Don't give up who you are and the feeling in your soul of who you're meant to be. In every decision that you make in life, you must always protect the core of your existence: your purpose.
June 18, 2014 © Kayla Napua Kong
Faker Than Fiction
Call me an amateur living under a rock but, I just discovered a practice called ghostwriting today... and it's an actual "acceptable/official" thing that people do for a living! Ghostwriting is when a writer writes something that will be officially credited to another person. There are different levels of it (and I'm OK with some forms of it, like for recipe books; the descriptions on potato chip bags and official websites; or the tweets that represent a company, brand, public figure, or person that can't personally update every social media promotion themselves; or letters written for companies responding to each of their customers; things of that nature etc.) but overall I'm appalled by the idea, especially when it comes to the art of literature in fictional books and novels.
Why is plagiarism, cheating, and helping someone cheat, considered a bad thing but ghostwriting is acceptable? Why does the FTC have these nitty-gritty rules that require bloggers and vloggers, who review things, to be conspicuously clear that they've received certain items for free, or that they are telling their true honest opinion, when the nature of most of these people are genuine, normal, people just sharing their true thoughts from their own house and bedroom. The FTC is so strict to make sure that the audience is not being deceived by these normal people who are making these blogs and vlogs themselves--and yet big brands, celebrities, and public figures that are more established, and should therefore be more trustworthy, can flat out lie to us that they WROTE their own book and are flat out credited as the AUTHOR in the description when they are selling their book to us!
People hate on SINGers all the time for not being the WRITEr of their music. Singing and writing are totally different skills! It's like getting mad at actors for not writing their own scripts, or getting mad at a dancer for not choreographing every dance they do. Some people can do both but, lots of writers can't sing and lots of singers can't write and I see nothing wrong with that as long as they are being honest about it. Also, why are Broadway performers and opera singers so respected when they sing ancient songs and therefore did not write their own stuff either! Even musicians in an orchestra do not write their own music and yet they are respected... so I don't get why pop singers get so much flack for having writers write songs for them. I rather listen to a really good song written by a very talented writer and sung by a very talented singer, than listen to a good song sung by a weak singer, or a junk song written by a strong singer! If you don't write the songs you sing it doesn't take away your title as a singer! And if you don't sing the songs you write it doesn't take away your title as a song writer. Singing is an art in itself and writing is an art in itself and I don't think you should be deemed "not good enough" just because you can't do both.
What I do have a problem with is someone claiming they are an author of a book when in fact they had a ghostwriter write it for them! Why in the world should they have the right to be credited as an author if they didn't even write the book? The last time I checked, the definition of an author was "someone who writes" and the definition of a writer was "someone with the ability to mark or record letters, numbers and symbols on a paper or page by using some type of writing utensil". Getting someone else to write your book and then claiming that you wrote it is a HUMONGOUS LIE and is more EQUIVALENT TO LIP SYNCING! It absolutely disgusts me! Call me a "Basic Bish" but, I thought being a writer of a book required you to WRITE IT! There is no getting around it! If you didn't write it, you didn't write it--Period! If you needed help writing something then state that you worked or collaborated with someone or that you co-wrote the piece. Is that so hard to do? You can call the book yours since you own the rights to use and sell it but don't lie to us saying that you actually wrote it! Owning the words and writing the words are two different things! Why is it not mandatory for these "authors" to conspicuously and clearly let their customers know that they used a ghostwriter? Why can they trick us and false advertise their product but people who review products can't? Why lie? How can you sleep at night? The idea is beyond me!
I'd rather be an "amateur" writer who actually writes my own stuff, than a critically acclaimed, best selling "author" who can't write for shit!
June 14 & 17, 2014 © Kayla Napua Kong
Why is plagiarism, cheating, and helping someone cheat, considered a bad thing but ghostwriting is acceptable? Why does the FTC have these nitty-gritty rules that require bloggers and vloggers, who review things, to be conspicuously clear that they've received certain items for free, or that they are telling their true honest opinion, when the nature of most of these people are genuine, normal, people just sharing their true thoughts from their own house and bedroom. The FTC is so strict to make sure that the audience is not being deceived by these normal people who are making these blogs and vlogs themselves--and yet big brands, celebrities, and public figures that are more established, and should therefore be more trustworthy, can flat out lie to us that they WROTE their own book and are flat out credited as the AUTHOR in the description when they are selling their book to us!
People hate on SINGers all the time for not being the WRITEr of their music. Singing and writing are totally different skills! It's like getting mad at actors for not writing their own scripts, or getting mad at a dancer for not choreographing every dance they do. Some people can do both but, lots of writers can't sing and lots of singers can't write and I see nothing wrong with that as long as they are being honest about it. Also, why are Broadway performers and opera singers so respected when they sing ancient songs and therefore did not write their own stuff either! Even musicians in an orchestra do not write their own music and yet they are respected... so I don't get why pop singers get so much flack for having writers write songs for them. I rather listen to a really good song written by a very talented writer and sung by a very talented singer, than listen to a good song sung by a weak singer, or a junk song written by a strong singer! If you don't write the songs you sing it doesn't take away your title as a singer! And if you don't sing the songs you write it doesn't take away your title as a song writer. Singing is an art in itself and writing is an art in itself and I don't think you should be deemed "not good enough" just because you can't do both.
What I do have a problem with is someone claiming they are an author of a book when in fact they had a ghostwriter write it for them! Why in the world should they have the right to be credited as an author if they didn't even write the book? The last time I checked, the definition of an author was "someone who writes" and the definition of a writer was "someone with the ability to mark or record letters, numbers and symbols on a paper or page by using some type of writing utensil". Getting someone else to write your book and then claiming that you wrote it is a HUMONGOUS LIE and is more EQUIVALENT TO LIP SYNCING! It absolutely disgusts me! Call me a "Basic Bish" but, I thought being a writer of a book required you to WRITE IT! There is no getting around it! If you didn't write it, you didn't write it--Period! If you needed help writing something then state that you worked or collaborated with someone or that you co-wrote the piece. Is that so hard to do? You can call the book yours since you own the rights to use and sell it but don't lie to us saying that you actually wrote it! Owning the words and writing the words are two different things! Why is it not mandatory for these "authors" to conspicuously and clearly let their customers know that they used a ghostwriter? Why can they trick us and false advertise their product but people who review products can't? Why lie? How can you sleep at night? The idea is beyond me!
I'd rather be an "amateur" writer who actually writes my own stuff, than a critically acclaimed, best selling "author" who can't write for shit!
June 14 & 17, 2014 © Kayla Napua Kong
The Invisible People
Always fear the people who are invisible
because, with them, you'll never see it coming
and you'll never know what hit you.
April 6, 2014 11:32pm © Kayla Napua Kong
There is only Plan A.
The reason I was born
is still the reason I was born
--it's do or die--
and I'll never let that knowledge slip my mind.
March 6, 2014 © Kayla Napua Kong
Always in my wildest dreams
So many amazing, unbelievable, things happen to people who, when asked if they ever dreamed this would happen to them, say: "never in my wildest dreams!" or "I didn't even have the capacity to dream or even think this big!" or "I had never even imagined this was even possible!". Often these things happen to the unsuspecting, "humble", folks...
But for me it's gonna be different because, one day, when people ask me if I ever dreamed this would happen, I'm gonna say "Yes". It may not sound as "humble" as being totally oblivious to a miracle but, I will say "Yes", and I'll be proud of it because only a dreamer can say that! Most people don't know what it takes to be a dreamer and how strong you have to be to protect and hold onto your dream. Dreaming isn't easy and it's not for the faint of heart. It requires guts to open up the deepest part of your heart and soul and risk it's vulnerability to the possibility of disappointment and destruction.
Most people don't know what it really is to dream. A dream isn't just something that you think up for fun because you don't believe it will ever happen. A dream is actually something that you truly believe in, in the center of your being, even though there is no physical proof or logic to reassure you. It appears to have no safety net because it is a gamble (and it's all or nothing!). A dream is a walk (and sometimes a marathon) in the darkness led only by your gut. A dream is a life line that consumes the life you have now. It is a future!
Most people don't realize that the fact that you dreamed it first means so much more--not only because of WHAT it is that happened but WHY--because you KNEW it would--and because of HOW it came to BE.
When all the odds were stacked against it far before it came true, in the end it made it, and survived the journey just like you! To me, the fact that you had the ability to reach for and the capacity to believe in the impossible; the endurance to keep going when it still didn't happen yet after years of trying; the perseverance through the hardest times when that dream was the only thing left of your life to live for; the fact that you still held onto it; and the fact that you recognized it was REAL and, above all, treasured that sacred knowledge; makes you more deserving of that miracle than anyone who NEVER SAW IT COMING.
March 6, 2014 9am © Kayla Napua Kong
But for me it's gonna be different because, one day, when people ask me if I ever dreamed this would happen, I'm gonna say "Yes". It may not sound as "humble" as being totally oblivious to a miracle but, I will say "Yes", and I'll be proud of it because only a dreamer can say that! Most people don't know what it takes to be a dreamer and how strong you have to be to protect and hold onto your dream. Dreaming isn't easy and it's not for the faint of heart. It requires guts to open up the deepest part of your heart and soul and risk it's vulnerability to the possibility of disappointment and destruction.
Most people don't know what it really is to dream. A dream isn't just something that you think up for fun because you don't believe it will ever happen. A dream is actually something that you truly believe in, in the center of your being, even though there is no physical proof or logic to reassure you. It appears to have no safety net because it is a gamble (and it's all or nothing!). A dream is a walk (and sometimes a marathon) in the darkness led only by your gut. A dream is a life line that consumes the life you have now. It is a future!
Most people don't realize that the fact that you dreamed it first means so much more--not only because of WHAT it is that happened but WHY--because you KNEW it would--and because of HOW it came to BE.
When all the odds were stacked against it far before it came true, in the end it made it, and survived the journey just like you! To me, the fact that you had the ability to reach for and the capacity to believe in the impossible; the endurance to keep going when it still didn't happen yet after years of trying; the perseverance through the hardest times when that dream was the only thing left of your life to live for; the fact that you still held onto it; and the fact that you recognized it was REAL and, above all, treasured that sacred knowledge; makes you more deserving of that miracle than anyone who NEVER SAW IT COMING.
March 6, 2014 9am © Kayla Napua Kong
MUST
I was thinking about how opinionated I am and how much of my thoughts and feelings I have put out there through my writing...
I don't mind speaking my mind if I strongly believe and feel it! But I was just wondering if it would all come back to bite me later on (or if I will have to bite it when I eat my own words)...
I don't think it will, though, because, in order for that to happen, it would mean that it was wrong or something.
As we go through life things change, our moods change, we get silly and we get serious, our feelings change, we get happy, we get angry, and we get sad, we move through different times and places, our needs change, our likes and dislikes change, we are young and then we get older, we change.
Is a caterpillar wrong because it will become a butterfly one day? No, because even though we know that what is the case right now will not be the case later on, we must still acknowledge it's presence!
Don't be afraid to speak loudly in the present & be who you are right now! It is what is real.
Everything is constantly changing! But we have to remember that WE MUST LIVE IN EACH MOMENT in order to get to the next step.
2-15-2014 © Kayla Napua Kong
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