Reptiles in Fresh Water

English: Eonatator sternbergi, a mosasaur from the Late Cretaceous of Kansas. Digital. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Something new... how many more are there undiscovered...?
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The New York Times International Weekly
Science & Technology
FINDINGS


Reptiles in Fresh Water

Mosasaurs were large, ancient relatives of monitor lizards common during the Late Cretaceous period, 66 million to 100 million years ago. They were found near shallow marine areas in salt water. But researchers now say a newly discovered species of mosasaur lived in fresh water river environments. This species probably adapted to fresh water the same way river dolphins in Asia and South America did.

The new mosasaur has been named Pannoniasaurus inexpectatus. Researchers discuss the species and its fossils in the journal PLoS One.

The fossils suggest that the mosasaur had limbs like a terrestrial lizard; a flattened, crocodilian skull; and a long tail about half the length of its body. (The bodies ranged from less than a meter to about six meters, though the average was about three meters.)
“These animals were undulating their tail like a crocodile to propel their movement in water,” said an author of the study, Laszlo Makadi, a palaeontologist at the Hungarian Natural History Museum.”They used their limbs just to brake and steer.”

The fossils were discovered in an open-pit bauxite mine in the Bakony Mountains in Western Hungary.

SINDYA N. BHANOO

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Article taken from TODAY Paper, Saturday Edition, 05-Jan-2013

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Chile quake may have moved Earth's axis

Chile quake moved Earth's axis, shortened days: scientist

----------

AFP - Wednesday, March 3

A gap in a road caused by Saturday's earthquake and the ensuing tsunami in Pulluhue, 320 km south of Santiago. The powerful earthquake that shook Chile on Saturday probably shifted the Earth's axis and made days slightly shorter, a NASA scientist said.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - – The powerful earthquake that shook Chile on Saturday probably shifted the Earth's axis and made days slightly shorter, a NASA scientist said.

Richard Gross, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, calculated that the planet's axis would have shifted by eight centimeters (three inches) during the 8.8 magnitude quake, NASA said in a statement.

Earth days are 24 hours long because that's the amount of time it takes the planet to make one full rotation on its axis, so shifting the axis would affect rotation.

If, indeed, the planet's axis did shift by eight centimeters during the Chilean quake, days would have shortened by 1.26 microseconds, Gross calculated.

A microsecond is one-millionth of a second, so no need to adjust watches just yet.

The Chilean quake shifted the Earth's axis by even more than the 9.1-magnitude temblor off Indonesia that set off the deadly tsunami in Asia in 2004, Gross worked out.

That's partly because the faultline responsible for the earthquake in Chile "dips into Earth at a slightly steeper angle than does the fault responsible for the 2004 Sumatran earthquake" and is more effective at moving Earth's mass vertically and shifting the planet's axis.

The 2004 quake in Asia caused the Earth to move by around seven centimeters and chopped an estimated 6.8 microseconds off the length of a day, NASA said.

From Yahoo.SG News; original article is found here

----------

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History written down...

Image by think2create via Flickr

PENANG HILL RAILWAY MAKES ITS LAST RUN

--------------------------------------

KUALA LUMPUR - After years of breakdowns and stranded tourists, Penang bid farewell to its rickety Victorian funicular railway on Sunday.

"It's sad that we have to call it a day for the old funicular but the two kilometres of tracks are very worn out and so are the coaches," state transportation committee head, Mr Lim Hock Seng, told AFP.

Work on the inclined railway began in 1897 but took 26 years to complete, with its first coaches made of wood and steel. Its replacement is slated to be built in around seven months and will open in October.

Mr Lim said that the railway has taken several million tourists to the summit of 830-metre-high Penang hill in its 87-year existence.

However, equipment failure caused it to shut down for eight months in 2003 with sporadic closures after that due to a difficulty in finding spare parts for the old system. The line was again opened in 2004 but less than a year later, tourists were trapped on the hill when a brake malfunctioned.

Mr Lim said the tourism ministry was spending over RM63 million ($26 million) to build a new system that will see air-conditioned coaches take passengers up the hill in 10 minutes, compared to half an hour previously.

He said that the new railway would be able to stop at several new points for Penang Hill residents to access their vegetable farms and flower gardens that dot the area easily. AFP

From TODAY, Monday, 22-Feb-2010

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Teacher who amended PSLE scripts sentenced to 8 weeks' jail

I am tempted to change the title of this news, but as I am both perplexed and amused (amused meaning entertained without any thinking), I decided to keep it the same, full text.

I mean, as there are so many students who would do anything to pass their exams, I couldn't think of a teacher to do some 'manipulation' on the test scripts – for what, or whatever, that is something else. And in Singapore? Come on.

Not to spoil the news, find out more, and read it here.

Day two of torch relay ceremony takes AYG flame to 45 schools

By Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 29 June 2009 1206 hrs

SINGAPORE: The Asian Youth Games (AYG) torch relay continues in Singapore on Monday.

The first light for the day was ignited by Singapore Education Minister Ng Eng Hen during the torch-lighting ceremony at the Games Village just before seven in the morning.

Day two of the torch relay ceremony will see the flame being brought to 45 schools across Singapore. And one of them is West Spring Secondary School, representing Friendship, one of the Olympic values.

And together with Respect and Excellence, the three routes named after the Olympic values are relayed by 135 torch bearers to the schools.

For some, the responsibility of bearing the 1-kilogramme torch will be an unforgettable - and unnerving - experience.

A student torch bearer from West Spring Secondary School, Bibiana Loh, said: "I'm not very comfortable with fire. I can light candles and stuff but not one huge torch like that."

And even with H1N1 flu looming over the new school term, students and staff kept the festive mood going.

Principal of West Spring Secondary School, Seet Tiat Hee, said: "Today being the first day of school, we are trying to balance between all the precautionary measures (for H1N1 flu) and celebrating the AYG."

By evening, the flame will light up the Asian Youth Games' opening ceremony at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

- CNA/yt

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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Carabao with 2 heads born in Iloilo town

Image via Wikipedia

06/29/2009 | 04:35 PM

MANILA, Philippines - A carabao that was about to be slaughtered for meat gave birth to an offspring with two heads in a town in Iloilo in central Philippines, a radio report said Monday.

For at least a few hours, residents in Bingawan town jostled each other to see the carabao born with two heads.

But Visayas-based Bombo Radyo reported that the carabao, which was born in Guinholacan village, died a few hours after it was born.

Carabao owner Victor Castroverde said that except for the "extra head," the carabao had no abormality in its body.

Residents are now waiting for local agriculture officials to determine what caused the abnormality. - GMANews.TV

From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.

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Asian Youth Games torch relay kicks off

By Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 28 June 2009 1536 hrs

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong receives the torch to start the torch relay at the Asian Youth Games

SINGAPORE: The Asian Youth Games (AYG) torch relay kicked off Sunday morning with the Community and Corporate Leg.

Held over two days, day one of the relay saw the torch travel through three different routes covering five districts across Singapore.

The flame lighting ceremony was held early Sunday at the Kallang Waterfront.

Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, Teo Chee Hean, was at the event.

The flame then fanned out across the island in buses to arrive at the start of the three routes, named after the Olympic values of Friendship, Excellence and Respect.

At Yio Chu Kang stadium, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had the honour of being the first torch bearer to start the relay.

Singapore's Minister for Manpower Gan Kim Yong runs with the torch during the torch relay at the Asian Youth Games

Over at the Republic Polytechnic in the north of Singapore, other Ministers and VIPs also took part in the historic run.

Zainudin Nordin, torch bearer and Mayor of the North District: "We want to celebrate us organising the AYG, at the same to understand that sports is a really wonderful platform for us to get to know each other and for us to bond with the people together."

Shoppers and tourists caught a sight of the torch as it was carried along Orchard Road.

A total of 70 torchbearers were involved in day one of the relay.

The final torch bearer for the day was Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who ran from Marina Square to the Games Village at Swissotel the Stamford.

The torch relay will resume on Monday for the Schools leg, with the flame travelling to 45 schools around Singapore, where over a hundred runners will have the honour of carrying the torch.

The relay will end at the Indoor Stadium where three athletes will run in with the torches and light the cauldron as part of the Opening Ceremony celebrations.

- CNA/yb

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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Black, white and loved all over

You won't be able to resist the cuddly stars, stunning scenery

Genevieve Loh

05:55 AM Jun 17, 2009

YOU can never go wrong with pandas. Especially when these deceptively serene-looking endangered Chinese national treasures appear as cute and cuddly-looking as they do (sans sharp teeth and claws).

Scene from Trail of the Panda

Even more so when your film - about a little panda cub who is separated from its mother and subsequently rescued by an orphaned boy after going through a series of hardships and dangers in the forest - is the first full-length feature to receive full support and supervision from Sichuan's Wolong Giant Panda Reserve in the history of the wildlife preservation.

Throw in the fact these precious stars were provided by China's foremost panda research and preservation centre and bore the brunt of the devastating Sichuan earthquake last year, and this 90-minute gentle heart-warmer will no doubt tug at the tear ducts and milk your every emotion for all its worth.

Scene from Trail of the Panda

Acclaimed Chinese director Yu Zhong gives the audiences a rare opportunity to see the majestic beauty of the area by poignantly capturing the spectacular scenery that has since been destroyed, and brings out a moving (if a tad over-sentimental) relationship between Chinese-Japanese child actor Daichi Harashima and the cub he becomes attached to.

Trail of the Panda will reignite the world's love for pandas, while cleverly providing a platform for the importance of environmental and wild animal preservation.

From TODAY, Plus – Wednesday, 17-Jun-2009; see the source article here.

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Black, white and loved all over

You won't be able to resist the cuddly stars, stunning scenery

Genevieve Loh

05:55 AM Jun 17, 2009

YOU can never go wrong with pandas. Especially when these deceptively serene-looking endangered Chinese national treasures appear as cute and cuddly-looking as they do (sans sharp teeth and claws).

Scene from Trail of the Panda

Even more so when your film - about a little panda cub who is separated from its mother and subsequently rescued by an orphaned boy after going through a series of hardships and dangers in the forest - is the first full-length feature to receive full support and supervision from Sichuan's Wolong Giant Panda Reserve in the history of the wildlife preservation.

Throw in the fact these precious stars were provided by China's foremost panda research and preservation centre and bore the brunt of the devastating Sichuan earthquake last year, and this 90-minute gentle heart-warmer will no doubt tug at the tear ducts and milk your every emotion for all its worth.

Scene from Trail of the Panda

Acclaimed Chinese director Yu Zhong gives the audiences a rare opportunity to see the majestic beauty of the area by poignantly capturing the spectacular scenery that has since been destroyed, and brings out a moving (if a tad over-sentimental) relationship between Chinese-Japanese child actor Daichi Harashima and the cub he becomes attached to.

Trail of the Panda will reignite the world's love for pandas, while cleverly providing a platform for the importance of environmental and wild animal preservation.

From TODAY, Plus – Wednesday, 17-Jun-2009; see the source article here.

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Hi-5 are still enjoying their first childhood

Posted: 19 June 2009 1639 hrs

(L-R) Fely Irvine, Stevie Nicholson, Casey Burgess, Tim Maddren, Lauren Brant

SINGAPORE: Members of children's singing and dancing sensation Hi-5 may have crossed the big 20-year-old mark (the girls are 20 and the boys are 25), but they are still many kids' favourite playmates on television.

Their secret? Staying and being young, the group said, having their inner kids constantly come out and play, and having as much fun as humanly possible.

Basically, never grow up.

"We're still in our first childhood!" The group happily announced at a recent press conference at the Singapore Science centre, when asked if the five-piece were living their second childhood by being part of Hi-5.

"I have so many toys at home, I've lost count," said Tim Maddren. "I have radio controlled planes and jets and helicopters."

"We do tons of crazy stuff," Stevie Nicholson later told Channelnewsasia. "We were at Sentosa and we would race each other up and down the slopes. All of us are fun people and we won't let go of any opportunity to have fun. We make up all sorts of games when we are on tour.

"Such as, Tim dared Fely (Irvine) to wear a massive Hi-5 cushion glove all day, and she had to wear it all through the flight to Singapore, and try to eat with it on and it was hilarious. So next time during a concert, if you see Fely with the gloves you'd know what's going on."

Into their tenth year this year, the new generation of Hi-5 – Stevie, with new additions Tim, Fely, Lauren Brant and Casey Burgess, who were picked after a nationwide talent search down under – recently world premiered series 11 of Hi-5 on Singapore television.

The group are also celebrating their tenth anniversary with the Hi-5 Surprise! Live Tour 2009, where each member prepares a special surprise to help get ready for their friend Chats' surprise birthday party.

For the five-some, being a part of Hi-5 is a dream job come true. As teenagers, they used to dance in front of the television to previous generations of Hi-5. The group reckon the show could keep running for so long due to catchy music and innovative learning ways.

"At the end of the day the show is to help kids learn things and teach them things," said Casey. "But it's done in such a fun way that they don't feel like it's a chore to learn at all. The music is catchy and the dances easy to learn, kids can catch on very easily and be part of Hi-5."

The group, who said wearing colour-clashing clothes during performances is not a façade – they wear loud clothes outside of work too – are now the coolest aunts and uncles to their nieces and nephews, except Casey.

"My niece and nephew took my photo to show and tell, and said this is my uncle, he's in Hi-5, so now they're the coolest kids in school," said Tim.

"It's the other way round for me," said Casey. "Hi-5 is not as cool anymore because it's not anything far from them anymore it's in fact very close to them. And I'm never their favourite. Fely is their favourite.

But beneath all the child's play, the five-some understand the responsibilities that tag along with being superstars kids look up to. The group currently undertakes the role of ambassadors for World Vision, and travels to under-developed countries to perform for poor children.

"I feel that we have a huge opportunity to put a lot of good into the world with our work with world vision and other organisations," said Tim. "It's such a great opportunity for us to do good and I think that's really great."

And if the members were not part of Hi-5, they would still as happy and playful as ever.

Stevie would be "a transformer – well, I get to choose whatever I want to be, right?"; and Tim would be a singing sailor: "I'd be singing 'cos I have to sing. But I also like to sail so I'd be a singing sailor!"

Hi-5 Series 11 is now showing on okto from Mondays to Fridays at 12.30pm.

Hi-5 Surprise! Live Tour 2009 will hit Singapore shores from September 8 to 13 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, tickets will go on sale at Sistic from June 22.

- CNA/yb

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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Hi-5 are still enjoying their first childhood

Posted: 19 June 2009 1639 hrs

(L-R) Fely Irvine, Stevie Nicholson, Casey Burgess, Tim Maddren, Lauren Brant

SINGAPORE: Members of children's singing and dancing sensation Hi-5 may have crossed the big 20-year-old mark (the girls are 20 and the boys are 25), but they are still many kids' favourite playmates on television.

Their secret? Staying and being young, the group said, having their inner kids constantly come out and play, and having as much fun as humanly possible.

Basically, never grow up.

"We're still in our first childhood!" The group happily announced at a recent press conference at the Singapore Science centre, when asked if the five-piece were living their second childhood by being part of Hi-5.

"I have so many toys at home, I've lost count," said Tim Maddren. "I have radio controlled planes and jets and helicopters."

"We do tons of crazy stuff," Stevie Nicholson later told Channelnewsasia. "We were at Sentosa and we would race each other up and down the slopes. All of us are fun people and we won't let go of any opportunity to have fun. We make up all sorts of games when we are on tour.

"Such as, Tim dared Fely (Irvine) to wear a massive Hi-5 cushion glove all day, and she had to wear it all through the flight to Singapore, and try to eat with it on and it was hilarious. So next time during a concert, if you see Fely with the gloves you'd know what's going on."

Into their tenth year this year, the new generation of Hi-5 – Stevie, with new additions Tim, Fely, Lauren Brant and Casey Burgess, who were picked after a nationwide talent search down under – recently world premiered series 11 of Hi-5 on Singapore television.

The group are also celebrating their tenth anniversary with the Hi-5 Surprise! Live Tour 2009, where each member prepares a special surprise to help get ready for their friend Chats' surprise birthday party.

For the five-some, being a part of Hi-5 is a dream job come true. As teenagers, they used to dance in front of the television to previous generations of Hi-5. The group reckon the show could keep running for so long due to catchy music and innovative learning ways.

"At the end of the day the show is to help kids learn things and teach them things," said Casey. "But it's done in such a fun way that they don't feel like it's a chore to learn at all. The music is catchy and the dances easy to learn, kids can catch on very easily and be part of Hi-5."

The group, who said wearing colour-clashing clothes during performances is not a façade – they wear loud clothes outside of work too – are now the coolest aunts and uncles to their nieces and nephews, except Casey.

"My niece and nephew took my photo to show and tell, and said this is my uncle, he's in Hi-5, so now they're the coolest kids in school," said Tim.

"It's the other way round for me," said Casey. "Hi-5 is not as cool anymore because it's not anything far from them anymore it's in fact very close to them. And I'm never their favourite. Fely is their favourite.

But beneath all the child's play, the five-some understand the responsibilities that tag along with being superstars kids look up to. The group currently undertakes the role of ambassadors for World Vision, and travels to under-developed countries to perform for poor children.

"I feel that we have a huge opportunity to put a lot of good into the world with our work with world vision and other organisations," said Tim. "It's such a great opportunity for us to do good and I think that's really great."

And if the members were not part of Hi-5, they would still as happy and playful as ever.

Stevie would be "a transformer – well, I get to choose whatever I want to be, right?"; and Tim would be a singing sailor: "I'd be singing 'cos I have to sing. But I also like to sail so I'd be a singing sailor!"

Hi-5 Series 11 is now showing on okto from Mondays to Fridays at 12.30pm.

Hi-5 Surprise! Live Tour 2009 will hit Singapore shores from September 8 to 13 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, tickets will go on sale at Sistic from June 22.

- CNA/yb

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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Jurong Bird Park

Well, here is another captivating picture, and you can easily guess that it is an invitation to visit on of the attractions in Singapore: Jurong Bird Park.

Enjoy. Be enthralled! Be captivated!

What are you waiting for? Come on down!

Jurong Bird Park in Singapore.
Be there, or be square...

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Jurong Bird Park

Well, here is another captivating picture, and you can easily guess that it is an invitation to visit on of the attractions in Singapore: Jurong Bird Park.

Enjoy. Be enthralled! Be captivated!

What are you waiting for? Come on down!

Jurong Bird Park in Singapore.
Be there, or be square...

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It's raining tadpoles in Japan town, residents say

Posted: 10 June 2009 1553 hrs

Tadpoles

TOKYO: Meteorologists in Japan say the rainy season has just started in Tokyo, but residents in a small coastal town have reported a different phenomenon -- tadpoles dropping out of the sky.

An office clerk in Nanao said he first noticed the anomaly when he heard a dull thud in a parking lot last week, news reports said. Looking around, he saw about 100 dead amphibians splattered on car windshields and the ground.

More reports followed from bewildered residents in Nanao.

"People speculate that a waterspout picked them up and dropped them from the air," an official at a local weather observatory told AFP. "But from a meteorological point of view, I have to say it is most unlikely."

"We have checked the weather conditions of last week, thinking gusts of wind might have hit the area but confirmed no damage," he said. "To be honest, I don't think it was anything caused by a weather condition."

Similar events -- in what is sometimes called the "Fafrotskies" phenomenon, short for "fall from the sky" -- have been reported around the world, with whirlwinds passing over water bodies and picking up frogs, jellyfish or other unfortunate animals before dumping them back to earth.

- AFP /ls

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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It's raining tadpoles in Japan town, residents say

Posted: 10 June 2009 1553 hrs

Tadpoles

TOKYO: Meteorologists in Japan say the rainy season has just started in Tokyo, but residents in a small coastal town have reported a different phenomenon -- tadpoles dropping out of the sky.

An office clerk in Nanao said he first noticed the anomaly when he heard a dull thud in a parking lot last week, news reports said. Looking around, he saw about 100 dead amphibians splattered on car windshields and the ground.

More reports followed from bewildered residents in Nanao.

"People speculate that a waterspout picked them up and dropped them from the air," an official at a local weather observatory told AFP. "But from a meteorological point of view, I have to say it is most unlikely."

"We have checked the weather conditions of last week, thinking gusts of wind might have hit the area but confirmed no damage," he said. "To be honest, I don't think it was anything caused by a weather condition."

Similar events -- in what is sometimes called the "Fafrotskies" phenomenon, short for "fall from the sky" -- have been reported around the world, with whirlwinds passing over water bodies and picking up frogs, jellyfish or other unfortunate animals before dumping them back to earth.

- AFP /ls

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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An Invitation to Sentosa

Well, the picture of the kangaroo caught my attention. And when I checked further, it was an invitation to Sentosa beach park... erhh, it is more than just a beach park.

Why don't you go down and visit the place to find out for yourself?

Sentosa. One place to be in Singapore.

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An Invitation to Sentosa

Well, the picture of the kangaroo caught my attention. And when I checked further, it was an invitation to Sentosa beach park... erhh, it is more than just a beach park.

Why don't you go down and visit the place to find out for yourself?

Sentosa. One place to be in Singapore.

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New Hi-5 series world premiere in Singapore

Posted: 06 June 2009 0711 hrs

(L-R) Fely Irvine, Stevie Nicholson, Casey Burgess, Tim Maddren, Lauren Brant

SINGAPORE: Children's singing and dancing sensation Hi-5 is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and the five-piece is commemorating the occasion with another series of their hit television show and an all-new tour.

Hi-5 series 11 will have its world premiere in Singapore on Monday, and is set to introduce four fresh faces.

Lauren Brant, Fely Irvine, Casey Burgess and Tim Maddren, who were picked after an extensive audition process across Australia, will join original member Stevie Nicholson to form the new generation of Hi-5.

Replacing four faces is a huge change but the new members are not afraid to live up to the legacy that has kept kids dancing in front of their television sets for ten years.

"I think the acceptance has already happened," Stevie said. "We just came from the Philippines and the kids loved the performance, despite never having seen four of us before.

"I feel incredibly honoured to be able to carry on the legacy of the former members,” said Lauren. "It’s a really special job – we get to sing and dance and play like kids and play with kids all day long, which is what we love to do. It's hardly a job to us!"

"I think the kids were more swept up in the singing, the dancing, the colours, the energy than anything else... and as long as they’re entertained, it doesn’t really matter who’s doing it," said Casey.

The group is currently on its Hi-5 Surprise! Live Tour 2009, which started in the Philippines on May 14, and will make its rounds to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

"There are more songs, more dancing in the new concert (than the previous one)," said Tim.

Apart from kids, Hi-5 also said they welcome people of all ages to join in their tour. "Whether you're an adult or a child, it doesn’t really matter. Everyone loves a party, and we do mean everyone."

Hi-5 Series 11 premieres on okto on Monday, and will air weekdays at 12.30pm. Hi-5 Surprise! Live Tour 2009 will hit Singapore shores from September 8 to 13 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, tickets will go on sale at Sistic from June 22.

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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