Somehow I still had the energy to sketch this on the day I got back to the Philippines. As soon as I arrived we went straight to the mall and I picked up my new glasses and bought this too – as my old blue one finally gave up (with the lid not tightening up anymore).
Sat-11-Jul-2026
This is the second sketch I did in Doha at the “Food Park” dining zone (on my way back from Iraq), where I had something to eat. According to Gemini AI (which often gets things wrong), the dining area is designed around the theme pearl diving (which Doha has a history of), and the diver is supposed to look like they are surrounded by a deep blue sea while diving for oysters. I can’t find any pictures of the sculpture online and (as often seems to be the habit) the artist is not credited anywhere I can see.
Fri-10-Jul-2026
Anyone who travels through Doha might recognise this? It’s called ‘Untitled (Lamp/Bear) and is by Swiss artist Urs Fischer. According to the blurb on the notice in front of it, the bear is cast in bronze and rests peacefully against a lamp, “reminding travellers of childhood and precious objects from home”. Hmmm…given that the lamp actually goes through the bears body and intersects with it’s head (kind of like the intersection of Seth Brundle and the teleportation pod in “the fly”)… I am not sure it evokes the same feelings in me!
Tue-7-Jul-2026
I did this sketch at about 3am, having got up at 1am (after a short doze) for my flight leaving at 4:40 am. I was pretty tired but wanted to capture at least one sketch before I left. One person came over and said “nice work” which was very kind of him.
Fri-10-Jul-2026
I only had time for one sketch during my time in Erbil, as I was very busy helping facilitate a workshop. I managed to squeeze in this quick sketch out the window of the hotel, on the morning of my last full day.
Thu-9-Jul-2026
Here are the sketches I did on the way to Erbil, Iraq for work. The first is at the PAGS (Philippine Airport and Ground Services) lounge. I was surprised to be bumped up to business class – the travel agent had offered an upgrade with a hefty extra cost and I said no thanks, but somehow I ended up in business class anyway. So although I always feel a little uncomfortable with luxury and being waited on, I took advantage of the free coffee and breakfast before leaving Manila.
The second sketch is of the Al-Mourjan business lounge in Doha. The PAGS lounge was much better – here there was only free coffee and no food. This sketch ended up almost abstract. By this point I was pretty tired, so that’s my excuse.
Tue-7-Jul-2026
My daughter suggested sketching part of our leftover dinner…so I thought, why not? This went along with soft wholewheat tortillas (which I always pronounce incorrectly), and kidney beans cooked with tofu – yummy!
Sun-5-Jul-2026
On this day we had our lunch out after having done some shopping (I got some new glasses) in the morning. This elderly couple looked as though they were dressed up for a day out…they probably looked over at us and saw another elderly couple (staring at them, and not dressed up!).
Sat-4-Jul-2026
This quick sketch was done at St Luke’s Medical Center when I went for a consultation on the results of some tests. Thankfully all is as well as can be expected for a man of my age.
Fri-3-Jul-2026