Taking centre stage at IMM was Singapore's first and largest snakes and ladders board game, where union members battled it out and pitted their wits and knowledge against one another. Snake charmers wielding live snakes were also on hand to lend authenticity and excitement to the event.

After a hard fought two-day challenge, housewife Lee Wee Chin proved her mettle, she aced all the answers to the questions posed about NTUC, edging out her fellow contenders to walk away with the grand prize of $10,000 in cash.

"For a while I thought I had no chance of winning. The current affairs questions were a bit difficult but I had no problems answering NTUC-related questions."

Mdm Lee snaked up the ladders, gamely completing all the obstacles thrown her way, from skipping on stage to interacting with live reptiles. And she was clearly not the only one excited about her unexpected windfall. "The first thing my daughters told me after the game was, "Now we can definitely expect Christmas presents!""

Graced by NTUC Assistant Secretary General Seng Hang Thong, the event was organized to raise public awareness about union membership and its benefits. The drive also saw an additional 300 people signing up for the NTUC-OCBC card.

Meet a member - Xiao Juan
Hers is the new face of union membership, a growing demographic that is increasingly finding joining a union attractive and beneficial. Young and leading an active lifestyle, 22-year-old Xiao Juan finds that membership has helped her achieve the goals she has set out for herself.

Working as a receptionist at Planet Learning Centre, a school for children with learning disabilities, Xiao Juan also occasionally helps the centre design its brochures. "I wanted to learn more about clip art and the proper ways of using it in designing."

She learnt from her sister that she could join NTUC's computer courses at a subsidized rate one year after becoming a member.

But since signing up as a union member in 2003, her first love  "baking" has overridden computers and designing. Scanning the NTUC website for available courses, she chanced upon a baking course offered by the CDAC, just what she was looking for.

Currently, she works the part-time shift at Big O Cafe at Wheelock place on Sundays, where her kitchen duty includes baking cookies, mud pies, and making milkshakes.

She also discovered other activities like rock climbing competitions, outings to Sungei Buloh nature park and picnics.

"There's actually something for everyone. Older union members might be more interested in FairPrice rebates but members like myself prefer training courses and more adventurous activities."

Being a union member also brought Xiao Juan an unexpected surprise recently. She watched the NTUC sponsored Chinese drama serial The Ties that Bind and entered the TV viewersÕ contest. As luck would have it, she was one of the winners. The prize: $500 in cash.

But Xiao Juan has been far too busy shuttling between jobs to even collect her prize. Soon she will begin her baking course at the Prima Deli bakery headquarters, Harbour Front.

For a year, she will attend a full day of classes covering the practical and theoretical aspects of the trade, once a week. It will lead to the NTC 2 Certificate in baking.

And then, "I'm hoping to take another course for a NTC 3 Certificate which will give me a Diploma in baking. I also hope to take up a computer course with NTUC later, or maybe at the same time if I can squeeze both into my schedule!"