A Chinese New Year Treat

Before one has time to expend all the calories from Christmas log cakes and New Year champagne, here comes endless jars of pineapple tarts, almond cookies, deep fried shrimp rolls and, of course, bak kwa (barbecued pork slices) for the Chinese New Year.

In a season of surfeit and celebration, it is easy to forget the world around us.

A psychiatrist colleague told me she would be working right through the festive seasons when I asked if she would be going on vacation.

"It is times like these that can be most painful for many people," she explained.

Rich or poor, young or old, times of celebration and festivity can be joyous for some but accentuate the loneliness and hurt of others.

Amid the season's frenzy of spring-cleaning and visiting long lists of relatives and friends, is there time to share love and compassion with strangers?

Finding opportunities

My mum and dad taught me that we should always be generous, and find opportunities to exercise compassion.

When I was a little girl, my mum always carried extra $50 notes in her purse. I remember her pulling the car over when she spotted one of those elderly ladies in the street, hunched over from pushing a cartful of old newspapers and cardboard to sell. She would place a note in my little hands and ask me to walk over to pass it to her. If it were Chinese New Year, she would slip the money into a red packet.

When I went with my dad to the mechanic's workshop for his car's annual tune-up around Chinese New Year, he would always bring a large bag filled with Marks & Spencer biscuits and sometimes a shirt or a belt, for the mechanic and his little daughter.

He would tell me how meticulous his car mechanic was; how hard he worked even on holidays.

In case you think I come from an extremely wealthy family, I don't. My dad would buy from end-of-year sales and pace his giving throughout the year.

This Chinese New Year, as you receive another jar of peanut cookies, think about whom you could give it to. It could be the cleaners at your block of flats, the cleaning lady at your office or the labourer working through the holidays and weekends to paint your walls.

What is extraneous to you could be a treat for someone else.

And you could go further and buy that familiar face a shirt or a meal, and see it light up.

My dad taught me to be intentional about generosity, not just give others leftovers.

The cleaning lady at my office, Zhe, tells me she has to work every day of the Chinese New Year holidays. She doesn't think about flying back to China even for this important occasion because an air ticket would exceed her monthly pay.

She tells me that she hardly gets to enjoy any treats because she doesn't have relatives in Singapore to visit or exchange gifts with.

I put together a little bag of goodies and a red packet for her and she says: "Thank you. I've never had pineapple tarts in my life."

Is there someone like Zhe whom you know? Your giving them some mandarin oranges, treats or a red packet, or an offer of a home-cooked meal could be the only festive cheer for them this season.

Xin nian kuai le! Happy New Year!