Tag: toastmasters club

7 Reasons Every Neighbourhood Deserves A Kick-Ass CC Like Ci Yuan

For those living at the North East, odds are you’ve heard of Ci Yuan Community Club (CC). Opened by our Prime Minister last September, this CC has its own food court, clinic and karaoke establishment. Did we also mention that it has a 500-seater performance theatre that is fully furnished with light and sound equipment?

The reasons every neighbourhood deserves a CC like Ci Yuan are pretty self-explanatory by now, but we thought we’ll add more to the list to prove our point.

1. Affordable food from $2.80

The cost of living in Singapore can get pretty high and sometimes, all you want to do is to tuck in a bowl of affordable and frills-free bak chor mee. For those on a tight budget, you’ll be glad to know that food at the hawker centre situated in the CC are priced as low as $2.80. From Nasi Goreng to Chicken Rice, enjoy a variety of your favourite hawker dishes without feeling the burn!

Besides the low cost, this is also a non-profit hawker centre. Half the profits earned from the relatively low stall rental prices (from $1500 to $1800 per month) go into community funding like coupons for the poor. The other half is used to help hawkers ‘upgrade’ themselves. So you are doing a good deed whenever you dine at Ci Yuan.

2. Self-payment kiosk

This hawker centre is the first and only in Singapore to go ‘cashier-less’. There’s a self-payment kiosk at every stall that accepts cash (notes and coins), and returns the exact amount to you. What a great way for stalls to increase productivity. Diners don’t have to worry about counting change; it’ll never be wrong!

It also shows how our hawker scene has caught up with times. These places are no longer the stereotypical ‘old and dirty’ food places in Singapore!

3. Great variety, good food

One dish we recommend is the Salted Egg Prawn Ball ($18) from the Hong Kong Chef’s Kitchen stall. It is run by a former Crystal Jade chef from Hong Kong. Talk about having good credentials!

Our food recommendations:

Hong Kong Chef’s Kitchen Stall

[caption id="attachment_9013" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Prawn Mee with shrimps and pork slices, $2.80. Credit: Traditional Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle
Stall number: #01-29
Operating hours: Daily, 6am – 9.30pm (usually sells out by 7pm)

[caption id="attachment_9014" align="aligncenter" width="640"] ABC Food Centre’s wildly popular Fatty Cheong Char Siew Rice has opened an outlet at Ci Yuan. Credit: ABC Fatty Cheong
Stall number: #01-22
Operating hours: 11am to 8.30pm, closed on Thursday. Usually sells out by 7pm.

[caption id="attachment_9015" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Teochew Handmade Fishball Noodle, $2.80. Credit: Since some stalls at Ci Yuan’s hawker centre, like Teochew Handmade Fishball Noodle, are opened around the clock, feel free to grab your khakis for a supper session whilst catching up on the latest gossip.

[caption id="attachment_8289" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Image Credit: Straits Times. (Not pictured at Ci Yuan)[/caption]

This CC has also created more job opportunities, especially for the elderly residents living nearby.

Not only are the elderly workers at Ci Yuan given the freedom to work at their own pace, but each of them is also assigned to a specific area. They do not have to comb the entire hawker centre to clean and collect used cutlery. Also, the use of dishwashers help lessen the burden of the elderly workers. You won’t see any elderly scrubbing the dirty dishes at the back of the stalls.

Besides the elderly, more jobs are available for youngsters as well. Amongst the grey-haired hawkers, you will be able to spot some young adults. They are likely to be recent graduates from the 6. Elderly Care Services [caption id="attachment_8290" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Image Credit: Onlywilliam.blogspot.com[/caption]

If you don’t already know, Ci Yuan is the first CC so far that offers a Senior Care Centre. For some, this comes as a relief as some elderly may need constant supervision. For those who are unable to afford domestic help or are from low-income families, government subsidies for the Care Centre are available as well.

To make it even more convenient, transport can be arranged at a nominal cost. For patients who are bedridden, fret not for they do offer at-home services besides day care.

7. Entertainment [caption id="attachment_8292" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Image Credit: Toggle[/caption]

Yes, there is a Teo Heng tucked away in the CC. It may be no KBox, but at $18/3 hours for a small room, we think its ambience and convenience is well worth the price.

Since Teo Heng sells only beverages, feel free to da pao some food from the hawker centre below. However, do remember to clean up after yourselves and you’re good!

Besides Teo Heng, there is a Toastmasters Club as well! Interested to improve your public speaking or leadership skills? Look no further for the Toastmasters Club has got it all covered. Get your khakis (friends) to join in! Best of all? It is free, nuff said!

Address: Ci Yuan Community Club, 51 Hougang Avenue 9 Singapore, 538776 Singapore
Operating hours: Every 1st Saturday of the month at 2pm
Contact: 9847 2509