KLKribs - AMK

Ang Mo Kio.

The new town and its abbreviation AMK is one of the mainstays in the history of our young nation and will never be confused or mistaken for any other. For starters, the new town is made famous by playing host to the biggest politician of the country, the Prime Minister. Yes, even the Men In White have understood that planting their feet firmly here can only do good for their political future. The advent of the name already literally describes a white man [ang moh] and a bridge [kio].

The very first MRT stations open were from Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh, such is the glamour and prestige of this town. AMK is also known for its high concentration of ethnic citizens. When anyone speaks about areas with a large number of congregating Yindians, definitely AMK and Yishun are the first towns to get thrown into the fray. Things are a lot different now. But it didn't use to be that way back in the old days.

AMK used to be the headquarters for many triad activites back in the old days. This was when secret societies literally called the shots on what went on and what didn't. As much as a very community-based town, it was also quite feared. Outsiders tend not to spend more time than necessary over here. [Info gathered from conversing with ALL the old ah peks who like stout with red bull like me].

AMK is very structured. Instead of all the fancy Anglified names like Rivervale, Compassvale and what not. We work on avenues. Ave 1 has blocks numbered in the 100 series, Ave 2 has blocks numbered in the 200 series and so on. The only exceptions are that Ave 4 is nowhere near blocks 400+ and Ave 10, by far the most famous/notorious avenue of them all, lends its numerical claim to only the industrial buildings that are aptly numbered 1000+. It is NOT an easy task to get lost in AMK.

Apart from having a hospital, swimming complex, stadium and other basic facilities, in AMK you can find the greatest mix of people anywhere else. From first to third generation Singaporeans, expatriates of all walks of life and foreign labourers. The reason? We have 1-room all the way to 5-room flats sprinkled across the town, both rental/lease/bought, even a new condominium and serviced apartments. In every block, there are at least 5 Indian families. Whatever festival rolls around, you know its around just by spotting the oil lamps, streamers and running lights outside the houses.

Perhaps when you only want to look at it in an Indian viewpoint, one thing that would always be burnt into your memory would be the old bus interchange. It has since been knocked down and relocated to make way for the massive new mall, that took ages to arrive in any case. Like the 855 bus queue in Yishun, the AMK ones were also heavily utilized for the same purposes.

Anyone who didn't live just opposite their school would HAVE to pass through the interchange. The hometown girls would arrive on the feeder buses and get off at the common alighting bay; thus one group of boys always sat at the "24" bus bay which directly overlooked that section. The out of town girls took the 166, 135 and 25 buses to get home and thus, those bus bays were also very popularly colonized. The interchange became the focal point of the town, to the point where people who DIDN'T have to pass through it ended up doing so anyway, just to partake in the daily festivities.

The daily "festival" of course encompassed the harassing of girls [some who loved the attention anyhow], the staring down at "rival" groups [usually just a secondary school vs. secondary school thing], the planning of the daily excursions and basically to meet people who you wouldn't otherwise meet as regularly. In turn, the cops also made it a point to "regularly" come by hoping to catch underaged smokers, truant players and thugs.

Though many regard AMK as some Indian haven where the boys must be up to no good, there is a massive Malay and Chinese influence on the town too. We have our Malay presence under most void decks, street soccer courts and parks. They usually play their footy, work their guitar or fuss over their motorcycles. The Bengs are often seen around AMK Central and th coffeeshops near their place. Contrary to public belief, you're more likely to find career men winding down after a long day of work with their beer and nuts rather than ruffians drumming on tables and creating conflicts.

And yet, no matter how rowdy, how gregarious, how mofo-ish any of the behaviours observed are; you will never ever come across a born and raised Ang Mo Kio boy who says this place sucks. [I've shifted house only once in my life. And that was only 20 blocks down. AMK to AMK] That's how fiercely protective of our boundaries the residents are. Just to add, AMK stretches all the way to the junction before Lentor to the junction outside Pierce Reservoir. You can call it YCK, you can say it's Upper Thomson Road, but we know. We know it's all still AMK.

Continuing on, some of you might have heard of some who declare, quite loudly at some KLKlubs that the only true expansion of the abbreviation AMK is "Always Mafia Kingdom". Kingdom? Maybe. It's very easy to spot outsiders in this town. Mafia? Doesn't it add to the mystery of it all? You can find many a character in AMK.

From the spruced up 14 footer lorries decked with spoilers, stickers and "mee siam" along the undercarriage, to the incessant pounding of the void-deck table tennis table to the tune of Surangani. From the leg-up on chair, beer drinking uncles to the housewives who work their ass out for 12 hours in the night shift. From the shirtless, sweat drenched soccer players to the shoot the hoops till the lights go out basketballers. From, the menacing looks to the "help an old man cross the road" good Samaritans.

But no matter how much KLKrap you think is running through this place:

1. Don't let the tattoo-ed Chinese fool you into thinking they're all degenerate. We're a highly literate town. Check the statistics. And look at the schools we hold. Anderson Secondary, Anderson JC, Nanyang Poly, Ang Mo Kio Secondary, all famous for something or the other in their own right.

2. Don't think too lowly of the motorbike tinkering Malay dudes. It takes a full time job to fork out the monthly instalments and servicings. Are you gainfully employed?

3. Don't make the sore error of underestimating any of the Yindians, lorries with over-the-top decorations and all, fashion faux pas and all, drumming of tables and all, swiggin their beer and all. It takes time, money and discipline to actually run your own delivery contracts and if a man around here can handle his own shit and family then he has my respect. KLK or not.

I guess if you were expecting some ultra-neo-Nazi Blitzkreig attempt on this KLKribs entry you would have been sorely dissapointed. It all boils down to the fact that you are never ghetto unless you truly behave ghetto and Ang Mo Kio is NOT a ghetto.

However, if you have any other interesting anecdote or episode that occurred within the boundaries of AMK and you'd like to share it with us, either include it in the comments section or drop me a mail. I'll tag it on to the bottom of this entry.

Also, Culture Q n A Part 2 will be up soon but keep your questions coming anyhow. It is an ongoing process. With no limitations on what you can ask. Click here to get to the form.

ang mo kio, singapore
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