A perfect pairing
Now you can have your cake and drink it, too - thanks to the new cupshakes created by Sugar Daddy's bakery. Combining a cupcake with a frothy ice cream milkshake might not be to everyone's liking, but the results are more scrummy than they sound. There are five flavours, all made using Sugar Daddy's cupcakes - red velvet (the shop's most popular), coffee, Oreo, strawberry and choco-mint. The cake is blended with ice, milk and a scoop of vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. Surprisingly, there are no rogue lumps of sponge and the cake simply gives the shake a malted flavour. We're trying not to think of the calories ...
Cupshakes, Dh20 each. Sugar Daddy's has eight branches in the UAE, including Abu Dhabi Corniche and Village Mall, Dubai, www.sugardaddysbakery.com
Walls of wonder
Uninspiring office walls, drab corridor colours, boring bedrooms - sound familiar? Now you can let your imagination run wild and create a different look in every room. International company Mr Perswall has launched its website in the UAE, allowing you to customise your wallpaper from a selection of creative collections, or upload an image and order the paper directly online. Immerse yourself under the sea, overlook the Eiffel Tower or surround yourself with images of your friends and family. Delivery time is around two weeks - don't worry about getting sticky wallpaper paste on your carpet as they come and install it in your home or office.
www.mrperswall.com
Cheerful mug
You can't help but smile as you raise this mug to your lips. Based on the delightful children's books by Roger Hargreaves, sipping tea from a Mr Happy or Little Miss Sunshine cup ensures a cheery start to the day. Perfect as a gift or to keep on your office desk.
Dh50, Lakeland, Mirdiff City Centre, 04 284 3460
Shoe news
You can pledge money or donate items to support a charity, but how about buying a fabulous pair of signed Christian Louboutin shoes in aid of a good cause? Louboutin has designed a special limited edition shoe to benefit Microfinance organisations which provide the less fortunate with access to loans to start and run small businesses. "Peace of a Shoe" is a classic, peep-toe stiletto covered in luxurious silk and satin, trimmed with hand-stitched and embroidered Indian ribbon. We love the colours: champagne, lavender and hot pink; and we love the exclusivity - just 33 pairs have been made worldwide. However, the shoes are available only in the United States, giving us a good excuse to do some pre-Christmas shopping in New York.
Peace of a Shoe, Dh5,490, Christian Louboutin, www.christianlouboutin.com
Christmas on cruise control
You could spend hours slaving over a hot stove preparing your turkey dinner. Or you could let someone else do all the hard work, sit back and relax while scenic creekside views of Dubai roll past. Bateaux Dubai is one of our favourite ways to while away an evening, and we have good news for you this festive season - you can get a special discount of up to Dh150 on its Christmas and New Year packages by quoting M magazine when you book. You can opt for a Christmas Eve five-course dinner for Dh440 per person, a savings of Dh50; a festive Christmas Day lunch for Dh450 instead of Dh550; or a six-course New Year's Eve dinner for Dh750, reduced from Dh900. All packages include unlimited house drinks and a cruise around the city's waterways. You can also sail in the daytime as the cruise company has launched a Friday brunch with a Dh450 price for M readers, discounted from Dh495.
www.bateauxdubai.com; book on 04 399 4994 by December 24 for Christmas or December 30 for New Year’s Eve or e-mail mail@bateauxdubai.com quoting “M magazine offer” Christmas and New Year packages are subject to availability.
Website of the week
With a slogan boasting: "Your source for all things rare and pretty", this website caught our eye. Described as a treasure trove of coveted jewels and trinkets, Sophie's Closet is a wonderful online boutique featuring a wide range of designer accessories and jewellery from around the world. Plus, with its "as seen" selection, if you fancy that headband or vintage choker that you spotted on the TV show Gossip Girl, this site probably has it. With the option to pay cash-on-delivery in the UAE and complimentary shipping worldwide, this is a one-click stop for instant style reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour.
www.shopatsophiescloset.com
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
