Creepy mall rides, take 2

I tried to post this last week but it didn't work so here goes. Would you let your children ride one of these mangey things? Sure, they move slow, but they are not even attached to anything. Top floor, Abu Dhabi Mall.

On a mini-break in Sri Lanka for a couple of days - see you next week!

See how easily I've adjusted to British? A Canadian would never say "mini-break". :)

Dear Frankie's: I love you very, very much

I was sitting at the bar at Frankie's in the Fairmont Bab al Bahr (which I love saying, by the way, just the "Bab al Bahr" part, fast) waiting for a friend the other day when I decided I would try again. The lost cause, as I saw it. Trying to get a proper – okay, just a passable martini – in Abu Dhabi.

And just like that, what I thought was the impossible happened. Jett was a barman, a proper one. My jaw dropped as he took all the right steps, kissing the glass with vermouth, chilling the glass with ice and – soda water! – before giving the vodka a real good shake and pouring it over three delicious olives on a skewer. I almost cried.

Then, when I didn't think it was possible to BE happier, I flipped open the cocktail menu. I almost fell off my stool.

Um, are you kidding me? I can walk into a bar and order a caesar? It's nothing short of a New Year's miracle.

Taxi versus car: Let's get into it

I don't drive in the UAE. Okay, I have my driving license, and I drive sometimes, but I do whatever I can to avoid it and when I have to I am terrified and nervous. At home if I hit someone probably the worst I could face would be a careless driving charge and eternal emotional ruin. Even if someone died in the accident, I am pretty sure unless I ran down a pedestrian or someone saw me swerve on purpose into the other lane or I was drunk (which would never happen) my life could go on.

Ode to pomegranate juice: how I love your sweet, refreshing flavour, your antioxidants, your ability to quench my thirst and tickle my tastebuds

But mostly I love how Nabras and all the other corner shwarma shops in Abu Dhabi, Juice Capital of the World® , can turn such an obstinate fruit into this much juice in about 5 minutes. Have you ever tried to de-seed a pomegranate? My only attempts have led to injury, slippage, cursing and juice-stained clothing and sofas. These guys should be building bridges, or constructing skyscrapers down on the Corniche, or taking a crack at world peace. They are true professionals and they have my eternal respect.

Tarsier, the tiny monkey

I spotted this hanging from a taxi driver's rear-view the other day. It is a Tarsier monkey, a shy, nocturnal animal also known as the "world's smallest monkey" that hails from the island province of Bohol in the Philippines. In 1997 it seems someone rated it the "planet's cutest animal" but I got tired of looking for who. (And I have no idea why this little one is wearing a skirt - or is it a visor?)

I'll take the furry replica over the real thing I think.

Happy New Year: My 2011 wishes for the UAE, and beyond, are as follows:

*that human trafficking, contract substitution, cheap goods and services and every other exploitative practice would end so that we could start treating every human being on the planet with the same level of respect and protection they deserve

*that Canada and UAE would kiss and make up

*that I could get into a third reformer class at Soma Pilates

*that better movies would play in this country

*that the men who opened an office in the apartment down the hall WOULD STOP WITH THE F***ING SMOKING ALREADY