Screenshots

I'm drooling over the name list.. Legends... :o~~~

there is also a website from the govt. on this:
http://www.kingsoftennis.gov.my/home.html.

so is this a govt. project? while i applaud the govt. for organising such a big event with international stars, but sorry, jeff, if i throw some bricks (just voicing my opinion).

1. why there is so little publicity for such a big event. i and a no. of my friends not aware of it until 2 days ago. a friend told me he found out from it on astro but what about those without astro like me? when i googled i sort of find out that there had been some 'disputes' or whatever it is call regarding this event - that it will be canceled and so on. could this be the reason of not much publicity?

2. obviously the govt. does not have the facility of a tennis court big enough for all the stars and audiences... thus one had to be 'created' on the esplanade field. so how much was spent? after the event finished, everything will be dismantled?

anyway, because of the little publicity, we, the organisers of the anti isa vigil did not know about the event and had set the date 15 nov as the vigil night (set it about 10 days ago). i guess now we need to shift the venue. probably at gurney drive.

Five more days only, Penangnites don't want another failed event like the ASEAN CULTURE CENTRE.

This privately organised event - "Kings of Tennis" tournament - failed to get the proper support from Penang government(see Star report, Page N18, ( Nov 2008)

If it failed, event organisors will skip Penang in the future.

The organisor contacted you for assistance as your cronies in the state government were sleeping on the job.

Well done... this is great for a PR government.

This will be fun.

The event site has very little information about the event itself and on Penang or Malaysia, otherwise it will be great for tourist.

INDEED !!! This is a "BIG TOURNAMENT" in it's every sense..

Who can forget Borg ? Who won the French Open effortlessly for 5 times in a row... then there's his fair share of Wimbledons...

Or the mouthful tantrums of Nastase... the Bad Boy of tennis then...

Or Wilander, heir-elect to Borg, though a short while to take over as the Grand Slam King

Or Edberg... that handsome Swede... blonde and all...

And the rest... Becker, the teenage sensation of grass...

Connors, Courier, Agassi... the darlings of the US Press...

Rios, Moya, Kuerten, Ferrero... the very few Hispanics who could "kacau daun" the stranglehold that the Caucasians have over the elegant game of tennis...

But Nadal ??? I think he's still injured...

All in the shores of good, old Penang...by the sea-breeze of Explanade, adjacent to Fort Cornwallis...

And how sad that there are implications that the present Pakatan State Government was lacking in support... as reported in Star, 9th Nov 2008, Page 18.

But kudos to Arianna Teoh !!! It's no mean task mobilizing the players, players' agents/managers, contractors etc...

GO PENANG GO !!! I believe there's another such competition in KL too... unless I may be wrong...

For such a big event I think it is poorly publicized even in Penang itself. Other than some short ads on Astro I have not seen any other ads for this event. So I still have no idea where to even enquire about getting tickets. The website gives an address and contact number in Sweden. What about local agents? Perhaps the tickets have already been sold out to tourists from Europe and America through the Swedish agent.

You are naming names to soon. It aint happening.

Too bad, it has been dropped. Another boomer in Penang, aih!!! First and foremost i just don't understand why can't it held in PISA, i) save the cost to build the seats and stands, only need to ready the court, ii) plenty of car space, iii) no worries on bad weather, iv) save the grass
I just curious why can't the organiser or the state government see this?!

Too bad, it has been dropped. Another boomer in Penang, aih!!! First and foremost i just don't understand why can't it held in PISA, i) save the cost to build the seats and stands, only need to ready the court, ii) plenty of car space, iii) no worries on bad weather, iv) save the grass

I just curious why can't the organiser or the state government see this?!

According to Chinapress, the BigBang has now becomes the BigBong.

The event is canceled because the KL event management company failed to pay the performance fee

It sure tainted the image of Penang

Shame Shame.

http://www.chinapress.com.my/content_new.asp?dt=2008-11-13&sec=sports&art=1113ss20.txt

Jeff, The Star reported this has become a Big Blow instead of Big Bang with the cancellation of the event and massive lost of RM17.5million.

it has been cancelled. such a joke.

Hi, Jeff

According to a report in the mainstream media today, this event has been called off.

This, if true, is downright embarrassing.

What happened and who screwed up?

oooops ...

It's always suspicious when this is happening in Penang and while some of the players are actually still playing in the Master Cup in Shanghai...

Now it's obvious that it's a scam... Someone should have double check this in the beginning...

You idiot jeffooi. Talk about other people jumping the gun. You yourself is so quick to jump the gun!

no more big names coming.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/13/nation/2531102&sec=nation

you are real joker. so fast want to announce big things when arrangement have not been sorted out yet. two face idiot jeffooi.

YOu can't blame Jeff for not knowing, afterall he's not in Malaysia and only got the news recently. The event was only cancelled days ago.

Jeff,

What went wrong is you trusted Arianna Teoh. A little bit of checking with local event organizers and ticketing companies and you would've found out that her events are always flawed and trusting her isn't valid. I know a lot of people burned by her. She flies by the seat of her pants but she sure does know how to put on a good "dog and pony" show.

magnoliachoco

If you are a person that always update yourself, you should know that Astro and TV3 have announced the event few weeks before Jeff announced in his blog.

Jeff,

it is sad to hear this happening. It is really a big shame to Penang. apparently from Malaysiakini reports, state executive is involve in this saga? if power is abused and corruption involve, head need to roll, Please enforce the CAT principles that you guys chanpioned!

And we shall gladly await the outcome by the Penang PAC (Public Accounts Committee) headed by YB Jagdeep Singh...

According to news reports on Sunday, 3 witnesses are to be called up to testify on Friday, 21st November 2008 at 3 pm.

Let us await the result of the findings the week after, as it has to be submitted to the State Assembly... which is in session right now...

Expect more "fireworks" and "revelations"...

BTW, take mainstream media reports that seem to imply "interference" by a state exco member with a pinch of salt...

Mainstream media has a gala time AMPLIFYING Pakatan "shortcomings" and discreetly ZEROFIES Barisan "offences"...

Just FYI, the canlled David Copperfield show last year was also 'organised' by Arianna.

Jeff,

Your blogs about your foreign adventures is very interesting, but I can't help but wonder if perhaps your focus is where it's supposed to be at, back home. People are watching PR very closely and it's fair to say that if you screw up your term in office, we know what's going to happen in the next election. It's time you brought your A game to the home team.

JEFF OOI says: It's a Hobson's Choice. Being an MP in Penang but not a member of the state government, except in my voluntary role as a backroom boy to the Chief Minister -- no remuneration by extra expenses at my own costs and sacrificing family times -- I also cannot intervene in the administration and policy matters of the state government. I can only collate information and advise, sometimes network with the investors and do some fire-fighting because of bureaucratic inefficiency. That's not what I wanted to be. Given a choice, after helping to wrest control of the Penang state, I should consider retiring from politics and go back to my professional work, earn some money to bring meals to the table, and get back to blogging. DAP can take it from there as I have done my part in GE2008.

For the next four years until my term ends, I will make full use of my time to concentrate on building networking -- regional and international -- for DAP and the Penang state government; and to help bring back a focus -- and hope -- for the Penang Diaspora, our very excellent Penangites who are now spread across the world, anywhere and everywhere but Penang.

Your suggestion that an elected representative should be rooted to his chair in the home country is very dangerous. In a globalised world, one needs to remain interactive and constantly networked to the universe, and to broaden one's mindset to absorb new ideas about plain old things. We need to constantly upgrade and update ourselves. One need to remember, besides being an elected , I have my private and family lives to attend to, and this is something I treasure firmly and will not compromise. You can take my job if you want to, but I believe, just like everyone else, I am not indispensable if this country is to continue reforming itself. YOU must get involved actively and don't expect others to the donkey job for you. This, I hope, will summarise how little I expect out of power and position.