.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But personally, the reason why I fell in love with tattooing is for the creativity. And I feel like AI is just kind of taking that away in a sense.

SPEAKER_01

Well, really? Um, for people that don't know, like, how did you start?

From Brows To Tattoo Apprenticeship

SPEAKER_00

Um, so tattooing.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. How did you start tattooing? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So uh I work at Tattoo Crew out here in Waipahu. The owner, Ryan Lau, is actually my uncle. It's my dad's stepbrother. So I've been around that since I basically was born because my uncle had Tattoo Crew since I was born. Um, so just being up brought in that, you know, my dad has tattoos, my whole family has tattoos, my papa, uncles, you know. I just fell in love with it. And I grew up loving to draw. And I actually started off doing ombre brows. For you guys who don't know what that is, it's just uh semi-permanent makeup eyebrows. And I was doing it in my uncle's shop. And I was kind of scared to tattoo because I feel like a lot of people tell you, like, you know, tattooing is not a real job, you're not gonna make real money off that, you can't survive off that. I've heard it a lot, trust me. Even with ombre brows, that's why I had a second job. Like, I had a nine of five and then ombre brows, but one day I was just like, you know what, I want to go for it. So I talked with my uncle, asked him if he would let me apprentice under him, and here I am today, three years into tattooing.

SPEAKER_01

Really? Yes. So it started with the eyebrows, and then your uncle took you under his wing as an apprentice, and you took the apprenticeship, and that's how you started.

SPEAKER_02

Yep.

SPEAKER_01

For people that don't have um, you know, that type of resource, the uncle, right? How can one become an apprentice in this um tattooing career?

SPEAKER_00

Right. Um, I would say just kind of build your portfolio, you know, keep drawing, tattoo on fake skin, just continue to be creative and put yourself out there, go to different tattoo shops, show them your portfolio. You're gonna get no a lot.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, of course, you're gonna get no a lot.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, even if I wasn't, even if I didn't have an uncle and I had to go out there, I know I'd be told no a lot. So just keep grinding, creep, keep hustling, and don't take no for an answer.

SPEAKER_01

You know, what should these portfolios consist of?

SPEAKER_00

Like what's a um, I mean, I know every artist has a style.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, okay. Um it's like a a drawing, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So like just keep drawing, but also like don't limit yourself, don't put yourself in a box. Uh research different types of art. Try to, you know, put yourself into it. Have your own style, but don't limit yourself. Yeah. Just keep drawing, have a bunch of drawings to show the shop you're going to.

SPEAKER_01

To show your range of art history.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. And also, too, I would feel like uh like research the shop you're trying to go to. Cause not everybody, not everybody is for you, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Facts.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Facts. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Miss Kayla, um, what is your tattoo style or honestly, Chicano art, which sucks because nobody in Hawaii loves doing that. I have a few clients, and shout out to my fiance because he lets me do whatever he I want on him. But I have a few clients who are down to do the Chicano style. I love. I love the whole prison art style, the stippling.

SPEAKER_01

Girl, let me tell you, my wife is into it. Because she's Hispanic.

SPEAKER_00

Really?

SPEAKER_01

She's half Hispanic, half Native American.

SPEAKER_00

Well, shout out wifey.

SPEAKER_01

She um we're gonna link up because uh me and her, we got this uh this skull tattoo, and yeah, and then she's all chicana doubt, you know what I'm saying? So um that's what's up. Not too many um tattoo artists out here do that type of style.

SPEAKER_00

It's all um tribal, island, Asian, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Let me ask

Portfolios And Getting Told No

SPEAKER_01

you this. We're gonna stay, we're gonna stay on this um tattoo topic for a little bit. Um, what is a red flag as a tattoo artist that you know when when a male or a female is asking you and you're like, okay, this is what you want. Like, what's a red flag?

SPEAKER_00

Names.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, your other half's name.

SPEAKER_01

Your other half's name.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

How about your kids? Is that okay?

SPEAKER_00

No, yeah. I mean, I have my daughter's name. Uh-huh. I feel like that's also just such a a thing out here, especially. Like, to have your kids' name. Yeah. Um, but your other half's name, I know from experience, guys, don't get it tattooed. It's really bad luck, personally.

SPEAKER_01

I feel like I'm never gonna get my like I've been with my wife for X amount of years now, and I told her I'm never getting like a tattoo. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, my fiance now I have his first letter initial, but that's about as far as I'm going. I'm not anything.

SPEAKER_01

It could be animal. Clearly, yes.

SPEAKER_00

But don't do the names, guys. Um, 99.9% of the time you're gonna get it covered. I've I know from experience, so please don't do it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

What else is a red flag? Um how about uh no limit or God can only judge me.

SPEAKER_00

Stop. I had that tattooed. I covered it.

SPEAKER_01

Which one? The no limit or God got it?

SPEAKER_00

Only God can judge me.

SPEAKER_01

Why did you cover that up? Because it's such a uh it's a such a symbolic quote.

SPEAKER_00

Well, yes. Um, so I grew up I'm Catholic.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I'm not like hardcore Catholic, but I'm baptized Catholic, my family's Catholic.

SPEAKER_01

Same.

SPEAKER_00

Um, but I just felt like I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

Is it like ick?

SPEAKER_00

That and I feel like everyone was getting it, and like I know a lot of people who have it that aren't even like religious.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

And I feel like I don't know, I don't want people to look at me and like judge me because I feel like at that time when I had that tattoo, I was already getting hella tattoos. So the stigma is like, girl, do you even go to church? And I just didn't like explaining myself to people. Like, I still obviously have to explain because I do have a religious sleeve, you know. I got Mother Mary Jesus, but just the whole only God can judge me. I feel like there's a stigma behind that tattoo. It's just like are you sure only God can judge you?

SPEAKER_01

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Oh. Yeah. What's a what's a red flag? Oh, sorry. What's a green flagged one? Like, um what makes you go, oh shit, I'm dude. I want this. I want to do this tattoo.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I can't really speak on this because a lot of my tattoos don't have meaning at this point. But I love when people come to me and they're like, This is what I want to do, this is symbolic to this. And they give me a whole life story. I love that because that means you kind of took time to think about your tattoo. Yeah. And I tell a lot of young girls who come to me. Like, I have a lot of uh young girl clients that just got out of high school, you know. Fun fact, guys, I'm 30. So I feel like I wouldn't have never guessed. Thank you. I'm like gonna cry. I just turned 30 in June.

SPEAKER_01

Okay. But cancer baby?

SPEAKER_00

Uh Gemini.

SPEAKER_01

What's the colour?

SPEAKER_00

Gemini tattoos. Oh, I think it's the 21st.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, I'm on the 24th.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, you're a June baby? Yeah. Um, we still we still twinning.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But um, yeah, so a lot a lot of my young girl clients or even like boy clients that come to me that are younger, I tell them to really think about their tattoos. Okay. Because if I I say this all the time, if I had a chance to go back in time and redo a lot of my tattoos, I would. But at the time it's what I wanted, you know. Um, but I just wish more of them had meeting meaning to me, and you know, I planned it out a little more. Um, so yeah, I love when people come to me with a story. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Uh first impression when someone's meeting you for the very first time, seeing you with these tattoos. Um, like, do you ever get a story behind that? Like, oh man, I thought you was some sort of a bitch or a hard ass.

SPEAKER_00

Um, I don't really think it's more of the tattoos. I mean, I do get a lot of people who tell me, like, even my friends now, like two of my best friends that are also bridesmaids at my wedding, we were not getting along. Like, they told me, like, oh, I thought you were a bitch.

SPEAKER_01

Is it the RBF?

SPEAKER_00

I think so. My fiance says I have RBF all the time. I don't see it, but tweet your tongue. I hear that a lot. Um But yeah, I I feel like it's more so of the older generation who has like a stigma.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, well, of course, of course.

SPEAKER_00

It took my grandma a long time to warm up to my tattoos because I'm the second oldest grandchild, yeah, but I'm the grandchild who got tattooed first, like the most.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so when I started coming around with you know other places that she was like, dude, that's Hella scene. Like people are gonna see that. She wasn't too happy, but she warmed up to it. She loves my tattoos now, so Oh, good for you.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you nang. Nana. Yes, whatever you want to be called. What's the most meaningful tattoo that you've done?

SPEAKER_00

Uh, probably my angel wings. It's for my grandpa who passed away.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

How about the one that you've done on someone else? Uh if you remember. Because yeah, I I could only imagine you've done thousands of tattoos.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, probably I've done two uh like memorial tattoos that were pretty like meaningful to the person, and the design was really pretty too. So I mean any memorial tattoo, I'm grateful to be able to be the artist to do that for them. Uh-huh. Yeah. So I can't really remember like off the top though.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, how about this one? What's the w uh wildest tattoo that someone asked you to do? And the location.

SPEAKER_00

You know, I haven't had any crazy ones yet, no.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00

So no, like I've seen some crazy ones in my life.

SPEAKER_01

I've seen some of them too, but you personally no. This might be a personal one. Oh, wait, wait, wait.

SPEAKER_00

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I have a client who her man is in prison.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

She never met him in person. She never met him in person. It was like a situation. Yeah, so long story short, she told me that her homeboy was in prison, was on a phone call with him, and her man just so happened to like be in the FaceTime. That's how they started dating. She got his name tattooed big as hell across on her chest.

unknown

Oh.

SPEAKER_00

She never she didn't even meet him yet.

SPEAKER_02

Oh.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And I was like, girl, are you sure you want to do this? And she's like, Yep, do it. Funny story, they're not even together anymore.

SPEAKER_01

I wonder where she is right now.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I mean Do you ever keep in touch with your little?

SPEAKER_00

I do, yeah. I love keeping in touch with my clients, even if they don't come back to me, you know, as often. I do have my clientele who come back every month or two, and I have some who come back every year or two. But I'm still gonna keep in contact with them. Like I follow all my clients just to keep that relationship with them. I want them to feel comfortable and not not that I'm just like an artist to them, like I'm a friend. Uh-huh. You know.

SPEAKER_01

That's good. And you do touch-ups with them too.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah, for sure. First touch-up is free. Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Man, holla at my girl Kayla in Waipahu. 94 blocks. 94. Uh, Miss Kayla, um, before we start going, um, how did this interaction happen?

SPEAKER_00

Um, how did it happen?

SPEAKER_01

I don't know. I was probably sitting on a toilet, shot a DM, and replied.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think you did.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00

And then I think after you DM'd me, obviously I went to your page, researched, and then I seen you interviewed Kaylee, who's my niece now. And then I think I called her just to see like what's up. And she's like, Yeah, you're cool people. So shout out Kaylee.

SPEAKER_01

Kaylee, thank you.

SPEAKER_00

Uh uh.

SPEAKER_01

Uh she's in Oregon now.

SPEAKER_00

She's actually home.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

She's not going to school in Oregon no more? Um, she's here for the summer.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00

So I just seen her last weekend.

SPEAKER_01

Um, Oregon, uh, Montana. She is in Montana.

SPEAKER_00

Um I don't even know.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, cool. I'm not trying to disclose her. I don't even know. Her location like that. Um, yeah, Oregon, Montana. She's in there. She's over there. She's over there. All right, let's get these motherfuckers going. Um, do do do do.

Motherhood Patience And Therapy

SPEAKER_01

What's something motherhood taught you that surprised you?

SPEAKER_00

Patience. I still don't have a lot of it, but I have more than I used to.

SPEAKER_01

Girl, neither as a parent.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um, as I get I guess as I get older, my patience is pretty good. But when I was a young parent, I was snappy.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah. I still have those days where, you know, you just snap, but that's a normal. And I feel like as long as as a parent you learn how to say sorry to your kids. Cause I mean, I feel like older generation, like, they don't really know how to say sorry. This is true. Yes. Like, my parents, they don't they don't say sorry.

SPEAKER_01

You know, it's just like a they're not in tune with their feelings. Yeah. I believe like older.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, for sure. It's kind of like a okay, you good, you're ready to go eat.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you know. You should already know.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but I kind of want to break that for my daughter for my kids, you know. Um, I want to show them that you know it's okay to be sorry. It's okay to make mistakes. Just say sorry, be sorry and learn from it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Breaking the cycle is so hard nowadays, especially when you know, Filipino families. Yes. Um, I don't know about yours, but mine was like semi-strict, right?

SPEAKER_00

Um, okay, so I'm actually mixed.

SPEAKER_01

Oh mixed.

SPEAKER_00

My mom's side is Filipino. My dad is Filipino, Portuguese, Hawaiian, Irish. And I'm closer to my dad's side. Um, I wouldn't say my family's like super strict, but my mom's side, like my grandma, super strict. My mom was a hard ass. I mean, both my parents were a hard ass. I'm an only child at that. So yeah, expectations were like here. But yeah, I just think um that older generation, they just don't know how to say sorry, honestly.

SPEAKER_01

This is this is true. This is real. Um, how do you make time for yourself without feeling guilty? You know, like your time should be with the kids or you know, with her fiance.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Like how do you balance that out?

SPEAKER_00

Honestly, I haven't really learned how to really do that up until recently. Um I go to therapy. And that my therapist actually taught me how to not feel guilty for that kind of stuff because I feel like as a parent, especially, you just naturally feel guilty when you go take care of yourself. But um she taught me like it's okay to be selfish with your time sometimes because if not, you're not gonna be happy. Like you can't just revolve your life around everyone else, even your own kids. So she said, even if it's like going to do your nails, going to do your hair, you know, which obviously I do as a female, but that's just small stuff I do to not feel guilty, you know, like self-maintenance. But other than that, I mean I just keep telling myself it's okay. You know, I'm still present for my my kids, present for my fiance, so it's okay to have you time basically.

SPEAKER_01

Have after therapy.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. There's nothing wrong with therapy, dude.

SPEAKER_01

Oh no, there's nothing wrong.

SPEAKER_00

Everybody thinks it's such a bad thing, or like, you know, also that's another stigma around that. It's like it is. You should try it.

SPEAKER_01

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00

Because it makes you feel a lot like less weight in life, I feel.

SPEAKER_01

I think it's because it's um it's a person that you don't know, so it's non-biased.

SPEAKER_00

For sure. Yes. And I love my therapist.

SPEAKER_01

And the therapist is coming from, I guess shit, no, not I guess, but I know they're coming from a good place. Oh, yeah. You know, like from talking to No judgment. Yeah, no judgment, talking to hundreds of people for hours. Yeah. It's like, yo, this is the deal. Um, I myself, um, the only re the reason why I wake up so early, because that's like my me time, you know? Like I get to do, I get to watch sports, no kids, no wife involved. I I get to walk my dog, I get to go to the gym. And this is all like in the morning because of course I got that regular nine to five, right? But then from five on, it's kids, wife, you know, like house, you know, and then other than that, it's sleep.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

So the a lot of time that I have, that's like it's very crucial for me to like ha really have it.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, when's your me time? Or is it is it when you go out to get pampered and everything?

SPEAKER_00

Like do you Yeah, obviously like self care, but like the gym. Gym would probably be like my me time 'cause you're getting stressed out while you're working out, you know. There's no kids. Oh yeah. No kids. So yeah, that's probably my favorite me time if anything.

SPEAKER_01

Girl, what kind of example do you hope to set for your child? Children. To your children.

SPEAKER_00

Um basically to just this is gonna sound super cliche, but to just be a good person. You know, like don't follow the crowd. And this is coming from personal experience growing up. Just be yourself, don't be in a rush to do anything in life and just I don't even know. Just I don't know, because I feel like everything that I've been through going up, like I just try to prevent that for my kids.

SPEAKER_01

So bottom line, just be for right now, be a kid. Yeah. Grow up a kid, don't grow up too fast.

SPEAKER_00

And that's so hard because I feel like kids nowadays they're s they're so mature because of social media, because of you know, freaking YouTube, everything that they see. And then um, you know, being that our kids are from a blended family, I feel like that also does make them grow up a little fast. But I tell them all the time, like, don't be in a rush, like slow down. Cause if I had the chance to go back and be a freaking kid and not pay these bills, yes, I would do that. Like, and I see these freaking nostalgia videos on TikTok and YouTube. I'm like, bro, I gotta log off.

SPEAKER_01

Right, it just brings you back.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, makes me cry.

SPEAKER_01

I don't cry, but I'm like, dang, I do miss it.

SPEAKER_00

So it makes me cry. I don't like these people. Really?

SPEAKER_01

I I do miss the days where yeah, I didn't have to pay no bills. I didn't have to worry about the internet, I didn't have to worry about what what yep, Wi-Fi, work, on how to get to place to place. I just stayed my ass at home and eat for free.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my gosh, girl.

Lowrider Modeling And Respecting Culture

SPEAKER_01

Um, how did you get into the lowrider community?

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so um, I was actually just like regular modeling prior to like low rider, lowrider modeling, um, probably like a year and a half before I got into low riding. Um my first shoot, I don't know if you're familiar with farmers market out here.

SPEAKER_01

I've heard of them.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, yeah. So that was my first like big shoot. Other than that, I was just doing like beat shoots and stuff, but um I think I went to like a lowrider meet or car show. I mean I just was like already in love with like old school cars. My dad had a buggy, my uncle had a lowrider, my papa had an old school VW van. So I already grew up around that, but um, I think what really made me fall in love with it was just like going to the car shows and then um shout out to Garrett, his original Instagram name I think was like Lokes and Spokes, but I was in love with his car when I seen it.

SPEAKER_01

Was it an old school caddy? Yes, the boat, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So uh I just was like, hey, can I shoot with your car? Yeah, and then he gave me the opportunity to have my first lowrider shoot, and it kind of just went up from there, really. But um, yeah, it's kind of just how I got into low riding, lowrider modeling. I mean, you can't really be scared to like put yourself out there. So, you know, I would go out to these meets, see different cars I would fall in love with, and hit up the owner.

SPEAKER_01

Is the community big out here in Hawaii? No, it's not, it's not big at all, but it's tight.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's tight, it's a real tight-knit community, which I love, and I think that's what I love the most about low riding. It's such a tight-knit community, and you know, just the culture of it all. Yeah, like I was telling you before we even started the podcast, like out here in Hawaii is so family-based. I feel like that's the same with low riding. And I love that.

SPEAKER_01

Girl, in Cali, I told you this. Um, oh no, I haven't. Uh the low riding community is is super big. Oh, yeah. And then you'll see like the old school OGs. Yeah, that's why I love caddies so much with the spokes and the ain't and the dating rims. Oh my god. Beautiful with the bumps. Yes. Oh my gosh. Story time. Um, I went to a to a car event, right? It was mixed with imports and lowriders. Right. I tried um my what my sophomore year headass. I tried talking to one of the females, right? They're super mature, they're all busted out. Oh my god. I was like, um, I was like, hey, um, what's your AOL chat name? AOL. Yeah, right. And um, you know, the boyfriend came up, it was like, oh, what's up, little puto? I was like, oh, I was like, what's up, man? And then, you know, he was he was so cool that, you know, like he gave me props for talking to his chick, but he was like, hey little vato. I was like, oh yeah, respect, respect, respect, respect. Because I I was all I wanted to do was take a picture with the model, right? A model and the car.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's what they're there for.

SPEAKER_01

But I mean, I think it's um because not too many Asians, you know, when I was growing up, was into that type of style. I was because I grew up with a lot of Chicanos and everything.

SPEAKER_00

I feel like that's so normal in Cali too, like the whole Asian Chicano.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, oh, oh yeah, because um I grew up in uh in a city called Marina and right beside it, Salinas, and a lot of the um the Hispanics, they were uh they picked lettuce, like in the field.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

So I would um like I would chop it up with them. And also like their kids would go to like I went to school with their kids, you know, elementary, middle school, and high school. So yeah, I would chop it up with them, and um, like sometimes they would drive their whips to the high school and stuff, and I'm like, you're like damn, I want that shit. Yeah, yeah, especially being in a whip with you know with the hydros on.

SPEAKER_00

Right, and just oh hell yeah. I love that shit.

SPEAKER_01

Dude, as a kid, I love that shit so much. Yes, um, do they have that out here?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the hydroxy. There's only a few people that really have it, but yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Shout out to my boy Um Los and his wife Shy. They have a caddy out here. Um, and it's uh it's a low rider, and it's uh they have uh hydros on that shit.

SPEAKER_00

Are they in a club?

SPEAKER_01

I don't know. Last name's uh Puga? Puga? P-U-G-A?

SPEAKER_00

Capillet. I don't know. No, I'm so bad at names, never mind. I don't even know why I asked.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, womp womp. But um, but yeah, so uh why I've only seen you modeling in front of um in lowriders. Why aren't these other models out here having that opportunity? Are you like the main person? Um man, let's hit up Kayla. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00

I want to say the main person, but you are like someone see a lot of girls modeling low riders out here. And I just had this conversation with my photographer and um another homegirl. But I feel like you are appreciated more in the scene when you actually love the culture and aren't just there to take pictures. Because there are girls who show up to these meets and these shows just to take pictures with the car, but you don't see them looking at the car, you don't see them really knowing their shit, you don't see them being like, damn, like I want this one day. Like personally, when I go to the shows, like nine out of ten times, I won't even really model there, like I'm just there to be there and look at the cars. But I feel like um, you know, some of the owners respect you a little more when you actually love the lifestyle and aren't just there to take pictures.

SPEAKER_01

Do you love their old school music?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, hell yeah. Okay, yes.

SPEAKER_01

That's played a lot in my household.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah, for sure. My my daughter literally loves that shit.

SPEAKER_01

That's good. Because this music, the songs. Oh my god, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I don't even know what they're saying.

SPEAKER_01

Um, is that your real hair?

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

I was gonna say a joke, but it's her real hair.

SPEAKER_00

It's my real hair, folks. Don't even try to pay me on that.

SPEAKER_01

Um, what's the biggest misconception about women in this scene?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, a lot. Um, I mean, for those who know me prior to this podcast, you'll clearly see I'm in bikinis on my Instagram and all that stuff.

SPEAKER_01

Does it make you a hoe?

SPEAKER_00

No. If you don't know what a real hoe is, like just don't even use that terminology, you know? But um, yeah, for sure, that's like the stigma around females modeling is just like you're a hoe, you know, you're easy, you're you know, just because you're confident in your body doesn't make you a hoe. You know, like I go home to my fiancé, you know, actually my fiance's with me on all these freaking shoots.

SPEAKER_01

I met him. Yes. I met him, pretty cool guy.

SPEAKER_00

He's with me at every single thing, every event, every shoot, and I go home with him right after I'm done. So I'm not a hoe. But I think that's like the main stigma is like, oh, these hoes are out here posing on cars, or you know, even if you're not a car model, you could just be like a bikini model or a model in general. Oh, you're a hoe. That's kind of what it is. It kind of it bothered me in the beginning, but honestly, now I'm just at that point where it's like whatever, because I've been modeling for eight years already, so I think it's past that in my mind. I don't really get bothered anymore.

SPEAKER_01

I think maturity has a has to deal with it too.

SPEAKER_00

For sure.

SPEAKER_01

Cause um, you know, as a young model, you're naive.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, oh yes. Yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And then as you get older, it's more of I'm rubber band, your glue bounces me off me, sticks on you, type of situation and deal.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I mean, that's a lot of that's like one thing I do tell girls who, you know, message me or meet them in person and they're like asking for advice as far as modeling and like starting. I just tell them, like, don't be naive, you know. For one, don't be naive, stand your ground when it comes to people, you know, like photographers and stuff. Like, don't do something you don't want to do. Yeah. Just because you want to get out there. And three, you can't care about what people say about you for real. You really can't.

SPEAKER_01

Of course, oh, I I've um ever since I started this podcast, I haven't received like any hate yet, right? But once I started going, I'm getting those types of DMs and comments. Yeah, and I'm like, oh dude. I've not I've never responded, but I'm just like, dude, what's up with the hate? Yeah, it don't hurt my feelings.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. A little bit. But you're just like, what the hell?

SPEAKER_01

Um, yeah, like, dog, I'm doing something. Why aren't you doing? I mean, I could go really in on them. I could flame them up, but nah, it's not even worth your time, honestly. Oh, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

They're not doing nothing for you.

SPEAKER_01

I know, they're just keyboard keyboard warriors.

SPEAKER_00

For sure.

SPEAKER_01

With them thumbs. I bet you them thumbs are buff. Oh, you know what I'm saying? They got a little muscle right here and shit. For sure, yeah. Kayla, what motivates you when business is slow?

SPEAKER_00

My kids. My kids, my kids, my kids, because my kids gotta eat. I don't give a shit if I don't eat, genuinely. But um, you know, as a mom, I feel like that's a lot of our motivation is our kids.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Nothing else. Like, I could give a shit if I have a dollar to my name tomorrow or for the next week or for the next month. As long as my kids are good, fed, healthy, well, I don't care. But that's my only motivation for all.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, that's an honest one. Yeah. And I I believe every parent 99.99%.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I would hope so.

SPEAKER_01

I hope so too.

SPEAKER_00

Take care of your kids.

SPEAKER_01

I know, right? You don't want to go, you know, they don't want growing.

Kids Violence And Parenting Accountability

SPEAKER_01

Speaking of kids, um, are you familiar with what's happening on the mainland, this whole YN thing?

SPEAKER_02

No.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, so it's, you know, a bunch of badass kids just doing badass shit.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Do you see that happening out here? Like, um, not a cycle, but some sort of wave that's happening out here where kids now in Hawaii are wearing like hoodies, ski masks, and stuff and just doing wrong.

SPEAKER_00

Uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

Or has that always been a thing?

SPEAKER_00

I feel like out here that's such a normal, and that's so sad to say.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But like I know like when mainland people, you know, they hear about our gang activity, they're like, it's Hawaii. No, there's hella gang activity out here, and there's kids with guns, there's kids dying because of these guns, knives, all that shit. So it's it's been a normal here. Even when I was growing up. It's I don't I would say it's not as bad as when I was growing up, but it for sure hasn't died down. You know, you hear every so often on the news, oh, this kid died because of a shooting. Yeah, this kid's in jail because he shot so and so, you know, it's sad. And then there's the parents who are down for that shit. They're like, hell yeah, my kid got a gun, and that's sad. Like, yes, you might have been brought up in all that stuff, and you want your kids to be gangster and all that, but you don't need to have them in that upbringing, I feel.

SPEAKER_01

This is true.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so parents should be more accountable then for sure, because you know, growing up, I don't like to brag about it, but like I have been in fights in high school, and I tell my daughter all the time, like, I don't want you to go through that. That is like that was my mom's nightmare. You know, she didn't know when I was gonna get into a freaking fight at school, and she would hate when I would have to call her and be like, Mom, I just got into a fight. I mean, there was one time I literally got arrested for it in school. She had to pick me up, so that's like one thing I just don't want my daughter to go through.

SPEAKER_01

That's good because it's a scary thing to get a call. Oh, yeah, and then you know, of a fight. It's another scary thing to get a call of your kid being in the casket.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah, for sure. And that's that's what I think about now as a parent. I'm like, dude, my kid could get into a fight, someone could smash her head on the concrete, she could die. You know, like just stuff like that that you didn't think about as a kid, as a parent, now you're thinking about it ten times more, and you're just like, oh hell no.

SPEAKER_01

So as a parent now, what is your way of settling a um an inconvenience then? Like for for your kid, like let's um let's say your kid's getting in a situation. What is your tip for the kid? For your kid, I mean.

SPEAKER_00

You mean like as far as like bullying and stuff?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, like is it okay to be a punk and walk away?

SPEAKER_00

So I'm gonna be completely honest here. My daughter actually was going through this, uh, not this past school year, but the school year before that. I was getting calls left and right, and it was a boys.

SPEAKER_01

She was bullying boys?

SPEAKER_00

No, she was getting bullied by boys. Like uh one of them threw her lunch away, one of them tried to throw a chair at her, one of them threw a rock at her, and it was like an occurring thing.

SPEAKER_01

So there was there a reason sorry for cutting you off. Was there a reason for that happening?

SPEAKER_00

Or okay, so I'm not gonna say what school she goes to, but her school, they do this thing where they um integrate, you know, the special not super special needs kids, but you know, those kids with kids who they feel can help them or will be good with them in the classroom. And yeah, she was in one of those classrooms, and you know, the VP told me, like, you know, your we love your daughter, like she's such a sweetheart, she's good with other kids, she's caring, so we feel like she's good for this classroom. So it was those those boys, which when we went to our first parent teacher meeting about that, I tried to have grace, you know. Like, I don't know what's going on in these kids' homes for them to act out. You know, I know like from what they're telling me, they're more um attention-needed kids, so I'm trying to have grace, but even after that parent teacher meeting, if it's still happening, what are you doing? You know, like take my kid out or take those kids out. So, anyway, to answer your question, um I tell my daughter, you know, just try to be kind, but you know, if somebody puts your hands on you, you're I'm giving you permission to put your hands on them back because it's not it's not fair, you know, like there's no there's absolutely no way I'm gonna have my daughter get hit and not hit back. That's just how I was brought up. I told her I'm not condoning you to fight, but if you need to defend yourself, go for it. And she's such a sweetheart, she's like, but I'm gonna get in trouble by the principal. Am I my teacher? I'm like, girl, you're not gonna get in trouble with me. That's all that matters.

SPEAKER_01

I tell my kids that too.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I'm like, I don't give a shit. I will go in there and defend you. Yeah, so that's basically my advice to her. But I just tell her, wait till they put their hands on you first. Don't be uh instigator, yes, don't initiate it. Tell a teacher if you don't feel comfortable telling a teacher, call me. Because she has a cell phone. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01

It's wild how these kids are growing up now.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah, you know, because uh I didn't have a cell phone until I was sixth grade.

SPEAKER_01

Girl, I grew up with a pager, so you know it's one of them I need 35 cents to use a uh paypacker and call call daddy. Oh my god. For real, for real. Um okay, here's another here's

Bullying Stories And Self Defense Boundaries

SPEAKER_01

one. Uh should couples have separate bank accounts?

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, I agree. Uh why is that? Why do you say that?

SPEAKER_00

Well, for one, me and my fiancee have separate bank accounts. And I told him, even after we get married, I don't want us to have a joint one. Like, we could have a joint savings specifically for the kids that we don't touch. But as far as like joint, I just feel like your money's your money, my money's my money. As long as our bills are paid and we're on the same page, you do what you want with your money. You know, like I don't like pocket watching. Like, as long as we're taken care of and I know everything in our circle is good, I don't want to pocket watch you because that's unhealthy.

SPEAKER_01

Is it really?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I feel like money is such a big issue in a lot of marriages. Not even just marriages, just relationships. I've seen it firsthand. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I agree. Um, me and my wife, we have a joint account. But um I'd be finding myself taking money out of our joint account and putting it in like like say a different account, just in case shit happens account.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Like she doesn't question me because she knows like my intention. Um, but Kayla, let me tell you, I am getting sick and tired of seeing my shit, our shit dwindling down because of Starbucks, Starbucks, Starbucks, laboo-boo. Starbucks.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I can't really talk shit. I'm like, I'm not a Starbucks girly, I'm a coffee bean girly.

SPEAKER_01

Coffee bean? Okay, coffee bean. I'm like, fuck, might as well fucking buy some shit at home. But okay, to your point, separate accounts is good. Um, will there ever be a situation or a time where you and your fiancee would have a joint?

SPEAKER_00

Uh no. I mean, we do have like a joint savings right now. Yeah, that's just literally like we need to put money aside, you know, just in case anything happens. But other than that, no. I mean, he's very honest with his money. I have access to his bank account and vice versa. So why do we need a joint? If he can see my money, I can see his money. I don't think that's necessary, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Valid. Yeah. Here we go. Is it okay to keep in touch with an ex if there's no romantic interest?

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_01

No. Why so, Miss Kayla?

SPEAKER_00

I just think I don't know. I don't like that. I I just feel like nine out of ten times that just doesn't lead down a good road, you know? Like, I don't know. I just feel like you can't be friends with your ex. Like, genuinely. I don't I just feel like there's always gonna be something there.

SPEAKER_01

We could have a discussion about this. Um, I'm I'm I'm friends with a couple of my exes.

SPEAKER_00

Um, okay, did it end bad?

SPEAKER_01

Actually, no.

SPEAKER_00

Well, there's your answer.

SPEAKER_01

It was cordial. It was more of, man, it's just not working out, man. Oh, I I agree. Alright, well.

SPEAKER_00

And then But like, does your partner know about that?

SPEAKER_01

With the exes?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Wait, hold on. Ooh, opening your mouth.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, cut the camera.

SPEAKER_01

Wait, no, wait, wait, does she she does, cause my my baby mama, uh, because my oldest kid, my oldest child, the one that's going to college, we talked about this. Um, I had I had her with uh a different female.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Before meeting my wife.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

But they're cordial, like they're they're not like the best of friends, but yeah, cordial for the kids. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So all that matters.

SPEAKER_01

Um friends with exes.

SPEAKER_00

I think it was be wait, so it's your baby mama that you're friends with, or no?

SPEAKER_01

We're not f I don't see it's it it's it's hard to label it because I I'm always gonna have love for the girl, but I'm just gonna be like back here while she's doing her thing. I'm back here. I'm like, all right. Hey, good for you.

SPEAKER_00

I don't like that.

SPEAKER_01

Um why not?

SPEAKER_00

Like the whole I got love for. You no.

SPEAKER_01

Why you're not like that was like my first everything. Why why not have no?

SPEAKER_00

I mean, like personally, I just feel like I've gone through so much stuff that I'm just like I don't trust that shit at all.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, I could understand if you know if you don't trust everything, but mature mature wise, like if you know if you can keep it like separated, like this is just it's nothing big.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I'm a big believer on like being cordial for sure. Yeah, like um, like I said earlier, we're a blended family, right? So we're all cordial. There's no issue. But as far as like you being friendly, personally, no.

SPEAKER_01

Like she's not gonna get invited to the cookout?

SPEAKER_00

Hell no. Okay. And vice versa.

SPEAKER_01

You know what's funny about this situation? My uncle in Cali, uh, he remarried, he has an ex-wife. His ex-wife is his kids' um godparent.

SPEAKER_00

Oh lord.

SPEAKER_01

That's that old traditional shit. Yeah. But I don't know if I could do that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_01

Uh no? It's a no for you. That's a mature shit right there. I could I that I can't fathom all.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I feel like just you being cordial in general is mature.

SPEAKER_01

Mm-hmm. Because Miss Kayla taking the d the low road. It's like, fuck that shit.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I feel like every parent who gotta deal with like uh their other parent and they're not together, it's not gonna always be good at first. Like that's just what it is.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But like to come to terms and be like ma uh, you know, cordial eventually.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

That says a lot already. Cause I know some people who still aren't cordial with their kids' other parent till like they're 18, 19, 20. So I already give myself props for that.

SPEAKER_01

And that's what it's gonna be. She gave herself kudos and I'm getting all that shit.

SPEAKER_00

And that's about it. That's where it's gonna stay.

SPEAKER_01

Uh Miss Kayla, let me ask you this then.

Money Rules And Being Friends With Exes

SPEAKER_01

We're switching topics. Um, what do hairstyles and tattoos say about a guy or a female? Huh. So let's start with the female. Um, you see a female with some sort of tattoos and uh and the style are can you tell me like what it would like what does it mean from your eyes?

SPEAKER_00

I just think that they're in tune with themselves, like their creativity. You know, I feel like for a girl or a guy, when it comes to having tattoos, that's kind of you telling everybody like I don't give a shit what you think about me. This is what I want to look like, this is how this is what makes me happy. It's my life. If you like it or not. That's what I get from male and female.

SPEAKER_01

Even if it's one of those red flag tattoos that you mentioned.

SPEAKER_00

Um, let's I don't want to say what I really want to say about that.

SPEAKER_01

No, I might get cancelled. Oh. How about um okay, females is easy. Male. When you see a certain type of hairstyle or haircut on a guy, like what?

SPEAKER_00

To be an example.

SPEAKER_01

Oh shit.

SPEAKER_00

Um like a side comb.

SPEAKER_01

The side comb. What does that tell you about a guy?

SPEAKER_00

You know what? Before I even answer this, I feel like I feel like um the guy makes the hairstyle.

SPEAKER_01

The personality, or is it the feet the the facial features?

SPEAKER_00

Like the personality, because I mean my fiance was bald. He's trying to grow a mullet now, and when I met him, he had like a skin fade, and then he would sometimes grow his top out and do like a little side comb. I think he looked good in any of them. But some people just can't pull off some stuff. Yeah, not trying to be mean, but you know, some a side comb might make you look a little nerdy sometimes.

SPEAKER_01

A little nerdy, okay.

SPEAKER_00

You know, just and then personally, I don't think I like my man bald. It makes him look older.

SPEAKER_01

Really?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I feel like it makes him look old. Like he still looks good, but I don't that's like my least favorite.

SPEAKER_01

I heard opposite. No older makes you look younger, hair makes you look older.

SPEAKER_00

He looks older, and I feel like he looks more like a dick. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01

As in like, oh, this is a motherfucker that I do not want to mess with at a movie theater.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But that's okay though. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

I want to see. For me, yeah, for a male. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01

But yeah. How about the um it's very popular right now, the high taper blowout.

SPEAKER_00

What is that?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, it's so it's it's it's a high taper. You know what a taper is.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

And you know, the guy's hair is just it's just blown out. Like oh a lot of people have that. You don't like that? Why what what makes it so weird?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know. That's just not what I grew up seeing.

SPEAKER_01

What do you girl? You grew up seeing what? The mid-fade?

SPEAKER_00

The mid-fade, uh, the rat tails.

SPEAKER_01

I yeah, I seen the rat tails.

SPEAKER_00

The mullets. The mullets being all bald, obviously. But these crazy hairstyles, I'm just like, what?

SPEAKER_01

To each its own.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, to each its own. If you think you look good, that's all that matters. Cause I mean, people might think that about me. You know, like everyone has their own opinion. Uh-huh. People might think I look crazy, and that's fine.

SPEAKER_01

How about facial piercings? Uh I'm for it or not?

SPEAKER_00

I'm for it to an extent. I think there is a such a thing as too much.

SPEAKER_01

What's too much? On a female first.

SPEAKER_00

On a female, I feel like a cute little nose piercing, maybe like one lip piercing. I used to have a dermal, a face dermal here. I think that's cute. But like when you start doing like four lip piercings, two nose uh two here, and then you know that little shit here. And then yeah, that eyebrow. Like, babe, you're pretty.

SPEAKER_01

Let me ask you this. When you see a guy with an eyebrow earring, or ring, eyebrow ring, off the top of your head, what does Kayla's thinking?

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so that kind of goes with like hand in hand with the hair. Like some guys can pull it off, some guys can't.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

I just think it doesn't look right on some people. It makes you just look a little femme. Am I allowed to say that?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you e you can say whatever the fuck you want. I have the little E, you know? We're good.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, yeah. Well, I think it just makes some guys look femme. That's what it is.

SPEAKER_01

I got you on that one. Yeah. Yes. I agree.

SPEAKER_00

Loki, I have been begging my fiance to let me pierce my eyebrow. And he's like, fuck no. Like a little cute diamond one. He's like, no, you're gonna look like a butchie. And I'm like, cool, never mind.

SPEAKER_01

Is that the stigma with butches?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Or uh women that like women?

SPEAKER_00

I guess. But I mean the stigma of having- I think a lot of uh women who like women, they're more into the face piercing. So I I guess at least here. Is it? Yeah, like growing up, okay, in Waipahu.

SPEAKER_01

I'm gonna I'm gonna start no I'm gonna notice that shit now.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, in Waipahu, like in school, a lot of the lesbians had facial piercings, like a lot, like the crazy ones, not just a nose piercing, like a lip piercing, a lip hoot, eyebrow piercing. So I guess like in our generation, that's what it is.

SPEAKER_01

Huh. Yeah. Interesting. While I was growing up, piercings were I guess a lot of kids were rebellious, and that's their outlet, just getting pierced up. For sure. But it never was out there as oh, I'm a lesbian or whatnot. Or gay or any of those.

SPEAKER_00

I guess that's the same as tattoos, uh self-expression and rebellion. Uh-huh. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01

How old were you when you got your first?

SPEAKER_00

14. It was a small little cute one.

SPEAKER_01

How old can a person out here in Hawaii get one?

SPEAKER_00

So you can our personally our shop, I think the youngest we take is like 13, but you need to have your parent there to sign for you and stay with you.

SPEAKER_02

Oh.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I don't know how it was back in the day, but my dad took me to get my first tattoo. Yeah. And then my s my wings was when I was 16.

SPEAKER_01

So I could see the wings because it's a meaningful tattoo. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But like right when I graduated two years after that, I got my leg piece.

SPEAKER_01

So just got blasted.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Hypothetical, I'm your kid, just turned 13. Mom, I want a tat.

SPEAKER_00

I think I'm gonna say the same thing, like my dad said.

SPEAKER_01

Are you sure?

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_01

Oh what?

SPEAKER_00

He told me I need to approve the design and I'm going with you.

SPEAKER_01

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00

So, I mean, I can't I feel like I can't tell my kids no, because look at me. You know, I can't be like, hell no, you're not getting a tattoo while I'm a tattoo artist. That's just stupid. As long as I'm gonna make sure like they're doing it safe and they actually know what they're putting on their body, it's fine.

SPEAKER_01

The location of it.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, it's gonna it's gonna be hidden for a little bit. Yeah, you're gonna get hidden tattoos until you're old enough to make that decision. That was my dad's rule, too. So okay.

SPEAKER_01

So what is 18 the Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

After 18, I was like, sorry, dad, I'm going on my leg.

SPEAKER_01

Huh. Interesting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Right? Now he's just like, oh, cool, you got another. They can't even tell when I have a new tattoo at this point.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, really? Because you have so many.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, dad. Here's

Hair Piercings And Tattoo Firsts

SPEAKER_01

another one. Handling people saying that they know you, but really don't know you. How do you handle those folks?

SPEAKER_00

I think I just don't. I think with that and like you know, um negative commentary, just anything that I don't want to hear, I just don't deal with it. Uh-huh. I just don't. I just block it out. And I feel like you can't control other people. So if other people are gonna say, Oh, I know her, I can't tell them what to say and what not to say, and I can't tell other people to believe them or not. So it is what it is. I feel like you're a lot happier in life when you just focus on yourself and not what other people are saying. So I just feel like I don't deal with it.

SPEAKER_01

So you have a mass following, um, and you follow a lot of people too.

unknown

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

So when they say, Oh man, I know Kayla, this and the third, yada yada yada, she did this, this, this. What do you say to that? Um or like, oh, someone just followed you. Oh man, yeah, I know Kayla. But you really it's like, oh, hey, you know, Rich.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, right, right.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Oh well, for personally, I hate name droppers. Like, even when I meet people and they're like, Oh yeah, I know your uncle, I know your whatever. I'm just like, dude, I don't care.

SPEAKER_01

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00

But when it comes to me, I feel like I just laugh it off at this point. I'm just like, if I if I know you don't know me, or we're like um acquaintances, but you don't really know me, or you're just bullshitting off what you think I did in life because you heard some shit, I just laugh because I'm like, dude, you're just kidding yourself, and you're just making yourself look stupid because this island is so small.

SPEAKER_02

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00

Word gets back to everybody. This is true.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Like, there's no secret keeping in this island. You're gonna do something, it's gonna get public. And being um, I guess somebody who's a model, a tattoo artist, who's you know, has a following, that's what it is for me. And I just have to accept it if that's gonna be my lifestyle. So I think acceptance is how I deal with it. Just accept just accepting the fact that people are gonna talk shit, people are gonna act like they know me, people are gonna hate. I mean, obviously, you got your people who support you. Yeah, so that should just outweigh everything at that point.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, the DMs that you be receiving, right? How dumb are they? Like, have you received any horny ones? And when you do receive these horny and obscene ones, like what's what's going on in your mind?

SPEAKER_00

You know what's so funny? And my fiancee doesn't believe this shit either, but I told him ever since I really started posting him, I don't get those kind of DMs anymore. That's good. Yeah, but prior to him, oh my gosh, I used to get the weirdest shit, like Let me smile fart girl. Yeah, I'm not even gonna, I'm not even gonna go there. Like, uh I'm sure girls who don't have a following get these.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Cause there are just weirdo horny men out there, but I just block them because I'm like, what? You know, like what the fuck? That's like the only thing that comes to my mind is like what?

SPEAKER_01

Do you think women could do the same thing too?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

And be ten times as worse.

SPEAKER_00

I can't see myself doing that, so I don't know. I feel like that's uncommon, but I wouldn't knock it. I would accept it. Yeah, I wouldn't say women don't do that shit. I'm pretty sure there's a lonely lady out there with I would converse.

SPEAKER_01

I would have a conversation with her, but hey, um, thank you for the comment. How's it going?

SPEAKER_00

What the hell? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

And just fucking just go. I'm playing, I wouldn't do that.

SPEAKER_00

He's not playing, guys.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I'm not playing. I definitely have a conversation. I'm like, so what made you DM me?

SPEAKER_00

Like, what's going on in your mind right now?

SPEAKER_01

It's like, oh yeah, I just wanna buy one of your socks and smell it. That is I'm like, ooh, how much? Uh I do believe this quote. Uh anything has a price.

SPEAKER_00

It's funny. Because I didn't believe that, but I think being in the industry I am in, that's yeah, it's true. Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Ooh. You have a dog, someone wants your dog. Does your dog have a price?

SPEAKER_00

Okay, maybe not like that. I do have a dog, and I wouldn't sell him for the world, but 100k. No.

SPEAKER_01

500k?

SPEAKER_00

I feel like with certain people, that's what it is in their life, you know, like anything has a price.

SPEAKER_01

Anything could be bought.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But personally, I like um my morals that I got brought up. No. But I I do believe that in this world there are people like that.

SPEAKER_01

There is. Yeah, for sure. There is. Sell you my left liver for 10 bucks.

SPEAKER_00

Not even 11.

SPEAKER_01

11.50. Okay. A meal. Alright. Um.

Rumors Weird DMs And Protecting Peace

SPEAKER_01

Me and my wife watched Obsession yesterday. Have you watched it yet?

SPEAKER_00

See, I'm not even a I'm not even a I'm not a TV show person. Like, I ew, it's a movie. Well, whatever. See, I don't even know.

SPEAKER_01

You don't watch movies?

SPEAKER_00

Not really. Like, not unless it's like my kids.

SPEAKER_01

You watched Toy Story 5?

SPEAKER_00

My kids didn't. I didn't. You didn't watch it? No, like they went with their other parent. I think my mom took my daughter. But I'm a scary movie person. I am too.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

My fiance hates that shit.

SPEAKER_01

I sleep with it on. My wife hates it.

SPEAKER_00

Me too. I fall asleep. He's like, what the f- And I'm peaceful. Yeah, he's like, you forced me to watch this shit, and I'm over here shitting my pants.

SPEAKER_01

Really?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I fall asleep with that shit.

SPEAKER_01

I yeah, I love it. Well, going back to Toy Source 5, I think, because I watched it with the kids, I think it's for the adults.

SPEAKER_00

Really?

SPEAKER_01

It's a it's a yeah, it's an animated movie.

SPEAKER_00

Because it's like an ending, right?

SPEAKER_01

Kinda, kinda, sorta. Like the um the end of the movie makes you go, uh. You wanna know? Or do you want to watch it first?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think I'm gonna watch it.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

I think I do have to.

SPEAKER_01

It's gonna make it's it's gonna make you go, uh. It made my wife cry.

SPEAKER_00

See, I'm a crier too.

SPEAKER_01

Are you?

SPEAKER_00

I am when it comes to movies. I'm like, what? Am I a bitch?

SPEAKER_01

I'm not gonna say a bitch, but maybe like a pansy. No, no. No, you know what? You are emotionally in tune with yourself.

SPEAKER_00

Watching the freaking good dinosaur.

SPEAKER_01

Because pop-op died.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, I cried watching the crudes because I thought the dad was gonna die.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, no. My wife didn't cry. She did cry to the dinosaur once.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um Lion King cried.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, I could see that. But it's emo Oh man. Okay. Huh.

SPEAKER_00

Like I'm a I sometimes Do you cry to rom coms? What is that?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, or a romantic comedy.

SPEAKER_00

See, I don't even like romantic movies, bro.

SPEAKER_01

Why not? Oh, because it's a facade, it's a fade.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know. I've never been into that kind of movie.

SPEAKER_01

Oh.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You'd like Obsession. It's on Peacock.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. I'll make sure to watch it.

SPEAKER_01

You got that for free?

SPEAKER_00

I do.

SPEAKER_01

Obsession.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

It's it's it's fun. It's it's not one of those horror movies, like, you know, it's not gore.

SPEAKER_00

It's like a thriller.

SPEAKER_01

It's low-key. It's low-key thrilling. Okay. Oh, um, yo, yeah, it's a thriller. Low-key gore gore.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

But um, it's more of like it makes you think like, oh shit.

SPEAKER_00

Is it like sh- have you watched Shudder Island?

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Is it like that? Like a mine fuck?

SPEAKER_01

No, it's not.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Cause Shudder Island is you he thought he was on an island, but he was really in a mental institute.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

No, it's not that.

SPEAKER_00

Or he thought he was a detective, right? Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and like all the players on the island, there were just, you know, the janitor. It was his therapist. Right. You know, his friend. Yeah. Okay. No, it's not, it's not.

SPEAKER_00

Well, now that you told me it's a thriller, I'll go watch it.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You'll get, it's, it's one of the those like, I'll get your he might hate me.

SPEAKER_00

He might hate you for telling me this too.

SPEAKER_01

Does your does your fiance, because my wife does this all the time, when something like that happens, is it like an automatic hit? Like, do you get because my wife hits me when like a scary thing?

SPEAKER_00

No, he doesn't, but he I feel like he's watched so much thrillers and scary movies with me. So at this point, he kind of knows when something's coming. So I just like put one eye under the cover and he's like, something's gonna happen. I'm like, get the hell out of the blanket.

SPEAKER_01

What stemmed from you liking horror and thriller movies?

SPEAKER_00

Genuinely don't know. But my mom said at five years old I was watching The Ring by myself, watching The Grudge by myself.

SPEAKER_01

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know. Watching Chucky by myself.

SPEAKER_01

See, I don't know how I started liking horror movies too. Because um before like the English ones, I was into like the Filipino, like Filipino movies, like Shake, Rattle, and Roll. Like that's an old school Filipino movie. And I I grew up to watching Filipino movies, and I guess I'm accustomed to just watching ghosts, vampires, werewolves. Like in the because the Filipino, the old school Filipino movies is just, yeah, one is culture, and then two, it's like watching it now, it's like, damn, that makeup kind of sucks.

SPEAKER_00

Right, like all the old school scary movies, you're like, how the hell was I scared?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so in my mind now it's just like, oh, I could see, yeah, I could handle, but the mind fucked ones, like um, I don't know if you ever heard of Rooms or whatever. It's a it's a mind fucked movie, but those the real life ones, I'm just like, oh shit.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

When these could happen when this shit could happen, I'm like, oh. I want to watch, but I'm just like, ooh.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Ooh.

SPEAKER_00

I think one of my favorite like mind fuck movies is probably um Truth or Dare.

unknown

Truth or Dare.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know if you've ever seen that one.

SPEAKER_01

Is that the one where um I think it's called Truth or Dare?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Like they gathered like uh eight people who needed money, uh-huh, and then they brought them to a dinner, and then it ended up being like truth or dare, but you don't do the dare. If not, you're gonna get killed.

SPEAKER_01

In one of the scenes, did a girl have to crawl out of a window on like from one side to the other side on top of a ladder? Yes. Okay, I've seen that one. I've seen that. That's that's your favorite.

SPEAKER_00

Like one of my favorite, like what the hell? Like that could actually happen to people. Uh-huh. I feel like that's true. Cause I mean, when they were approached, it was a rich man, like trying to help their situation by throwing them money in their face, like, oh, you just come to this dinner.

SPEAKER_01

And then shit started happening.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Just like Squid Games.

SPEAKER_00

Basically, yeah. I love Squid Games.

SPEAKER_01

Squid Games is I love Squid Games. I liked it.

SPEAKER_00

People have such like eh, feelings about it, but I love Squid Games.

SPEAKER_01

Miss Kayla, knowing Squid Games and how it is, do you think you're able to survive?

SPEAKER_00

Hell no. Nope.

SPEAKER_01

You laugh too much, you fidget too much.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the the running one I'm gonna do. You don't work well with others. Especially the um Crocker.

SPEAKER_01

I don't think Kayla is dying.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think I'm dead already. The first game. Done.

SPEAKER_01

I would love to do a Squid Games out. Well, you know what? A playful Squid Games out here and just be a contestant to see how far I could go.

SPEAKER_00

Like Mr. Beast.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, like one of those like I'm not gonna die.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I'm just gonna lose that on like thousands of dollars.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

But I wish Hawaii would have shit like that.

SPEAKER_00

I think it'd be ghetto, dude.

SPEAKER_01

You think so?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

What? Who'd who'd fucking go underground and get Kloa pork?

SPEAKER_00

Who could somebody might start scrapping for yeah, I don't know. That's just how it is in Hawaii. Like, everything and anything turns into a fight out here.

SPEAKER_01

Why do you think that's happening? Or why do you think that is?

SPEAKER_00

Culture. Culture. I mean, like, granted, I love the fact that you know a lot of people choose to throw hands over guns and knives, but it's so unnecessary sometimes. Like, not everything needs to be a fight.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

That's why I don't like going out no more. It's like, dude, I don't wanna be around that environment anymore.

SPEAKER_01

This is true. Um, I was taught at a young age that you could hurt a man worse in his pockets than his face. So, like, if let's say I get assaulted, right?

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, I'm taking every dime.

SPEAKER_00

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01

Like, I'm I'm sorry for your kids, I'm sorry for you, but I am gonna I'm taking your house, I'm taking your car, I'm gonna take your dog too. Oh my god, not your dog, but no, like you hit him like where it hurts the most, and that's how that's the pockets.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

So I was taught that.

SPEAKER_00

For sure. Because people don't think money makes the world go around. Yes, it does.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah. Uh yes, it does. I haven't seen a poor, happy person yet.

SPEAKER_00

That's so sad though, to think about it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's sad, but I mean it is what it is, right? You gotta live in the real world.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

unknown

Oh.

SPEAKER_00

Must be nice to be a generational wealth.

SPEAKER_01

Right? Nepo. Nepotism. Yeah. Shout out to y'all.

SPEAKER_00

I I it is what it is.

SPEAKER_01

Right. Oh, God.

Movies Squid Game And Closing Shoutouts

SPEAKER_01

Um, Kayla, that was fun.

SPEAKER_00

It was.

SPEAKER_01

Um, you have any questions for me before we dip out or no, not really. Okay, cool. No question. No question. I'm one of them motherfuckers. Um, Miss Kayla, where can these people find you at? And um, do you have any shout outs or anything?

SPEAKER_00

Uh well, you guys can find me on Instagram at Janita from the block. Pretty sure it'll be here somewhere. I don't know. Um, I don't really have any other social media besides that. Uh shout out to tattoo crew. If y'all are ever out here in Oahu or in Wapahu and you want to get tattooed, come stop by. Shout out to Chris for having me.

SPEAKER_01

Chris is me. Thank you so much. Hey, do appreciate you for coming on. Thank you so much. Um, July 26th, there's a sneaker expo at Alamon. Hey, I'll be there. Catch some of your favorite, um. I don't want to say an influencer because I'm not an influencer. Favorite content creator.

SPEAKER_00

Some of your influencer.

SPEAKER_01

I am not an influencer. I haven't influenced anyone yet.

SPEAKER_00

Influenced me to come on this show. He's like a hard time.

SPEAKER_01

And then we got and then shout out to Caleb Studios. Thank you for the lovely hum. Raffi behind always, man. Thank you for the lovely beating. Um, I'm Chris.

SPEAKER_00

And I'm Caleb.

SPEAKER_01

And we have this bitch. Peace.

SPEAKER_00

That was lit. That was so fun. Yeah.