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Gbubemi's blog turned 4 today!

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It's finally here! I'm celebrating #GEW2017 and supporting #entrepreneurs in my community! http://thndr.me/UuaWfU

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Gbubemi's blog turned 3 today!

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A Foreigners Guide to Common Nigerian Phrases - Just for Laughs!!!

‘I want your honest opinion’= Keep your unflattering opinions to yourself. Shower me with praise & adulation. Preferably something I can quote.

‘I am coming’ = I am leaving, goodbye.

‘I am almost there’= When I finish heating the water to take my bath I will run just one small errand & then head to where you are.

‘With all due respect’= I am about to go to great lengths to undermine, insult & disrespect you. Please don’t act like a child and take it personal.

‘I will not take much of your time’= Forgive me & my insensitivity. Brace yourself for a long & rambling speech.

‘I will be very brief’= You are about to regret letting me speak. This will last a long time.

‘I don’t want to repeat what has just been said’= I am about to repeat what has just been said.

‘I concur’= I pretend to agree. But it is important to allow me to use another set of words to say the same thing.

‘To God who made me/I swear to God’= My only witness in this matter is busy in heaven. So I might as well lie to you.

‘Wetin you born?’= Tell me the sex of your child so that I can formulate an appropriate response eg ‘eeya’, ‘Is that?’ or ‘Praise God’.

‘Who do you think you are’= Quickly establish if you are or know someone who can cause great suffering in my life. So I know whether to fight you or leave you in the hands of God.

‘Do you know who I am?’= ‘Do you realize that I could know or be someone in government who can cause great suffering in your life?

'Why you dey do like woman?’= This is inappropriate for a male human. (More recently= dude, you are gay).

'Moks’= Mosque.

‘Aks’= Ask.

‘Dress’= Move over/Make space for me.

‘Where are you from/What tribe are you?’= There is no time to waste. I need to know quickly if I should trust or hate you.

‘Severally (as in, I called you severally)’= Several times.

‘I am a detribalized Nigerian’= I do not peddle my hatred for other tribes in public.

‘Tea’= This includes most instant beverages that are drunk in the morning, eg Bournvita, Milo, coffee

‘Omo’= Powder Detergent. There are different types of omo eg. Ariel, So Klin, Omo.

‘Maggi’= Seasoning cubes. There are different types of maggi eg. Knorr, Royco, Maggi.

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Many of London's most recognizable buildings are owned by foreign investors. Here are eight.

It always surprises me how many of London's major buildings, attractions, and locations are foreign owned. One wonders what the attraction to London is and also why the UK is quick to hand them out

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I just remembered that I recorded a short video of the British Legion's memorial sculpture at Trafalgar Square. If you observe closely, every few minutes, a fan within the enclosure blows out the poppy leaves which makes it swirl within the enclosure.

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The new “next big thing” now? The creative industries; from music to dance, design to literature, fashion to interactive gaming,…

This is an article I wrote about "The Business of Creativity" for a creative entrepreneur's website in Nigeria (seeing that my master's dissertation examined how the entrepreneurial environment influences growth of creative enterprises).

Enjoy! 

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888,246 ceramic poppies were planted in the moat at the Tower of London in commemoration of the lives lost during the First World War (1914- 1918). Each of the 888,246 blooms represents a British or Colonial military death during the First World War, which began a century ago. Each of the poppies represents the a British or Colonial military death during the war.

I went to see the poppies just before the memorial closed on Remembrance Day, 11 November. Then I discovered later that evening that there was also another memorial sculpture by The British Legion at Trafalgar Square (apologies for the poor pictures, the camera on my phone wasn't in sync!)

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Snarky Puppy "Lingus" from the album titled "We Like It Here".

Imagine my surprise when I found out that most of my musically inclined friends (to be understood as those who play at least one instrument, most likely the piano) had already heard about Snarky Puppy!!! They bring a certain freshness to music, it can't be explained....better experienced.

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Efya "Life"

I remember the first time I heard this song. I was watching the African Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCAs) about 2 years ago and then, Efya came on stage and belted out this song, I was completely captivated! I had never heard of her before that performance so I went on youtube to fish out as many of her songs as I could.

I particularly love the fact that this song actually has meaningful and deep lyrics unlike many of the popular trending music nowadays.

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Guess who's back!!!

Me! Me!! Me!!!

Apologies for getting off the radar for a bit, I just took time out to enjoy my "freedom" from academics! hahahaaa.

Even though I have completed my master's programme, I will be continuing this blog, using it as a platform to reflect and encourage current and future Essex students.

Asta la vista!

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Getting Set for the Essex Experience!

So now you've got your visa, booked your ticket, and are preparing for a life changing experience at the University of Essex... I'm sure you definitely have some questions on your mind (or you may not have thought about some of things)... so here is my guide to coming to uni!

Whether you are going to Colchester or coming to Southend, all of these tips should apply.

Money: Do bring your Nigerian ATM card with you but first confirm from your bank that it works abroad. I use GTB and UBA, and they have both never failed me. You can withdraw cash in pounds from your naira account (with a small fee charged by your bank) or use your card to make payments online (at no additional cost). It is also an easy way to receive quick money from your family or generous benefactors back home so no one has any excuse to say "oh! how I wish I had a UK account, I could have sent you money". Your naira account can be credited, problem solved! PS: Hold some naira so that when you go back to Nigeria for holidays or at the end of studies, you have some money for the luggage trolley on arrival, lol.

Clothes: Do not bother bringing too many clothes with you except those clothes are appropriate for the ever changing UK weather. You need thick coats and jackets, hoodies, jeans, and sturdy boots/ shoes. The typical dresscode for majority of students is t- shirt/ hoodie with jeans or joggers paired with sneakers or trainers, so you can't go wrong. You may also want to bring along some traditional outfit, it's useful for when cultural events are held. PS: Rarely does anyone dress to impress so don't worry about standing out. You may also want to bring beddings but you can always buy that in the UK anyway.

Food: You may bring noodles and any other Nigerian food/ snacks that you like so that you can gradually adjust to UK food. It is extremely important that you bring along spices (dry pepper, seasonings like knorr or maggi, egusi powder, dried crayfish, garri etc) as you will need them before you eventually identify the African shops where you can purchase them from. Do not assume that you will immediately adjust to UK food (particularly if you have never been abroad before) because you may not. Bringing along these items will help you break into a comfortable cycle of local and foreign dishes which will help soothe your palate.

Communication: Depending on whichever airline you come with or whichever airport you come through, you will/ should find a free lycamobile sim onboard (in the in-flight magazine) or at the airport stand, and if you don't ask for it once you get out of immigration checks. This way, you are immediately connected with friends and family straight from the airport. Lycamobile offers cheap local and international rates for calls. I don't know if other network providers sims are available on the plane or at the airport. I'm not too certain but I think you can find wi-fi at the airport as well so you can tweet or instagram your arrival pictures! (it might not be free though).

Medicals: If you have any medical issues that need frequent attention, be sure to come along with a doctor's report that you can send to your GP once you register with one. That way, your medical issues can be given proper attention

Documents: Remember to bring all relevant documents with you. Also bring along passport pictures, you might need them for something and it's definitely cheaper to have taken them before you get to the UK.

I wish you the very best in your studies!

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More going away photos!

Prof Mitra invited some of us to dinner at a lovely Thai restaurant in Westcliff and we thought it would be a nice idea to show our gratitude to him for his concern and interest in our studies.

We gave him a book and a picture frame showing pictures of events he had organised for us; the trip to Cambridge, the visit from Paris Dauphine University students, and the trip to Lunenberg, Germany.

We did have an awesome time....

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Thursday 18th September will be the final day in Southend for most of my classmates as many are either moving back home or somewhere within the UK.

So, I decided to host some of my classmates who were still in Southend to lunch at my place and we had an awesome time! I think I overdid it just a bit with the cooking as I made both Jollof rice and Fried rice with stewed chicken and a healthy salad. It was certainly a lot of work. By popular request, I'll be doing another blog post with the recipe for all the dishes I made.

I will most certainly miss everyone, it's been an amazing year and I'm glad to call everyone friend!

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Finally! I handed in my dissertation yesterday.... the sleepless nights and endless days are over (I think).

It's been one long 3 months and an even shorter 1 year (malapropism intended), and now that it is finally coming to an end, I miss it already. All the fantastic people I have met in Southend: classmates, lecturers, staff...

On to the next!

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This video is about an Essex Business School, Southend campus alumnus, Morakinyo "Mo" Beckley who was on the MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme. He talks about starting his e- commerce business "Bringitbay" based on the business plan he wrote whilst studying at Essex and how his studies prepared and helped him establish his business.

Mo was very instrumental to preparing me for studying at Essex as he made himself available to answer all the questions I had and even helped me establish connection before actually getting to Southend... the irony is that I have never physically met him, we've usually just chatted online or spoken on the phone.