The hustle and bustle of Chinese New Year is barely over, and Valentine's Day is already sneaking up on us. For some of you, it will be quite a significant day, with sky-high expectations to make the day special and worthy of remembrance (especially for the guys).

But what if you are single?

Worry not! There are plenty of things you can do by yourself, whether it’s with your family or your single friends! Instead of dwelling in sorrow and loneliness, you can still make plans for yourself and have a good time too.

Here are 4 things you can do if you’re single this Valentine’s Day.

1) Hang out with your family or your (best) single friends

Not everything done on Valentine’s Day needs to be romantic and lovey-dovey. Affection can also be shown to your closest family members and friends.

Use the day to show them how much they matter in your life. Make them some DIY cards (plenty of ideas can be found on YouTube and Pinterest!) or send them some flowers to show your appreciation. You can also plan something enjoyable to do, such as shopping for great Valentine deals or going for a fun movie outing (have you watched the latest Malaysian flick, Ola Bola, that’s making waves in the local scene?).

For the guys… probably a drink will do.

That said, what if they all turn out to be busy themselves too (coincidentally)? That brings us to...

2) Give yourself a treat

Since you are going to be by yourself, you might as well enjoy the company!

Use this occasion to indulge and pamper yourself like a king. It’s been only a month and a half into the new year, so take this opportunity to celebrate your successes and reflect on the lessons learned the year before.

Go for a full movie marathon and watch every The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings movies (or whatever it is you fancy) at one go. Gobble up a whole pint of Häagen-Dazs' Belgian Chocolate by yourself. Pamper yourself with a mani-pedi combo package. Or maybe play 50 rounds of Counter-Strike.

Whatever it is that you have been yearning for, V-Day is probably the best day to fulfil those cravings!

3) Dedicate time for yourself

If you think what’s mentioned above is a bit too much for you to handle (binge-watching all The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings movies will take you a whopping 17 hours!), perhaps you can consider doing something waayyy more reasonable.

Self-love can also mean devoting time for yourself to do the things that you have always wanted to do, but never really had the time.

Perhaps you can revisit some old hobbies that you have left behind, or work on your new year resolutions and goals. Here are some simple examples to help you remember yours, just in case.

• Practice a new song with your old guitar
• Paint another masterpiece
• Watch that TED video that you have bookmarked months ago
• Finish that book you bought from the last Big Bad Wolf sale
• Work out at the gym (though you need to consistently do this if you want to be real fit)
• Add another skill to your arsenal by signing up for a free online course
• Spring clean your own room

Since Valentine’s Day is a Sunday this year (no class!) with probably no one to hang out with, you’ll have the whole day for yourself, which is rare. So don’t miss this opportunity by idling your day away!

4) Help the needy

Valentine’s Day, in its essence, is a day to celebrate love. Sharing your love with those in need, even if it’s just a little, can make a world of difference to their day (and yours too!).

If you’ve been staying in every Valentine’s Day, why not do something different for a change this year? Drive around and look for old folks’ homes or orphanages near your neighbourhood. Set a short appointment and bring along simple gifts like fruit baskets, stalks of flowers, toys and candy. You could also plan a few elementary games to play with them too.

To help you with your options, here are some sites that you can check out:

• Hati (non-profit open directory of social and non-profit organisations)
• Malaysian Care (non-profit NGO)
• Do Something Good (volunteering platform)
• Do Good.Volunteer (volunteering platform)

You can also offer to volunteer with soup kitchens through organisations like Kechara or Pertiwi.

Don’t feel the need to bring extravagant items that will cost you a bomb. Simple gestures and gifts is enough to bring indescribable joy for those less fortunate.

Anyhow, V-Day is just going to end like any other day. At the end of the day, how you spend your day is all that matters - even if you are single.

Happy Valentine's Day y'all!

Perhaps this V-Day can also be a day for you to reflect on your progress in life so far. Here are 7 life learnings from Dato’ Seri Nazir Razak, Chairman of CIMB Group.