A Presentation of a true account of a 'scary' and amusing incident at a Hotel. For reflection on the importance of attentive and mindful listening. The texts are in English.

1. 1

2. 2
In late 1994, my mother, my youngest brother and I together with
three lady friends went on a 17-Day tour to the United States and
Canada. For my family members, the trip was a prize won by my
brother in a slogan-writing contest.
We flew from Kuala Lumpur to Osaka via Singapore where we
transited for about an hour. We arrived at the newly built Kansai
International Airport after about 6 hours of flight. We had a half-day
stay at the Holiday Inn Kansai Airport Hotel and we were taken on a
short tour of Osaka city.
The following day we flew from Narita Airport to Los Angeles, a
flight of approximately 10 hours. We only stayed for a day and night
at Los Angeles and had just short tours of Los Angeles and Hollywood
because the itinerary was focused on the East of U.S. On the third day,
we took the flight to Orlando in Central Florida. In Florida we had
very interesting visits to places like Universal Studio, Orlando city,
EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) Center
and the Kennedy Space Center.
The next city in the tour was Washington DC. The flight took about 2
hours. We stayed at the Omni Georgetown Hotel in Washington for 2
nights. The sightseeing of Washington DC was very educational and
interesting. We visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial
and a few other monuments and museums all located in the area.
The journey from Washington DC to New York City was by coach
and it took about 4 hours. The bus was very comfortable and the road
conditions were excellent.
Our tour manager was very knowledgeable about many things
concerning the United States. He had many years of education in the
States and had brought many groups on tours of the U.S. All along the
bus journey, he gave us lots of interesting stories and information of
the United States, particularly about New York as we were heading
there. He also did a very thorough briefing on our stay in New York
and the do’s and don’ts.

3. 3
I was very attentive all along but I noticed that some ladies including
our 3 lady friends were chit chatting most of the time at the back of the
bus and were not paying good attention to all that the tour manager
was saying.
New York, the city that never sleeps is a most fascinating place. So
cosmopolitan in nature, there are lots of things to see and do. And
there is so much to learn too. I learnt some interesting information and
trivia about New York.
* New York City has 722 miles of subway track.
* The Big Apple is a term coined by musicians meaning to play the
big time.
* New York was the first state to require license plates on cars.
* New York State is home to 58 species of wild orchids.
* New York has over 70,000 miles of rivers and streams.
* The great metropolis of New York City is the nerve center of the
nation. It is a leader in manufacturing, foreign trade, commerce and
banking, book and magazine publishing, and theatrical production.
* A leading seaport, its John F. Kennedy International Airport is one
of the busiest airports in the world.
* New York's Central Park is larger than the principality of Monaco.
* More than 12,000 licensed medallion taxis work the streets of New
York City.
* More than 15,000 restaurants and eating establishments do business
in New York City
* As of the 2000 Census, 8,008,278 people live in New York City.
* Approximately 790,000 companies operate in New York City.
And the list goes on and on…
The tour manager also gave us a rather frightening account of the
crime rate and the criminal happenings in New York.
Organized crime was also a big problem then. He talked about the
terrible criminal acts of the Mafia and the Vietnamese gangs.
Homicides, rapes, kidnapping, robbery, muggings and other acts of
violence were quite frequent, according to him.

4. 4
He told us to be always alert and careful.
In New York, we stayed at a hotel not far from Central Park and Fifth
Avenue. The tour of New York was very fascinating. Among the
places we visited were Chinatown, the famous Liberty Island for a
good view of the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations Building, the
Empire State Building and the shopping areas of the city. We also
explored the famous Fifth Avenue and the Macy’s Department store.
The evenings in New York were free and easy. Some went to watch a
play on Broadway and others walked the streets of New York.
One night at the hotel we stayed in, a very frightening happening took
place. After our dinner in Chinatown and window shopping, we went
back to our hotel to rest and sleep for the night. Our rooms were
located at the 11th or 12th floor of the hotel. It was around 1 am when
practically everyone was probably fast asleep after a tiring day when
the warning siren sounded. It was loud and clear.
Over the intercom system came the warning: ‘Evacuate! Evacuate! A
fire has been detected in one of the floors and the flames are spreading
fast. Do not panic! Quickly get your essential things and luggage and
go down to the ground floor!’
Of course, I too got up from my sleep but I did not immediately
respond to the warning instructions. I recalled the briefing information
and instructions given by the tour manager on the bus when we were
traveling from Washington to New York:
“Funny or scary things can happen in New York.”
“Beware of muggings. Be careful of pick-pockets and snatch thieves.”
“Beware of strangers and suspicious looking characters who may be
tailing you. Move around in groups. Don’t wander off alone especially
at night.”
“Don’t stare into the eyes of strangers when you are using the sub-
way.”
“ Hoaxes and pranks and false alarms happen from time to time in
New York. And this can take place even at hotels.

5. 5
g
Reflections
* Mindful listening is a most important thing for one to develop and
practice.
* Accidents, foolish actions often result through a lack of
attention and mindfulness.
* When the mind is filled with negative states like worry, anger
and fear, it cannot function in a calm, clear and wise manner. One
then acts in ways which one will regret later.
* May we train our mind to be calm, alert, heedful and steady so
that much of what we do will be good and wise.
So at night, if you receive any warning calls or hear any alarm, do
not panic. Don’t react rashly. Phone the hotel reception and check
as to whether it’s a genuine warning and what you should do.”
Remembering what I had heard, I phoned the reception counter and
a sweet calm voice said, “Don’t worry sir. Everything is ok. It’s a
hoax or a prank someone is playing. Continue you sleep
peacefully.” That was what we did.
The next morning, our lady friends narrated to us what they did
when they heard the warning alarm. They were scared out of their
wits. Immediately they grabbed their important things and some of
their luggage and made a dash to get down to the ground floor.
They even went onto the road outside the hotel building. It was
only then that they realized they looked ridiculous in their
nightgowns. (Luckily, none of them were in their undergarments on
in their birthday suits!) What a sight! The hotel staff soon calmed
them down and assured them that everything was alright. They then
went back to their room to sleep.
I thought to myself, “This is the result of not paying attention to
briefing and instructions. I hope my lady friends have learnt an
important lesson.”

6. 6
* "Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when
you'd have preferred to talk." --Doug Larson
* "One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to
what another has to say." --Bryant H. McGill
* "If you make listening and observation your occupation, you will
gain much more than you can by talk." --Robert Baden-Powell
* "Most of the successful people I've known are the ones who do
more listening than talking." --Bernard Baruch
* "You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the
same time." --M. Scott Peck
* “Listening is often the only thing needed to help someone.”
-- Anonymous
* “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know.
But if you listen, you may learn something new.” - Dalai Lama
* “Deep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the
suffering of another person. You can call it compassionate
listening. You listen with only one purpose: to help him or her to
empty his heart.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
With Metta,
Bro. Oh Teik Bin “When one listens constantly to the
true Dhamma with full attention,
his mind will grow in wisdom and
he’s on the Path to Liberation.”