Any hacks to get up to Krisflyer Elite Gold status quick?

Other than the AMEX KF Ascend requirement, consider getting Star Alliance gold instead as an alternative to KF Elite gold. This is because from the second year, you'll have to maintain your Star Alliance gold status with 50K Elite miles, which can be a problem if you don't fly a lot.

If you happen to find yourself holidaying in Europe, flying 4 times with Aegean airlines and collecting 24K miles will allow you to achieve gold status from their silver status level. One of the easier airlines to maintain gold status with, as you only need 24K miles to maintain your gold status.

Consider getting AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend credit card and spend $15,000 on SIA related products such as flights (includes scoot related flights in SIA website) within 12 months.