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Hosts Koji Steven Sakai and M Martin Mapoma discuss their best and worst work experiences. Koji discusses being on a movie set and work at a musem and Martin discusses an acting experience and working for a manager that had it out for him.
Transcript
Voice Over Host 0:02
This is the best or worst podcast. And now here are your hosts Koji steven Sekai and M Martin Mapoma.
Koji Steven Sakai 0:15
Hello, and welcome to our podcast. I’m Koji.
Martin Mapoma 0:18
And I am Martin.
Koji Steven Sakai 0:20
And thank you for coming down. I’m sorry about your sick kid in my house.
Martin Mapoma 0:24
It’s okay. It’s so I feel like every time I come in here someone is sick.
Koji Steven Sakai 0:29
Yeah. And the funny thing is your wife was saying that not to do any homework or only to do homework.
Martin Mapoma 0:34
Yeah, it’s, you know, going out the door. Oh, man. You know, if he’s gonna be home from school sick, which he clearly is he’s either doing homework or sleeping. I’m ike, for eight hours. This kid’s gonna do homework.
Koji Steven Sakai 0:46
Although, my my son last year. I think he was bullshitting one time.
Martin Mapoma 0:49
Yeah.
Koji Steven Sakai 0:49
And he was just I don’t think he was saying he just wanted to stay home. And I didn’t want to call him out. So we just did.
Martin Mapoma 0:56
Wow, you know, I think the same thing with with Grayson sometimes but today he’s he
Koji Steven Sakai 1:01
looks sick today.
Martin Mapoma 1:02
Yeah he’s in he’s not moving away was although he got on the treadmill, my treadmill at work for like two seconds and I’m watching I’m like this kid is not sick. As soon as he got on it he got right back off. So I was like okay, so yeah man kids being sick.
Koji Steven Sakai 1:17
Yeah, it’s the worst.
Martin Mapoma 1:18
It’s, it seems like it’s just non stop. You know people like why are we sick? And the only way we’ll ever say that? People who don’t we don’t have kids.
Koji Steven Sakai 1:25
Did you get a flu shot this year?
Martin Mapoma 1:27
No, I don’t get that thing man.
Koji Steven Sakai 1:28
Look you’re sick, right now?
Martin Mapoma 1:32
I fucking hate needles in, My neighbor got one. My neighbor got a flu shot and he got sick bad.
Koji Steven Sakai 1:41
It happenes but it prevents for being worse later.
Martin Mapoma 1:45
Really?
Koji Steven Sakai 1:45
Yeah.
Martin Mapoma 1:46
You really think it works?
Koji Steven Sakai 1:47
I think it’s definitely when my wife and I have gotten it. It’s it’s our number of times being sick that for that year, a lot less than normal.
Martin Mapoma 1:57
Feel like I’m weakening my immune system if I do it. Clearly it doesn’t work my immunte system’s already messed up I’m getting sick like this
Koji Steven Sakai 2:04
man.
Martin Mapoma 2:05
I don’t know
Koji Steven Sakai 2:06
all right well well this This week our topics gonna be work yep work related
Martin Mapoma 2:11
work work work
Koji Steven Sakai 2:12
and our best or worst moment or
Martin Mapoma 2:14
moment or day
Koji Steven Sakai 2:15
or second atwork
Martin Mapoma 2:16
yeah,
Koji Steven Sakai 2:17
I admit I haven’t given this a second of thought
Martin Mapoma 2:20
Neither have I. Oh man, I can
Koji Steven Sakai 2:26
Well instead of putting each other on the spot What do you want to go first? Do you want me to go first?
Martin Mapoma 2:32
You can go first.
Koji Steven Sakai 2:33
Okay,
Martin Mapoma 2:34
Is that okay? Best day at work. Geez I am I give me a second till we can still we can still split ball for a few few seconds give you a chance to like catch up and find something to talk about. I’ve been talking about my best day at work.
Koji Steven Sakai 2:49
Yeah, let me hear your best day work.
Martin Mapoma 2:51
My best day at work. Boy. Oh so um, So this is like back a few years back. I had an audition for a TV show NC, NC CSI New York. And it was cool episode. And I suppose I’m supposed to play this. African like blood diamonds daily. You can see it’s out there. I still get checks from it. But um, you know, I went in for the audition. And it was a nice, it was a nice roll and went for the audition. And it was like every heavy hitter was out there. I have another story is really good too, though. I know. I know. I know. Ah, you know what, okay. This one’s better. This one’s better. So I’m gonna I’m gonna change because this was. Yeah, this was better because. I really worked for it. And you know, it’s, yeah, as an actor. I’ve always felt I wasn’t working hard enough. But, you know, I look back and I was really working with my ass off. Anyway, so when I first moved out here, um, My manager having meeting with a pretty big agency, and it was a falling out, and the guy was I’m not gonna meet with your guy. So I was I had no no agent out here. Man, what am I gonna do? So anyway, so I’ve been dating this girl for a while great girl and when her roommates was an actress, this girl was a hustler. I mean, she got the breakdowns. This is before the internet was like really rockin she had to breakdowns on her own and submit herself and I was like, wow, that really works. She’s just got to do it. So I said, Hey, can you send me the breakdown? So she started send me the breakdown as well. And there was a role for the guest starring role on a show called medical investigation. This is way back when and the audition was for an African student who gets Ebola anyway. And anthrax, one of those two anyway. So yeah, so you know, at the time, I was, you know, working with You know, waiting tables when I first gotten out here, whatever we do that, you know, to get by, but I submitted myself and I wrote client is, you know, had my old stuff from Chicago. But it said, I was on there. Hey, client is in town. He’s here, you know, in LA. So he’s available for an audition. I wrote this all with the with the letter that sent in with my headshot. And then I got a call to audition and this like never happened. So I was like, Oh, so I got the call. And I you know, and this is my first la big, big la audition. So I went in, and, you know, I was ready. I was ready for this one. I went for the casting director. She was She’s so cool. And I read for her and she’s like, wow, that’s that was really good. Thank you. And so she happen to know my manager. She know my managers name from Chicago. And oh, how she doing? Oh, she’s good. And so we talked a little bit she was going to come back to me for the director, director. So I went to the call back. And when I was in there for the callback sitting down, and I’m, remember the butler from, Fresh Prince of Bel Air,
Koji Steven Sakai 6:10
Yeah,
Martin Mapoma 6:10
he was in there. auditioning. Oh, man, there’s no way I’m gonna get this if this guy’s in here doing this, you know. And so anyway, um, I went in for the callback, and I read for the director. And when I got done, they were all quiet. And I was like, should I do this or what’s going on. And so I looked at him and I said, we do going to do it again. He goes, No, no. That was great, He goes, I think we saw everything we needed to see. All right, so Okay, so then I left. And why don’t when I was heading out the door. The casting director you know what you’re really good. You have no agent. I just did it all on my own. She’s like wow. So she set me up with all these, these other agencies to go meet with, and basically said, Hey, if you don’t take this guy, we’re gonna call this guy in for more work. So you go meet with them. And so I met with a few agencies and it never really never. That’s supposed to mean something else. Anyway, so I got home and I even had my first audition and I met a casting director. I’m like, you know, I’m starting to get into the pipeline, so to speak. And so a couple of days, that was a couple of days, maybe a day later, I was at work, I got a phone call. And she was, Hey, you got the job. I was like what you got the gig? It was my first gig that I got here on my own and working my ass off. And I was like, well, hard work really does pay off. But I noticed Well, no, but I mean, not so much hard work. But you know, putting the time in, when you get that moment in front of a director and you do the job, do the work. And you do a good job and it pays off. That’s what you know, I understand that feeling is that’s what it felt like. And so I mean, I was so happy, you know, to get this job and I didn’t have to pay. You know, Agent agency fee or anything like that the casting director like Martin you This is yours You know when I was getting money out of this this is your job put on
Koji Steven Sakai 8:07
what about your manager.
Martin Mapoma 8:08
My manager she didn’t get any money out of it either all right? Yeah no cuz I did all my own I mean I use her name um
Koji Steven Sakai 8:15
I thought managers take no matter what
Martin Mapoma 8:16
She’s in Chicago It’s a long story I mean I’m sorry yeah she and I went back and forth about that and she was really cool about it cuz I got the job my own and she didn’t submit me or anything at all. She didn’t handle any of the financing for it, you know them getting the money right for it. But we’re still cool. No, she’s awesome. But yeah, that that job really,
Koji Steven Sakai 8:36
Did you get to play the role.
Martin Mapoma 8:37
Yeah, I played the role. And so a week on the set. And TV show, Neil MacDonald was on it. It was it was really fun doing it, but it was just, you know, being down as I was. So I worked on Paramount’s, you know, backline for a week, and got I saw everything that was in there shooting. JOHN Stamos is a show that got canceled. He saw I saw him a couple times just walking around and then they’re doing some Star Trek stuff. So it’s all the Klingons walking around in their full makeup. But it was really cool being on the backlot because you have to come in from Chicago here and being like, wow, this is a lot of fun, but I know, it was a really great feeling of accomplishment to have done that on my own. And it got me my, my manager, and he got me an agent. So it was really I was really happy. But that was that was probably, if not the best one of the best ones I’ve had as far as work goes because I love you know, I love being an actor and, you know, putting the work in and seeing, like seeing an immediate result was a really, really good feeling because a lot of people go through, you know, most of their life, you know, especially if you’re an actor, and you know, I mean I’ve taken a lot of hits as an actor to you know, one of my friends talked about he’s real successful now and he talked about people being jealous he goes, Hey, if you know if you if you knew what I had to put up with or what I lost, maybe give me a break when I finally made it And that’s the essence of you know, being an actor, you know, a lot of people make it early and they, you know, they do really, really well. But there’s so much backstory getting there, you know, you’re just walking up the street or, you know, someone sees on the street was, hey, I want to put your movie
Koji Steven Sakai 10:12
not all the time, but it happenes.
Martin Mapoma 10:13
It had I fucking hate that shit. It is what it is. And a lot of times, you know, but then again, if someone sees you on the street, and and it happens, you you ultimately have to bring the work. If you if you if you can’t, you know, if you can’t put up the work, you’ll they’ll move on.
Koji Steven Sakai 10:29
I tell my students all the time, this is a lottery job, which means that you know, you can work all your life and nothing will happen, or the first thing you try to do works really successfully. You just don’t know.
Martin Mapoma 10:37
Yeah.
Koji Steven Sakai 10:37
And it’s like, and you don’t I mean, like they’re not that’s something that you can’t control, right?
Martin Mapoma 10:42
No, exactly. And as an athlete, you have to you have to learn that really fast way.
Koji Steven Sakai 10:45
So can I ask question, yeah, why don’t you act anymore? Is that too long for now? We could have another
Martin Mapoma 10:53
So you know, it’s,
Koji Steven Sakai 10:55
it sounds like you love it.
Martin Mapoma 10:56
I do. I do I’m trying to If you do our movie, you know, you know that, you know, through a series of things I just, you know,
Koji Steven Sakai 11:04
life
Martin Mapoma 11:05
life happens you know life happens and it’s and a lot of self inflicted too. But
Koji Steven Sakai 11:13
well, we have another conversation about that at some point, but I do have my favorite.
Martin Mapoma 11:18
Why do you throw shade on my story, man.
Koji Steven Sakai 11:22
It sounds to yourself so passionate about it then but you’re not acting right now. So
Martin Mapoma 11:26
Now I’m depressed
Koji Steven Sakai 11:30
your story did remind me of probably my favorite moment. But it’s I didn’t come to me right away only because I never thought of it as work.
Martin Mapoma 11:38
Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on. Let me let me ask you now, Koji what was your best day at work
Koji Steven Sakai 11:42
This is professional podcasting we’re doing now right?
Martin Mapoma 11:44
Yeah, because I you know, I I get accused of being
Koji Steven Sakai 11:47
actually it’s funny. I was listening to our podcast this morning and I realized how many times I say like, I gotta stop saying it so much. I sound like a Southern California person, which I am. I found uneducated so I’m gonna stop saying it is
Martin Mapoma 12:00
No, you do not sound uneducated.
Koji Steven Sakai 12:02
But, uh, my, my, my story is Well, the reason let me get back to it real quick was that I didn’t think it was a job. So I never it didn’t come to me right away. But now I know it’s the first. It’s the first movie big movie that I was producing and writing or bigger movie that I was producing and writing. And I remember, just always remember what day was or what day the shooter was, or what was happening around then. But I just remember walking around set and being like, all these people were working for something I created, you know, they’re spending, we’re spending a ton of money. We’re doing all this stuff. And it’s all because it’s something I created. And I remember just thinking, like, I was so humbled by this experience that, you know, I never like, I never thought that I would do that. So this kind of brings me to a bigger point was, you know, if I saw where I am now, 20 years ago, when I was on film, when I was in the writing program at USC, I would have said, like, wow, you’re super successful. But you know, looking at where I am now, I wish I just always want to push and I want to be more successful. So that was, it was good to think about that moment. Because, you know, I did feel like wow, I made it in a way. Obviously I didn’t. But, but it was like it was really it was just a really humbling experience and it was like, you know, and I was I think the reason I didn’t think of it as job like I said was that it wasn’t it doesn’t it didn’t feel like a job. It just felt like something that was important at the time. Yeah. So yeah, that’s my is a pretty quick story. Sorry, as opposed to your super super, super, super long story.
Martin Mapoma 13:29
I’m too chatty, I feel actually I can tell you what, what happened with the one that when the when the recession hit in 2008 I went from I went from getting guest starring and starring auditions to like, bit part auditions. You know, it was tough on the business. And I always you know, I’d always trained, always worked out noise when a trainer and it just happened that one day, you know, I you know, so I started training a little more and then I got a client and I got another client, another client and they got really busy doing that. And then one day, you know, I had a client say to me, you know, Martin, you changed my life. And that feeling just really hit me. I was like, Wow, well, how did you change her life? Because she went from never running, to start throwing marathons.
Koji Steven Sakai 11:05
Wow.
Martin Mapoma 14:14
And five ks in 10 ks. And she said, you know, she, when she, when she wrote me a review, she said, Martin saw something in me that I didn’t even see myself and that she was a natural runner. And she and she’s great. She started running. And I’ve had several clients say that to me, you know, I’ve really helped them I’ve changed their lives. And that’s a really good feeling as a trainer because you know, it’s not again, I’m not knocking 24 Fitness Trainers, people like that. But what I do is very different, you know, trainers get a bad rap. You know, they’re always trying to sleep with their clients, which is bullshit.
Koji Steven Sakai 14:43
Is that true? I didn’t know that.
Martin Mapoma 14:44
I mean, so I mean, some do it, but we’ll see if other people sleep with their co workers all the time. How many bosses Do you know of fortune 500 companies who are banging their secretary,
Koji Steven Sakai 14:52
I don’t know any of them personally, but I’ll take your word for it.
Martin Mapoma 14:58
No, my point is, you know people in the position of power in those kind of businesses, there’s always something going on. It’s literally in the news every single day, you know, so so and so’s like sleeping with, you know, their, you know, someone in their, in their at work. Well, there’s a story on TV the other day, it was a, it was McDonald’s or something, some CEO, some company, you know, stepped down because he was having an affair at work. And they didn’t they may say
Koji Steven Sakai 15:22
I think it was McDonald’s,
Martin Mapoma 15:23
it was McDonald’s, and they wanted to set you know, a good example. And so they wanted to get rid of the hypocrisy. So anyway, so no, so, being a strength conditioning specialist, you know, if you’re really working with your clients, it’s it’s an intense job if you do it properly, you know, because people are putting their bodies in your hands, especially, you know, I work with a lot of kids, parents who hand their kids over to trainers to train, who have no idea what they’re doing. It’s like child abuse. You know, and I had my mentor Ian Kim will say the same thing. I heard that from him first. People who train people who train kids that don’t know what they’re doing, it’s awful use you develop is awful patterns. Anyway. So the point was, is that that’s kind of how I moved into training, and I got busy with that. And you know, and you know, when I had my audition, I was like, Oh man, I got to this audience I have client coming in. And God bless my manager, my agent, they were really good with me about it. You know, my manager still keeps telling me I should I need to come back.
Koji Steven Sakai 16:14
You do need to come back.
Martin Mapoma 16:15
I’m coming back.
Koji Steven Sakai 16:16
Okay.
Martin Mapoma 16:16
Here that wifey. I didn’t use your name. I’m coming back.
Koji Steven Sakai 16:20
I think you called her by her name many times in this podcast
Martin Mapoma 16:24
Michelle. I’m trying to keep her name out of my mouth. You know, she told me that keep my name out your mouth boy. She didn’t say it like that, but basically, that’s what she was saying. So I’m trying really hard.
Koji Steven Sakai 16:38
Too late. Too late. Sorry. Well, let’s do their worst. What’s the worst day? I remember? I have mine already. Do you want to remind them?
Martin Mapoma 16:45
Yeah,
Koji Steven Sakai 16:46
okay. So I was
Martin Mapoma 16:47
Koji what was your worst day?
Koji Sakai 16:49
Wow. super professional. Alright, so mine was a as you know, I worked the Japanese American National Museum for a really really long time.
Martin Mapoma 16:59
Yeah.
Koji Sakai 17:00
About 13 years, I think and
Martin Mapoma 17:01
yeah
Koji Sakai 17:01
toward the end, I was a vice president of programs. So I was pretty high at the museum. And I just remember, there’s this one day where I had a really big meeting at one of the big agencies and for my writing the writing side of my life. And I remember I was super excited because I thought it was gonna work and it’s gonna happen and, you know, it’s gonna be a big project and a super, super excited like a two hour meeting. And I remember walking out that meeting like being like, this is, you know, my career. I’m super excited about it. And then right when I got on my right when I got in my car, I turn my phone on. And I had like, 10 messages from the museum, I had 20 voicemails or 20 voicemails and 10 text messages. And this meeting was in Beverly Hills had to drive all the way back to Pasadena. If you’re not from LA, that’s like a two hour drive, during traffic time and I just remember that the entire drive home. I dealt with issues that were going on at the museum, nothing terrible, nothing big but just things that couldn’t happen without me giving some kind of approval or hearing about it or giving me my thoughts on something. And I remember when I got home, I think I picked up my kid. But when I picked up my kid, I was just like, this is, you know, like, I can’t even remember what I was excited about the meeting I was just at. And I remember at that moment, I was like, that’s it. You know, like, I was already thinking about quitting soon. And that was like,
Martin Mapoma 18:19
Wow,
Koji Sakai 18:20
that was like the, I’m quitting now. I mean, things were tough at the time. There’s a lot of backstory around like the former CEO leaving and me feeling insecure about where I was, and the company or the museum
Martin Mapoma 18:32
How long ago was this.
Koji Steven Sakai 18:34
This was 2016. And so I was like Tako my son was about to go to kindergarten, I just knew it, wouldn’t we both my wife and I couldn’t both couldn’t work that you know, as full time as much as I was working. And I just remember being like, that’s it. Like, I need to focus on my career a lot more. And you know, it’s not that like so it’s not a negative about JANM or my work or anything like that. It’s just more like realizing that like, I just can’t do this, you know, I can’t, I can’t split myself so much. And then if I’m going to do if I’m gonna be a filmmaker writer or whatever, I’m going to be
Martin Mapoma 19:03
super dad
Koji Steven Sakai 19:04
super Dad, I need to focus I need to do it and I can’t just keep talking, I’ll be splitting myself so much. And I just remember that you know, when I got home and so it’s worse than that. Like it was the end of my work at the Museum which is really important to me because you know, like Japanese American history and incarceration during World War Two Oh, that’s really really important to me because my family, but at the same time, it was just that it was like an end to like that part of my life, which now I’m back in JANM I’m so hey, Hello, Friends at JANM. But, uh, but it was like a really like, it was a really sad moment. And it was kind of just this really, like, I remember just being really angry after my calls and be like, Fuck this. I don’t want to do this anymore. You know, and just, it was an end of a time and I think that was really like a powerful moment in my life that, you know, I’m glad I did, because it really helped me. Take the next step in my career.
Martin Mapoma 19:50
That’s cool. Wow, that’s good. So that’s the worst.
Koji Steven Sakai 19:53
Yeah, that was my worst.
Martin Mapoma 19:54
Okay.
Koji Steven Sakai 19:56
I mean, is that well, you don’t
Martin Mapoma 19:56
No, no, no, no, that’s good. That’s good.
Koji Steven Sakai 19:58
I think it’s only the word. It’s not the worst thing. Like, like I’ve been fired from a job right. But I think it’s like, to me it’s that worse than that. Like
Martin Mapoma 19:55
it resonated with you obviously
Koji Steven Sakai 19:55
it resonate because I loved it.
Martin Mapoma 20:08
Yeah,
Koji Steven Sakai 20:10
I love the museum. I love the I believe in its mission. Like, it’s like here, this is what I always tell people about the museum. It’s the only place I work where I could say, I truly believe the mission of the organization. You know, that’s, you know, that’s why that’s why I come back, because it’s the only place I believe, like, I don’t know, most other companies if you work there. Like I have no loyalty to that company. I have I have loyal the people of the company, but I don’t have any loyalty to the company itself. And that’s what’s different here is that I have loyalty to the organization because I believe in its mission. That’s why I think it was hard because it’s like, that’s why I stayed for 13 years. That’s why I kept going up was because I did believe it, you know, I mean?
Martin Mapoma 20:43
Yeah,
Koji Steven Sakai 20:43
and if I didn’t care then I would have left a long time ago and I think that that’s the issue so when when it was like that realization that I’m done with this. Yeah, it was like it was cut like it’s almost like cutting off a part of my heart. That’s really important to me at the time. You know, I still is because like I said, Hi JANM. I still work there, but a part time but You know what I mean? It’s just that.
Martin Mapoma 21:02
No, totally makes sense.
Koji Steven Sakai 21:03
It’s terrible. Like, I mean, like somebody like screwing me or
Martin Mapoma 21:06
No but it resonated with you because and that’s, that’s part of what our show is about to you know, that’s the worst, you know, might not be the worst, but if it resonates it’s, it’s bad. Yeah, you know, same thing with me being good.
Koji Steven Sakai 21:16
Yeah. Cuz I mean, like, we all been fired. We’ve all we’ve all had terrible, you know, coworkers or we’ve all had terrible things like that. But, you know, those moments pass and what I always tell, I talked a little people all the time, little people, little children, not children they’re in college now, but I tell them all the time that, you know, when I go to career fairs, or when I talk to college groups, is that finding out that you’re not good at it or not, that the job is not for you is almost as important as finding out a job is for you, you know, and so, you know, like, I worked at a the Robinsons may as a buyer for a while and I realized I never wanted to work corporate and that was important, you know, and any one of those days were probably one of the worst days because I fucking hated it.
Martin Mapoma 21:55
Yeah,
Koji Steven Sakai 21:55
but, but but I thought something I remember I just like now generally I just be like that. I was terrible. Like, for example, when I was at Robinsons May. I was in the buying office used to sea cubicles. It was like right after 9/11 and I remember just being like, what am I doing here? Like I’m so like ties for a living. And this is like terrible. This is like it was horrible.
Martin Mapoma 22:18
Yeah,
Koji Steven Sakai 22:18
I just remember being like I’m not doing this anymore. That was like beginning of me quitting. So what’s so Martin
Martin Mapoma 22:35
My
Koji Steven Sakai 22:35
Wait wait I’m supposed to ask Yes, man. I thought were professional podcasters Martin what is the worst moment day or time of your work life.
Martin Mapoma 22:44
I have one I have several but this one was a this is like worse job. And bad. So I just moved from Kentucky after college to Chicago. got a job at this restaurant. It’s called hat Dance I’ve been around anymore. That was a part of this entertain you. And that was it was from day one. The worst fucking job I ever had. Because, you know, it was I mean, part of it was me because I don’t know my head was so far up my ass at the time. It wasn’t registering what was going on what was happening? And you know, I had this thing where you know, people talking about my experience, like in college and you know, I and I’d been I was pretty naive in a lot of ways growing up really immature too you know, I didn’t appreciate the college education that I was getting I did to a certain degree, but I guess as you get older you think about I look back now and I’m like, Wow, it was a great opportunity. I wish I’d done more with it. Um, this was one of those situations where, you know, I got this job, man, I was working there. And I was getting along with like, two people. And it was like, every single fucking day. It was like, I was being blamed for something that I didn’t do. And it was weird. It was like, you know, I’ll never forget, you know, when I first started working there I was talking to one of the managers, another co worker, and she said something to me. And I said, Yeah, sure, boss, whatever you say, Boss, I do it boss, and they kind of like laughed. And I was like, okay, it’s joking. The next day I got called in, and I got a verbal warning for making a prejudiced joke. How’s like wait, she was well Martin, you know when you made that joke about? Yes, masters. Yes, masters. You know, the She goes, the other other coworker laughed. And then she came up to me and said she felt kind of guilty about it. Like, like, like you were testing us to make sure to see if we were racist or not. And she’s, you know, she felt slightly offended. And I remember
Koji Steven Sakai 24:40
she was offended that
Martin Mapoma 24:41
that she she laughed at what I said, and then later on, felt guilty about laughing at me making a slave joke or whatever she thought it was. And then I called it and give and she goes just so you know this is your first verbal warning. And when that happened, I was like, This job is not gonna work out well for me, right? Ah, I should have quit then. And I got one of my friends a job there too as a hostess. And she was gone within a week. She was like she says, This is awful. And I’ll never forget. So a couple of things. We we had this, we had a big banquet for some people, you know, for. And I got that warning on another one for another another joke that I made, but it just wasn’t working out. And I was there. I don’t remember how long I was there. But they had a big banquet, and in stations you’re working in, and I was working in the station. And somehow someone messed up the banquet, not my area, my area was on point. But it was this kind of thing where they, they I see the talk and they kind of looked at me just you know, very disapprovingly, I’m like, what’s going on? So after the banquet was over, you know, all three managers called me into the room, I’ll never forget this. And it was gonna be all you know, all you know, serious about like, well, Martin, you know, there was a problem with the table here and we just want you to know that you need to, you know, you you you can’t do that. If this happens again, we’re gonna have a problem. And I said wait, which which which which? Which area? She goes, You No, say let’s say, you know, we had AB and C she goes to Area C. I said that wasn’t my area, I was an area A. And they literally all stopped talking and looked at each other like, cuz now they had to come at me about and then she goes, well just be careful next time I said be careful about what I did my job. And she’s like, Okay, well, they didn’t even apologize for you know for like messing up and blaming me for it. It was like one of those things where they, it I don’t want to say instantly blamed the black guy because they there wasn’t about them, but they just blame me right away without even looking at anybody else. And it was someone else’s fault. But they they put it on me and I was like, that wasn’t even my area. And she didn’t even apologize. It was Oh, okay, well, you can go and I remember saying that’s it. No, no, sorry. And she just looked at me. I was like, wow,
Koji Steven Sakai 26:53
how long did you stay there?
Martin Mapoma 26:54
Oh, man. I don’t know. Maybe two months, three months.
Koji Steven Sakai 26:56
That’s a long time to be in a job you didn’t like
Martin Mapoma 26:58
Yeah, man. We might have been less than that. But um then so another time it’s this is going ongoing. Then I had another situation there where they, you know, I took an order for food for somebody, and they’re getting it done in the kitchen, the fucking bitch ass managers like, will time this order come in and I said 11 can take orders past, say 1130 I was like it was 1045 Okay, fine. And so long story short, I ended up ended up getting fired from that job because a lady wanted a pork chop torta. And I couldn’t. I said, Oh, we can’t do that. I didn’t know that we could make it with chicken. And so one of the managers called me goes, Hey, Martin, and I’ll never forget he goes, look, someone on the porch already told me you couldn’t do that. So we just have to do it. You know what, I’m just gonna go. And I kind of cut him off and he’s like I said, You know what?
Koji Steven Sakai 27:49
You should have fired so you could unemployment. Wait,
Martin Mapoma 27:51
no, I did get fired. They were firing me. Okay, but I just I didn’t care. I was like, You know what, I’m out of here. But it was it was it was such a bad experience. And then the funny thing you know that did the chef, the head chef and I became really, really good friends. And so it was my birthday. Martin come to the restaurant, I’m like, dude, I’m gonna come I just come in to the restaurant. So okay, so my, my girlfriend at the time made the reservation with her mom, not my not my name. It sounds like it’s gonna be awful. So I show up. And I’ll never forget the managers looked at me and looked at my and looked at my, you know, my girlfriend in her mom, like, What is going on? The reservation is under her name. And I was like, and I just looked at her like, so we sat down. So we ate and then Paulie Paul the chef. He’s like, hey, it’s good to see you. They they liked him, you know, and so they see him, like, you know, you know, having a good time with me and the look on their faces was priceless. So then he goes to the kitchen, it comes back with this big tray of food for us. And one of the managers like throws her hands up in the air I was dying. And he did it just to show them that how much of you know how much of a guy how much how much he liked me. It was his way of like slapping them in the face. He said he goes do what they did to you was so wrong, because I don’t get it. Yeah, so it was just
Koji Steven Sakai 29:23
I love your laugh by the way. And I love your voices so two episodes ago said child molester voice
Martin Mapoma 29:30
No, it wasn’t.
Koji Steven Sakai 29:33
Last last episode, you did a voice and this episode was the boss’s voice that was pretty funny. Can you do that again for me?
Martin Mapoma 29:38
I don’t even know what it was.
Koji Steven Sakai 29:40
Pretend you’re the boss talking to you again.
Martin Mapoma 29:44
Martin apparently.
Koji Steven Sakai 29:45
Is that like a white person?
Martin Mapoma 29:48
She was Latina. This little gay Latina girl.
Koji Steven Sakai 29:53
That’s a gay Latina.
Martin Mapoma 29:54
No, no. Her voice was kind of like that. And here’s a dumb thing about It is like I saw her like later on, like four or five years later, she opened a restaurant next, next to where I lived, going in trying to get her to remember who I was. She had no clue who I was hat dancers go she literally goes, Oh why the fuck did I just do that. So yeah, so getting the getting the food there was pretty funny from him because they were just pissed off then I ran into one of the and then I ran into one of the servers in there who he and I were really, really cool. And I guess I had changed. He was like oh my god Martin you look fantastic. And I was like, Ah, thank you as a dude, when I worked with you, that’s not but he just was. Well, you look so good. Now he was a really cool guy. His name was Alan. But um,
Koji Steven Sakai 30:40
wait can you do Alan’s voice again.
Martin Mapoma 30:45
So that was my word. That was my worst experience. I’ve had others too but that was
Koji Steven Sakai 30:49
pretty terrible.
Martin Mapoma 30:50
It was crazy because he will say it was if I had, you know, it’s a bangs somebody’s girlfriend there and they were all working together because It was I mean, I know I’m one of those people that you either love or hate. There’s very little in between. I’m just I just I just know that I have one of those personalities. And
Koji Steven Sakai 31:07
I love you, by the way,
Martin Mapoma 31:08
and that’s why I’m here. I hope Obama you know, I didn’t order those tests those Briggs Myers Briggs.
Koji Steven Sakai 31:14
Yeah.
Martin Mapoma 31:14
And Did I say it right,
Koji Steven Sakai 31:18
Myers Briggs,
Martin Mapoma 31:19
Myers Briggs god damn, I’m just messing it all up. Myers Briggs. And the personality that I have is the same one that Obama has. It’s very rare. And and one of the things about it is people either love you or they hate you, because very little in between, and I can say I’m safe. I’ve experienced that. I let people you know, I remember some someone told me straight to my face, Martin. I don’t know why I don’t like you, but I just don’t like you. And I was like, I could give a shit. I’m like, Okay,
Koji Steven Sakai 31:47
yeah, I have that personality too.
Martin Mapoma 31:48
It’s weird.
Koji Steven Sakai 31:49
People either love me or hate me and teachers used to love me or hate me.
Martin Mapoma 31:53
I could tell you horror stories about
Koji Steven Sakai 31:54
school. I have. I one where…
Martin Mapoma 31:56
I have. I have I have a teacher actually. Who? Who said that to me? I think I talked about it when my brother.
Koji Steven Sakai 32:05
Oh, yeah,
Martin Mapoma 32:06
that’s right. He was like, I don’t believe you.
Koji Steven Sakai 32:08
Yeah, this teacher was like, kind of still walked in said, this is a teacher who walked in the class just be like, Koji get out because he just do like me, even before I said anything
Martin Mapoma 32:17
high school
Koji Steven Sakai 32:18
middle school. one time, I was making fun of him because I didn’t like him too, because he hated me. Yeah. And so I was like, what your wife left you? And she had. I felt so terrible. He kicked me out, obviously. And I was like, I didn’t like the way I was talking to her. I remember talking to the assistant principal, and she’s like, how can you say it? I was like, I didn’t know he just looked depressed. And I’m trying to hurt him. He was even worse. He loved everyone else. I think I think I was the only one that he hated. But anyway, I think we’re at the end of the episode. Well,
Martin Mapoma 32:50
hold on real quickly. Yeah, we are then I don’t blame for leaving a Bunsen burner on in chemistry class.
Koji Steven Sakai 32:55
Did you
Martin Mapoma 32:55
No, I didn’t think chemistry chemistry for like a year. And she was trying to figure out who had done and she goes Okay. Okay, who let the Bunsen burner on in here? She’s looking around the classroom. Martin it was you. And I’m like, this is I won’t say her name because it’s she’s still friends with my mom, which was I don’t know how the fuck that happened. But she was it was you and I said, I don’t take a class anymore. And she goes, Oh, no, sorry again just oh. That was it.
Koji Steven Sakai 33:21
I like the voice by the way. Thanks, everybody for listening.
Martin Mapoma 33:25
Yes, thank you very much. And please subscribe, like tell your friends, family, everybody, your your Barber, your hairstylist, you name it
Koji Steven Sakai 33:34
all that even say rate and review our show
Martin Mapoma 33:36
rate and review our show. You just said it. There you go.
Koji Steven Sakai 33:39
Alright. Thanks, guys. Thanks for listening.
Martin Mapoma 33:41
All right, bye.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
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