"There Will Be Blood".

Intense. Watchers beware. Have a strong stomach for bottling down the worst version of greed, eccentricity and the malaise that marks us as human beings. You must not watch this movie thinking of regular ideas and theories of aggression. You must appreciate the magnitude of what goes inside of those who are lusting after the perpetual ambition for more.

His performance is breathtaking and the director's use of silence and uncomfortable pauses is poignant, indeed. Well worth the watch for serious movie-watchers. If you want that extra fun weekend, keep this one away for a time when you can pay attention.

And here's Daniel Day-Lewis himself, on "There Will Be Blood":

"I was deeply unsettled by the script (of There Will Be Blood ). For me, that is a sure sign. If you remain unsettled by a piece of writing, it means you are not watching the story from the outside; you've already taken a step toward it. When I'm drawn to something, I take a resolute step backward, and I ask myself if I can really serve this story as well as it needs to be served. If I don't think I can do that, no matter how appealing, I will decline. What finally takes over, what took over with this movie, is an illusion of inevitability. I think: Can this really be true? Is this happening to me again? Is there no way to avoid this?"

Coming Up.

An interview with Ayesha Varsey.

Will definitely ask about her design philosophy, her extraordinary prices and her work ethic.

Stay tuned.

One of the Ultimate Dichotomies.

This is just sad.

My maasi - the woman who has been cooking and cleaning for our home for the past 19 years - has a step son who has just been admitted to Army Medical College and requires 1 hundred thousand rupees (less than 2000 dollars) to accept this admission. He now is 1 lac rupees short in making his future.

These people are farmers, belonging from Neelum Valley, whose harvest only works in June - so they cannot even sell the small amount of land that they possess.

His monthly fees is around 5k which my maasi says she will contribute to - but her husband demands that she go and ask for money from her relatives etc. to gather 1 hundred thousand rupees in order to put her stepson through college.

And an Ayesha Varsey bridal dress costs 2 hundred thousand rupees.

I don't even know who to blame any more.

A perfect description.

Despite the glory ... and the pomp and the show and the ornate gowns ....

Here's a hard-hitting look at the Oscars.

Brilliant article.

"Crowned and Dangerous".

A movie you'll probably never watch in a million years - but might end up watching to fill in a couple of free hours in which you want to distract yourself from the tons of assignments and papers you have to check.

One imdb user has very, very aptly put it as ...

"It was so bad I couldn't stop watching it."

That's exactly what this movie is in one line. Was it supposed to be a comedy, a dramedy, a thriller, who knows. A spoof of what goes on inside beauty competitions? Or about how life turns around for people out there to go for the gold? No one can tell - perhaps not even the producers themselves. Which, if you think about it, may be the real problem itself.

Don't watch it, keep your freedom hours free. However, if you're just into mindless entertainment anyway, I'm guessing this won't have an impact on your time table at all. And I'm going to be completely guilt-free and say that it didn't. Because every so often, stuff that is incomprehensibly stupid and bad-for-us, is often what we end up doing. So consider this weekend junk food. After all. I'm going to watch Taxi to the Dark Side next.

Hawkes' Bay.

Selections from Faiz.

It all rings true. Somehow. All of it.

Hum ke thehrey ajnabi itni mulaqaton ke baad
Phir baney gay aashna kitni madaraton ke baad
Kab nazar mein aye gi be-dagh sabze ki bahaar
Khoon ke dhabay dhulein gay kitni bersaton ke baad
They bohat be-dard lamhay khatm e dard-e-ishq ke
Theen bohat be-mehr subhein mehrbaan raton ke baad
Dil to chaaha per shikest-e-dil ne muhlat na di
Kuch gilay shikway bhi ker latey manajaton ke baad
Un se jo kehne gaey they Faiz jaan sadqa kiey
Unkahee hi reh gai wo baat sub batoon k baad

Kab yaad mein teraa saath nahin kab haath mein teraa haath nahin
Sudd shukr ke apni raaton mein ab hijr ki koi raat nahin
Mushkil hain agar haalaat vahaan dil bech aayen jaan de aayen
Dil vaalo kochaa-e-jaanaan mein kyaa aise bhi haalaat nahin
Jis dhaj se koi maqtal mein gayaa VO shaan salaamat rahati hai
Ye jaan to aani jaani hai is jaan ki to koi baat nahin
Maidaan-e-vafaa darbaar nahi yaan naam-o-nasab ki poochh kahaan
Aashiq to Kisi kaa naam nahin kuchh ishq Kisi ki zaat nahin
Gar baazi ishq ki baazi hai Jo chaaho lagaa do dar kaisaa
Gar jeet gae to kyaa kahanaa haare bhi to baazi maat nahin

ham paravarish-e-lauh-o-qalam karate rahe.nge
jo dil pe guzaratii hai raqam karate rahe.nge
asbaab-e-Gam-e-ishq baham karate rahe.nge
viiraanii-e-dauraa.N pe karam karate rahe.nge
haa.N talKhii-e-ayyaam abhii aur barhegii
haa.N ahal-e-sitam mashq-e-sitam karate rahe.nge
ma.nzuur ye talKhii ye sitam ham ko gavaaraa
dam hai to madaavaa-e-alam karate rahe.nge
maiKhaanaa salaamat hai to ham surKhii-e-may se
tazziin-e-dar-o-baam-e-haram karate rahe.nge
baaqii hai lahuu dil me.n to har ashk se paidaa
rang-e-lab-o-ruKhsaar-e-sanam karate rahe.nge
ek tarz-e-taGaaful hai so vo un ko mubaarak
ek arz-e-tamannaa hai so ham karate rahe.nge

Where are your ten steps?

Hehe.

Pakistani nerve will never fail to surprise me.

We won't do anything productive but we'll find enough brains to come up with slogans catchy enough to write on the back of buses, rickshaws, and in this case, schools.

Lo and behold. This is what was spotted on the wall of one of the schools in P.E.C.H.S.

On the big blue board, written in white is, "The first of its kind in Pakistan". Chances are ... if you have to write on the board of your school that you're the 'first of your kind' in Pakistan ... you're probably just fitting the stereotype in a slightly novel way.


Well, maybe they've got tiny elves and fairies and leprechauns that teach the kids their alif, baas and taas, but I don't think it's quite likely - since it seems like yet another bungalow-school that has opened up with inter-pass teachers and M.A. pass principals - or better yet, principals with B.A.s and fathers or husbands with M.A.s or a hefty bank balance that made them open the school in the first place.

I don't have any problem with gutsy advertising. I just have a problem with shooting off your mouth when you have got absolutely squat to prove for yourself.

Fantastic Artwork.

A girl called Licia has sketched these pictures and she is pretty darn good at it.

This is great for all House-fans and everyone else who loves good sketches.