The UrbanWire      

He’s the owner and managing director of Jonal Chong Hair Couture and SF Savoir Fair – both in Singapore and London.

This Singaporean hairstylist, who was based in London for 7 years, returned to Singapore in 2005 after his 5-year contract as the personal hairstylist for Nicole Kidman ended.

Apart from Kidman, Jonal Chong, 48, has also cut and styled the crowning glories of various celebrities from the hall of fame such as Hugh Grant, Courtney Cox Arquette, Ewan McGregor and Katherine Heigl.

<sup>Jonal with Nicole Kidman

Jonal with Katherine Heigl</sup>

“These people are my regulars in my salon in London. However, my favourite person will always be Nic because she’s the one who gave me my big break and I will forever be grateful towards her,” says Jonal.

During the 5 years that he was working for Nicole Kidman, Jonal said it wasn’t all glamour and fun.

“Being a yellow-skin in Hollywood, I initially felt out of place. I felt like the character E.T. – someone who landed in a totally different world. It took a lot of effort to stay in Hollywood, in the hair industry, because people judged and some were really bitchy. However, I managed to stay and make a name for myself,” says the hair guru, who has been cutting hair since the age of 15.

Jonal describes himself as someone “who loves dressing up, who loves beauty, who believes in fashion” and who feels that it’s his responsibility to make women look beautiful.

He indulged again recently by setting up his second hair salon in Singapore – Jonal Chong Hair Couture in the heart of the shopping district, Orchard Central.

The managing director officially launched his 1, 100 sq ft all white, avant-garde salon on Oct 28.

The twist to his new salon? Prices won’t be sky-high as what most of you would expect. Instead, it’d be mind-bogglingly low.

Cuts start from $13 onwards while other services such as hair treatment or colour and cut are priced from $38 up.

However, the man himself won’t be touching your hair of course. Because if he does, be prepared to pay $250 onwards for a simple haircut.

Jonal strongly believes in 15 of his apprentices that he’s trained personally for about a year to attend to his customers and satisfy them.

^{Jonal Chong (left) cutting the hair of one of his V.I.P customers in the V.I.P room, while coaching one of his apprentices (right) along the way.}

When asked why he’s offering his hair services at “heartland prices”, Jonal says, “I want to give those customers who are not willing to pay a lot of money on hair a chance to enjoy my luxe hair services without spending a bomb. By doing this, I feel that finally, more Singaporean men and women have an equal chance to look good at an affordable price.”

Even before Jonal Chong Hair Couture was officially opened for business, he had already attended to a number of notable customers.

MTV VJ Denise Keller paid him a visit 2 days before the Elle Awards to get her hair done for the opening ceremony. One of the Polo Boys – Channel 5’s new drama series – Paul Foster, also dropped by for a haircut.

These artistes were attended to in the salon’s Very Important Person (V.I.P) room.

The hair maestro also requested for a Very Very Important Person (V.V.I.P.) room to be built for his extra special customers.

When asked who they are, Chong smiled coyly but remained professional and said, “They are prestigious bankers, lawyers and doctors.”

He has yet to go back to London to check on his salon there. According to him, “the salon isn’t doing very well because of the economic downturn”.

However, he’s proud of the fact that he’s still in contact with Nicole Kidman.

A few of his famous works of her include the famous Chanel No.5 advertising campaign in 2004 and the movie – Birth, that Kidman starred in that same year.

Her sudden change in hairstyle, which was cut short by Jonal to suit her character, was a bold statement compared to her usual locks.

He said, “Nic loved her short hair. Although it was a drastic change in hairstyle, she was comfortable in it and pulled it off really well.”

After being in the business for over 30 years, the celebrity coiffeur already has plans to retire soon.

Jonal says, “I can’t go on forever doing this. I definitely have to step down soon and my right-hand man, David Oh, will take over me.”

Dare to change.

If the runaway success of the eccentric, outlandishly bold singer cum fashionista Lady Gaga isn’t enough to make you realise that blending in and sticking to the status quo – be it in fashion, hairstyle or attitude – isn’t cool anymore, I don’t know what is.

Soon, we’ll be counting down to the New Year and if you’re booked for some hot party to ring in 2010, this is a wake-up call that a change is called for.

Hair is everything. For a woman, it’s her crowning glory, the most noticeable feature, and that which reflects her beauty.

Fashionistas know that a look is incomplete without a great hairstyle that’ll make the individual feel good and look good too.

So, to inspire and to motivate you in your change for 2010, UrbanWire sent 4 of its writers, representing the different facial shapes of most readers, for a temporary makeover at the recently launched salon – Jonal Chong Hair Couture, owned by the successful celebrity Singaporean hairstylist who has styled the manes of various Hollywood A-listers including Nicole Kidman.

The girls were treated to an out-of-this-world experience as the salon manager Mike Loh, styled their hair based on the shape of their faces, with a surprising twist to make them stand out. But isn’t Lady Gaga, who’s one of the most popular, crazed and successful artistes today, the epitome of unique?

Check out our writers who had their hair done and just how to achieve that look!

Amanda
Geraldine
Diyana
Adrianna

(Read more)

^{(All images credits to Kunsthistorisches Museum)}

This is about as close as you can ever get to a mummy.

Flown from Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) in Vienna, Sydney, all the way to the National Museum of Singapore, 5 mummies – all of which still very much preserved and securely wrapped by linen bandages, will be the main attraction of the exhibition.

230 ancient Egypt artifacts, including the mummified bodies, spanning from 4000 BCE to 950 CE, are currently being exhibited at the Quest for Immortality – The World of Ancient Egypt, which is an exhibition that elucidates the ancient Egyptians’ attitude towards life and the afterlife.

The artifacts include ancient Egyptians statues, pieces of writings, jewellery, and burial relics such as the canopic jars that were used to keep the internal organs of the mummies.

Ms Haraini Hassan, curator of the National Museum of Singapore says, “Ancient Egypt is a glorious civilization and through this exhibition we hope to change people’s perception that the ancient Egyptians are obsessed with death. On the contrary, it is their obsession with life that caused them to pursue all means to ensure the attainment of immortality.”

This joint collaboration by National Museum of Singapore and Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, took 2 years to plan as they faced various challenges – the main being the transportation of the fragile mummies, which are easily susceptible to damage due to climate change.

Ms Michaela Huettner, curator of KHM joked, “We have to keep in mind that these are bodies that doesn’t want to be displayed. They want to stay in their tombs and depart to the other world. Although they are here in Singapore, which is not too bad, still, who would like their bodies to be moved around?”

Being known as a culture that consists of countless taboos, alongside stories of objects from Egypt being inscribed with curses, the team felt that it would be fitting to pay their respects before they started shifting the artifacts from its original home.

They had a simple prayer session before they carried the coffins and objects out of the crates and into the display cases at the museum. According to Ms Hassan, a poll was also conducted to excuse those who weren’t comfortable with touching the bodies.

Apart from the mummies, some of the other highlights of the exhibition include the massive statues of the ancient Egyptian gods and goddess, scripts containing passages from The Book of the Dead, and the figurines that date back thousands of years – the oldest being the female ivory figurine that’s believed to be over 6,000 years old.

The first artifact that will greet you as you enter the exhibition would be the Statue of goddess Sekhmet from the 18^th Dynasty. Its origin is Karnak, Thebes from the Upper Egypt.

Weighing 1, 400kg, this statue is the biggest and heaviest artifact in the exhibition, which required 6 men and 2 forklifts to transport it to its display area.

If you’ve watched the 1999 movie – The Mummy, it would’ve come across to you that The Book of the Dead was just an ingenious prop to make the movie more horrifying.

However, Egyptologists and researchers have found many pieces of writings that link to The Book, proving that it does exist.

In this exhibition, you’ll get to see a long piece of papyrus from the 21^st Dynasty, which contains essential passages from The Book of the Dead.

This is the longest piece of artifact from the Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection of KHM that’s here for Singaporeans to view.

Taken out of its intricately designed coffin, is the Mummy of Nekhet-iset-aru, from the 25^th Dynasty, around 747 – 656 BCE.

This mummy’s layers of pink linen bandaging have been almost fully preserved. As you look at it through the glass pane of the display case, the feeling is overwhelming as you realise you’re looking at the body of a person who lived thousands of years ago.

X-rays and CT scans have revealed that 2 other bodies are contained within the cartonnage cover (painted plastered papyrus or linen) of the Mummy of Nes-Khons, who is from the 25^th Dynasty, about 760 – 656 BCE.

The scans showed that these 2 bodies, which were placed in between the woman’s legs, were infants who died just before or after birth. They could’ve been twins too.

Quest for Immortality – The World of Ancient Egypt will take place from Dec 22, 2009 to Apr 4, 2010 at the Exhibition Galleries of National Museum of Singapore. It is opened from 10am to 6pm daily. Tickets are available at all SISTIC outlets for $15 (excluding SISTIC fee).

There are some movies where a pack of popcorn is a must-have.

2 reasons: Either because it’s entertaining or because it’s beyond horrible, you need the popcorn to keep you busy while waiting patiently but painfully for the credits to roll.

This, however, is one of those movies that you can do without the crunchy nibbles.

Based on a story of a legendary Chinese girl who lived in 450 AD, Mulan, an action-packed movie, tells the tale of the girl who secretly took her sick father’s place in the army and fought courageously and victoriously battle after battle, making her one of China’s most loved and remembered heroines till today.

Opening in theatres on Nov 26, this dramatic, romantic, gruesome yet moving film will make you hold on to your seat during each battle scene as you witness heads being hacked off, arrows being shot directly through the heart and open-wounds being sealed by a burning-hot knife.

With direction by Jingle Ma, a Hong Kong-based director of action films such as Tokyo Raiders and Seoul Raiders, you can be sure that the war scenes will not disappoint.

You may not be prepared for the gruesome scenes if you’re a fan of the animated film of Mulan, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios.

But that’s how it obviously should be since the animated movie was meant for kids.

The cartoon version featured Hua Mulan and her friends singing catchy songs, their clumsiness and the jokes that the funny-natured supporting characters delivered.

Although humour is the addicting-factor for the animated Mulan, it plays no role in the life-action movie.

Jingle Ma stuck through the main point of making this movie, which is to re-enact Hua Mulan’s journey as a daughter, warrior, General of the Wei Army and as a lover.

The film, however, walks on a very thin line between and Chinese action-packed movie and a Kungfu film.

If not for the fact that most of what was shown did happen in reality, it would have fallen under the latter category.

Playing the lead role of the brave female fighter is Zhao Wei, a Chinese film actress and pop-singer who is considered one of the most talented and notable in China.

Immersing herself fully into the character, Zhao brings out the various emotions through her genuine tears whether in pain, sadness or in happiness and the anger in her powerful swift moves during combat.

In the movie however, Hua Mulan’s adversities wouldn’t be the reason that you start to pull out a packet of tissue from your bag. It’s the romance.

Hua Mulan’s true love – Wentai, played by Chen Kun, a Chinese actor and singer who is best known for his role in Balzac and The Little Chinese Seamstress, unexpectedly fell in love with her when she was supposed to be a boy.

The battalion’s Vice Commander was attracted to Mulan’s courage and strength as a warrior and they soon developed a mutual admiration.

But their feelings gradually evolved into romance after Wentai learns about Mulan’s true identity and they became inseparable after having fought through various battles together.

Their love is tested on battlefields and on the account of making peace in China, where Mulan had to give Wentai up to the enemy’s soon-to-be-throned Queen.

The most touching scene would be when Wentai said: “It’s easy for me to give up my life on the battlefield. But it’s not easy for me to give up the woman that I love.”

The battalion’s parting words to Mulan makes my vision go all blurry and my nose tingle every single time I think about it.

Opens: Nov 26 (Singapore)

Duration: 113 min

Language: Mandarin (with English and Mandarin subtitles)

Rating: TBA

Genre: Action

Director: Jingle Ma

Cast: Vicki Zhao Wei, Aloys Chen Kun, Jun Hu, Wei Zhao, Jaycee Chan

^{Picture by Elliot Lee Rhetoriques Photography.}

Just 2 years ago, he was busking along Orchard Road and at Tampines Mall.

Today, he’s being represented by Knight Runners, a creative platform formed in Singapore for the unseen and unheard local talents.

His greatest achievement so far would be Nature / Future – an ongoing 25-day exhibition of his very own paintings at House @ Dempsey, located in Dempsey Hill where 24 of his newest pieces are showcased and are on the market.

For the first time in his 12 years of spray-painting, Jordan Ng, 24, finally has his pieces officially up on walls.

Jordan says: “It’s actually a different feeling seeing my paintings in a gallery now because I don’t have a crowd around me. Instead, people walk into the gallery and ask me about my works and my inspiration. Space paintings are street paintings, so it’s really different to what I’m used to but it’s definitely a good feeling.”

Jordan is the only spray graffiti artist in Singapore who does this on a large-scale. If you’ve seen him at work on the streets, you’d know that his forte is space paintings.

^{Pictures by Jordan Ng:}

1) Silver Creek

2) Through

3) City of Ice

4) End of the Sun

This hobby of his started when he was on holiday with his family in Sydney. Jordan was only 12 years old then.

The artist says, “I came across a guy who was spray-painting on the streets and I thought it was interesting. So, when I got home, I bought a canvas and a few spray cans and started to paint. Since then, I’ve been spending my free time spray-painting.”

He adds, “I learnt this art on my own. I kept practicing and learning from my mistakes. Being committed, determined and also with a little help from tutorials on YouTube, I got to where I am today.”

The technique that Jordan uses is simple. But if you don’t have the flare in painting that he has, then it isn’t going to be easy.

Jordan starts off by spraying a puddle of paint on his glossy, non-absorbent canvas and after a good deal of scratching of the paint and cutting of canvas with the use of only crease paper and knives, a masterpiece is created.

Jordan’s fastest timing clocked for an A4-sized painting is an amazing 40 seconds while the longest he’s ever taken was 2 hours, which was for a 5ft by 3ft piece.

This largest piece that he’s ever painted was meant as a backdrop for a party called “Alley Trash” that was organized by Knight Runners, which recently took place on Sept 12.

^{Picture by Elliot Lee Rhetoriques Photography}

Ashe Naraya, 38, the founder of Knight Runners, who signed Jordan on to the company shortly after Bay Beats 2009 says: “In terms of art, I’m open to concepts but I can personally relate to Jordan’s style because it works with my beliefs that our forefathers are from space.”

Although Jordan delves in just 3 realms – space, fantasy and nature for his paintings, he somehow manages to make each piece look more interesting than the one before.

And that’s all thanks to artist’s block.

Jordan says: “When I’m all out of ideas of what to paint, I just write down the different elements of my most recent paintings like trees and waterfall and I put the pieces of paper in a jar, shake it then pull out 5 of them and combine all the elements that I’ve randomly picked out for my next painting.”

He’s a smart one, isn’t he? Not to mention, rich too.

Using just 3 simple tools when he paints – knives, crease paper and spray paint, which he purchases from Art Friend, this talented young man has sold one of his pieces for $1, 200.

He also has a number of paintings that he dubs his “best-sellers”. The Fire Support and Singapore Flyer paintings are popular with tourists, where over a hundred pieces have been sold for each.

5) Fire Support

6) Singapore Flyer

^{Pictures by Jordan Ng.}

Jordan’s other best seller that “sells like hotcakes”, which is also his personal favourite, would be the piece called Painting Number 1.

Jordan feels that this painting is his “lucky piece” as it’s the only one that he’s had to make more than a hundred replicas of.

^{Picture by Jordan Ng.}

When asked if busking was a good platform for him, Jordan says: “Yes it was. I had a chance to showcase my talent and I was earning a substantial amount too. I actually earn more than an office worker in a month.”

Well, Jordan would never need to work a 9 to 5 job even if his career as a spray graffiti artist doesn’t work out. That’s because he has a licence to fly.

No, not fly like Superman, but fly as a pilot.

The Singapore Youth Flying Club awarded Jordan his licence in Feb 2004 where he trained as a pilot there for 1 and half years.

He has plans to pilot for Singapore Airlines, however, that would depend on the economy as he intends to “wait for it to stabilise first” before applying for the position.

Apart from a licence, this future pilot will soon receive a degree in Aviation Management from New Zealand’s Massey University. He’s currently waiting for convocation.

But Jordan’s not going to stop there.

Not too long ago, he received an email from Massey University stating that he has to return to complete his degree with Honours, which will take a year.

So will he stop painting?

Jordan says: “No. I will still continue to paint in New Zealand. Painting’s my hobby and passion and I won’t ever not do it.”

Nature / Future is currently ongoing and will run till Nov 30. The exhibition is located at House, 8D Dempsey Road. For anyone interested in Jordan’s paintings, email him at dj_aron@hotmail.com or visit his blog – “Nightsky Paintings” and leave a comment with your contact details.