It probably also ties with the legendary kiasuism to top the Things We Love To Hate About Ourselves list.
But, recently, a lot of the gripes have been accompanied by: "My (insert: social life, work, financial situation, relationship, et cetera) is hell and there's nothing I can do about it."
One friend was complaining that she was not given any big breaks in her job and not enjoying herself much.
So we started discussing options.
Her side of the conversation went something like this: "Hongkong? Nope, I don't speak Cantonese. Get another degree? Opportunity costs too high. I won't gain much in terms of salary. Too risky. Change professions? There's nothing else I want to do."
Then last week, she was given a fairly major project with definite possibilities to shine and be noticed.
When I congratulated her, she said: "Do you know whom I have to work with?" and started listing her doubts about her supervisor, who has a reputation for not being easy to work with.
Hmmm.
Then there was Wooi Hock. For months and months, he was gong on about how he hated his job as a design engineer, how badly run the company he worked for was, and how he really, really wanted to go into sales instead.
Voila, he lands a job as a sales engineer -- and gets a rather decent pay rise as well. Now, after several months there, his latest phrase is "Sales is such a difficult job".
The company is run by a family that promotes from within, so he feels there is not much room to grow, there are sales targets to meet and bosses have such high expectations.
It gets better.
I was congratulating a friend of a friend on his offer of a work stint in New York, something for which I would give up a year's worth of chocolates, cappuccino and junk food cheerfully. Honest.
He turned around and gave me the best bassett-hound impression I have ever seen.
Then, he groaned: "Too cold, too far, too much crime. I mean, what if I get mugged? And what about food? And laundry?"
Yes, well, what about food and laundry? I have heard that stoves, restaurants and washing machines have found their way to even a backwater like New York.
A couple of friends of mine went on a holiday recently, where they, along with a group of others, walked 200 km from Hongkong to Guangzhou.
Most of them trotted along cheerfully by foot.
One group, however, complained non-stop about having to walk, and at the slightest provocation, they would hop on the bus -- and continue to whine.
Said my friend: "Why did they come in the first place?
"They knew what they were getting into."
What is with all this whining?
Maybe it is something in the water, or it could be all that designer coffee we have been sending into our bloodstream.
Soon, researchers are gong to find out that excess caffeine leads to coffee drinkers complaining about dead ends and lack of options.
All I can say is, welcome to the real world, babe, where money for nothing and chicks for free is only a line from an old Dire Straits song. Where getting something for nothing is only wishful thinking that few people are naive enough to believe for long.
It is okay to complain.
Really.
It is cathartic, it lets people let off steam, it fills in those conversational lulls during blind dates, it makes the other person sympathetic enough to pick up the bill for the meal ...
So complain and get done with it.
Work to change the situation or shut up and get on with your life -- and let everyone else get on with his or hers.
Contrary to popular belief, there is always an alternative to whatever situation we find ourselves in.
It is just that we have to be prepared to live with the results.
A friend of mine decided that she would not be part of the rat-race.
While she was a university student in New Zealand, Winnie milked cows and worked for farmers to supplement the money her family sent her.
When she came home, she worked as a book editor for a couple of years, then quit her job to travel in Ireland and France for three months on a shoestring budget.
"It was great," said Winnie. "I hitch-hiked around Ireland, it's so safe.
"Then, I went to France, where I stayed with a friend. I met a lot of his friends, mostly artists and writers."
For a while after she returned, she worked for her brother, a mechanic.
She manages an antique furniture store, working from noon to 6 pm, seven days a week. That leaves her mornings free for daily French lessons.
At 26, she earns $2,000 a month, a lot less than her peers. But she is happier than most people I know who earn more in their corporate jobs.
"I chose to do this, so I've come to accept that I won't make much money," she said.
"In return, I've got freedom. I can say I'm going to stop what I'm doing, pick up my belongings and go travel. A lot of people can't.
"Still, I feel like a fish out of water. People I meet talk about their jobs, their bonuses, who got which promotion where, property and car prices.
"Everyone's so pragmatic. They ask me what economic value there is to the French classes I'm taking. And I tell them: `Probably nothing. I'm doing it just because I love the language.'
"Often, we just can't connect."
For Winnie, the road ahead is not predictable. Five years ahead is too long a time for her to be able to plan.
For many others, stepping out of well-defined formulae for success represents risk and chaos, something to be avoided at all cost.
Most of us would rather follow a well-mapped path.
By doing that , we sometimes reduce our lives to a bunch of cliches.
A friend of mine was told be her mother to find someone "nice, rich and brilliant" to marry.
Her brother, however, was told to make sure he did not marry a girl who is "too rich".
Step outside this formula and they risk changing the status quo -- and their mother is probably right.
Then, again, what do we get by cloistering ourselves in the warmth and safety of a nice, comfortable, predictable cocoon, if we end up complaining of what we have to put up with?
What do we risk by changing things, if we are unhappy about them?
All right, so maybe life can end up being a bit chaotic or unpredictable for a while.
Maybe that condo near Orchard Road or in Tanjong Rhu will be out of reach for a while, or perhaps for all time.
So what?
We can sit tight and complain about everything and believe we can change nothing, or we can take a deep breath, jump into the deep end and see what we can find.
It may be something better than we expected.