Please direct all biz enquiries and inter-Bantus matters to singbantus@gmail.com (w.e.f 12 Jan 2010).
Internal mail regarding operational and school matters addressing our members will be emailed from a different email addy. If you have been a regular member, you’ll be receiving an email from us by the end of this week. Thanks for your patience.
Our email account singbantus@yahoo.com was hacked into this morning and someone used our email addy to send an email asking for money to our entire email listing. If you have receive this, it is NOT from us. Yahoo has locked down our account for the next 24 hours due to the security breach so we are unable to retrieve our email listing to warn everyone. If you’re a Bantus member and reading this, please spread the word.
If you’ve got any ideas to prevent future break-ins or post-op recovery, let me know. Thanks!
note: btw, the hacker will entertain your replies coz he went through our inbox and knows personal stuff about people on our email list so he is damn convincing. this is the latest feedback from a friend who called us from Germany to verify with us.
This is The Republic Cultural Centre. Here is the entrance. We’ll all meet at Studio 1 which is at ground level. There’ll be enough of us hanging around to ask for directions. So no worries!
If you’re driving, just park your car and walk around to the other side of the building. If you are taking a cab, the taxi drop-off point is just right across from TRCC.
Our batizado will take place at South Agora entrance of The Republic Polytechnic. 2pm -5pm. 
Nearest MRT station is Woodlands followed by a short walk (about 10mins - depending on your pace) which should be mildly invigorating for most of us (unless you’ve been skipping training).
When you get to RP (see Pix 1), just walk up along the corridor of the building where the trees are lined up, passing Subway on your right as you come to the glass entrance of Agora South (see Pix 2).
Those driving can park their cars at the The Republic Cultural Centre carpark (the carpark fees are very reasonable). (Pix 3) You will have to drive up past the bus stop, passing The Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC) on your left and the taxi drop-off (see Pix 4). Make a left just before the next traffic junction.
If you are going by cab, your cab will drop you off at the taxi stand (Pix 5) which is a couple of steps from where we’ll be having the batizado. After you alight, just walk towards the pond and towards your left where you will see a building entrance with glass doors. That’s the spot. If it rains, we’ll just move the action indoors.
Here’s a location map of Woodlands MRT to RP:
Due to the APEC meeting at the Istana next week, Istana Park will not be accessible. We are looking at an alternative venue where it’ll be too far away for Obama or Clinton to stumble into our Batizado roda by mistake. So stay tuned, folks!
Our 4th batizado cum troca de corda is just 2 weeks away! Here are the details:
Workshops: Wed 11- Fri 13 Nov 09
Time: 8 - 10pm
Venue: The Republic Cultural Centre (Studio 1 & 2) @ Republic Polytechnic (MRT station: Woodlands)
Admission: Only For Bantus students who have paid their batizado fees. Sorry, no observers.
Kids’ Workshop: Sat 14 Nov 09
Time: 10-11am (in lieu of a class so we won’t be accepting new students that day)
Venue: Dance On Us studio (8 Claymore Hill)
Admission: Only for Bantus junior students who have paid their batizado fees.
Batizado Sat 14 Nov 09
Venue: Istana Park (across from the Istana & Plaza Singapura) It’s now at Agora South entrance of The Republic Polytechnic - please read latest post
Time: 2pm - 5pm
Family, friends and the curious are more than welcome to stay on and watch.
Some highlights of our performance at the BMW Joy event outside Wisma Atria on 25 September 2009.
There won’t be any training on Mon 21st September as it is a public holiday. Enjoy your long weekend and see you on Thursday 24th September 09.
PARABENS to Claudinho who has just troco de corda. Not once but TWICE! Making it a double promotion! Whoa! When we asked him over the phone last Saturday, the ever modest Claudinho who sounded overwhelmed and slightly hoarse (because he had lost his voice), said it was so unexpected. But he was very happy. When we shared the news with Rafael from Bantus KL, who was in town over the same weekend, he was overjoyed for Claudinho, saying, “If anyone deserves that honor, it is Claudinho, man! That guy is a saint.”
Welcome back to Singapore, Professor Claudinho!
(keep an eye on this post ‘coz we’ll see if we can get hold of a vid and some pix of the grand event for u…)
We kicked off our 1st Festa Julina with a roda. Oscar wowed the crowds and left us speechless (to Claudinho’s credit). Really, it was the kids who stole the show. Kudos to our young ones! See for yourself (vid below)
The Bantus hillbillies. Unfortunately, not everyone was in the picture. The rest were busy fishing and eating and being responsible for the fun happening around us.
We had as much fun as a bunch of mad hatters!
The quadrilha led by Claudinho who in his padre get-up kinda reminded me of… er, Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat (the movie version)?
KISS ME lah! (scene from our casamento da roça)
The “Wedding guests” included a pair of bosom pals…
the bride’s long-time rival (who occasionally gets mistaken for Tina Turner or Nong Toom, the Muay Thai fighter)
er, snooty folks from out of town who like to wrinkle their noses at us hillbillies…
True blue Brasileiros. By the way, Priscila is responsible for giving us soooooo much help in making the event a success! Three cheers to Priscila! And a big thank you!
er, in the end, the groom was seen fleeing the paparazzi with his one true love…
leaving the menfolk a little confused and…
giving the town gossips plenty to talk about for a loooooong time
Meanwhile, back in the boonies, activities were still at a full swing…
Egg n spoon race
The fishing game was especially popular. Not just with the children…there were several grown-ups who couldn’t resist a challenge!
The usual domestic squabble over some old boot…
The town drunks getting inebriated…
The banditos getting ready for the next chocolate raid…
Lots of typical Brazilian fair snacks to try!
We ate for a good cause as all the proceeds went to a charity.
We want to thank the following folks for their generosity of time, effort and ingenuity to make our first Fest Julina such a great success: Giraia, Careca n Claudinho for staying up late the nite before to clamber up n down like monkeys just to get those buntings right, Andre for being the DJ for the quadrilha n Priscila n her hubby for helping us get the feel right and for cooking the food. Also to all the wonderful cooks - Sonia, Jean, Barracuda, Playmobil, Festa Brasilia and the Brasileiras who contributed their culinary skills to the table. And the folks who manned the games n food stalls and everyone who were sporting enough to show up in their best rags. BIG Obrigada!!!!!!!
