It's that time of a year again... time for a summary of my life in 2013...

Doodles, 'cuz.. why not? © Osama Sidat

January: The start of the year was followed by a move to Cardill Crescent, about 15 minutes of a walk away from University. It was a fairly nice place, with some awesome house-mates!

I started the year with a full course load, consisting of three core Computer Science courses, an Applied Cryptography course and a business course at Wilfred Laurier.

Also, since I was aiming for a more Computer Science - related job for my next term, I started going through the nuisances (there's no other way to put it, UWaterloo folks understand this!) of JobMine!

February: We saw a massive amount of snow one Friday... caused a snow day (my first at UWaterloo... ) I remember the day especially because I had an interview scheduled that day, which got cancelled...

Snow on the Patio © Osama Sidat

Nevertheless, a few interviews (IBM, Zynga, Desire2Learn, BlackBerry, and Kaleidescape, as far as I can recall) happened in the following few weeks... some went well, some were okay...

Interview Season © Osama Sidat

Soon came Reading Week, a much needed break from the tough academic schedule... Since I stayed back in Waterloo, I participated in tubing and skiing, awesomely fun snow activities!

Me, with a friend's GoPro strapped to the head, ready to go downhill © Osama Sidat

Skis Strapped On © Osama Sidat

March: The JobMine round finally came to an end, and I was offered a role as Quality Assurance Analyst at Desire2Learn, a provider of learning solutions, head-quartered in downtown Kitchener! I was extremely thankful that I got a job in the first round!

Desire2Learn © Osama Sidat

Unfortunately, on the academic front, I wasn't faring very well with Crypto. Based on the prof's advice, I dropped the course, and I hope to get a shot at it again next year...

Random note: Paintball is an amazing sport!

Headshot! © Osama Sidat

April: The month brought with it...

Freezing Rain... © Osama Sidat

Studying... © Osama Sidat

... and exams at the PAC © Osama Sidat

Exams went okay, meaning I passed all of my courses... although if I were given another chance, I would not bother with BU111 at Laurier... I'd possibly look for an alternative...

May: Yet another move at the end of April and beginning of May... this time to Erb Street, 15-20 minutes south of campus...

I started work on May 6th. It was definitely a beginning of a different experience, compared to my past work terms... It was my first exposure to Agile software development. And boy, there was a whole lot of co-ops working for Desire2Learn in summer - lots of new friends and acquaintances!

Also started a Legal Studies 101 online course. To anyone planning on taking this course, it's fairly boring. I listened to the lectures while engrossed in other stuff, and didn't bother with most of the readings... I did, though, start watching Suits :P .

Since it was the work term, I found a lot more time for cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.. I even started a recipe section on the blog to make sure I could replicate my experiments in the future...

Tuna Sandwich © Osama Sidat

June: Work started becoming more interesting, especially since I understood more of what I was doing.

I got a chance to visit Victoria Park in Kitchener. Nice place, got some awesome shots, and I did discover that benches and bridges are two of my favourite subjects..

Bench in Victoria Park © Osama Sidat

My Project 365 finally came to an end... my HTC One S served me faithfully throughout the year...

July: Ramadan started. Also, I found a new place for Fall and forward...

August: Started wrapping up the work term. Found a part time Dev/Analyst role with my company for the Fall term, since my schedule for classes was constrained to Tuesday and Thursday...

The Legal Studies course exam was fun... I just prepared using the course notes in about 6-8 hours... It had been a while since I wrote an exam involving essays... given the effort I put in the course, the exam went fairly well...

Welcomed my brother to Waterloo (finally, I have another test subject, other than myself, to try out my cooking!)... and made another move, just down the street!

I also got an offer from my team to come back in Winter as a Developer, which I happily accepted.

September: Started the term, this time with Operating Systems, and Databases, with a couple of electives, Physics of How Things Work, and Public Speaking.

Yet more experimentation - Nutella-Cinnamon French Toast © Osama Sidat

Since my cellular contract with Fido was up for renewal, I called them up for a better plan combination, with the new iPhone 5S... Got a great promised plan, but... more on this later...

October: Started learning why Operating Systems is considered hard... Luckily, I had a good team to work with...

Went out on an astrophotography trip with the UW Photo Club, got my first "good" images of the Milky Way...

The Milky Way © Osama Sidat

So a week before my iPhone was to be delivered (right before the weekend before Thanksgiving), and I was on a phone call with a customer service rep, I was told that the plan that Fido agreed to give me a few weeks ago was no longer valid. For a moment, I was livid (I haven't needed to call KESC or Worldcall in a long time now!). Three CSRs later, Fido refused to budge - whatever they offered me was lesser in features and greater in price compared to my original offer...

At some point on the weekend, I got fed up, and took to social media to explain my problem... Fido's social media specialists reached out to me... a week of negotiation, twenty email exchanges, and some well-reasoned arguments later, my plan was set back to the original offer Fido made to me, my phone was shipped and the matter was resolved. The ordeal was certainly a little frustrating, but it taught me a fair bit about dealing with cellular companies in Canada...

By the way, if anyone's interested in some Pakistani Hunter Beef, I think I'm qualified to make some now...

November: Crazy busy week, full of late- and all-nighters. Along with my team, this cool dude helped one day:

Tofu © Osama Sidat

In any case, we made it at the end. Piece of advice to folks taking OS: start early, work on it continuously.

Also, SPCOM 223 and SCI 206 are extremely fun, highly recommended courses. If you're at UWaterloo, take 'em if you get the chance.

December: I finished up with exams pretty early this term (since my physics prof was kind enough to schedule an alternative final exam; the original exam was on the last slot of the last day of the exam period). Spent until the end of my contract working full-time in my part-time role... the last two weeks of work were definitely more fulfilling than the first three-ish months. There's this thing about part-time when part of an active team - you can rarely finish off what you start...

Just before the holiday week, we had an icestorm in Ontario... everything just froze...

Frozen Twigs © Osama Sidat

On Boxing Day, went to watch my first hockey game at Air Canada Centre...

Toronto Marlies vs Hamilton Bulldogs © Osama Sidat

All in all, an interesting year. Learned a great many things, met some awesome people and had a number of new experiences. Based on current calculations, I am now two work terms and three academic terms away from completing undergrad.

Next week, I'm back on co-op, this time as a Developer at Desire2Learn. I look forward to the challenge.

By the way, I've started posting photos on Instagram, if any of you peruse that platform...

Finally,

Hunter beef is a delicacy from Pakistan. Since I started cooking, I had always wanted to replicate it, and, finally, last weekend, right before Eid-ul-Adha, I was able to experiment... There are lots of variations one could make, here's the recipe I got from my Mom, and tried to follow to the letter...

Ingredients:

• 3 lb. (1.5 kg) boneless beef (I asked the butcher for a log-shaped piece to roast/bake)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pkt (~ 25g) Shaan Bihari Kabab Masala
• 1 Tbsp meat tenderizer
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice

Method:

• Create a marinade by mixing yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and all the spices.
• Make about 3/4 to 1-inch deep cuts, about one to two inches apart, across the length of the beef log. Use the tip of your knife to prick in random places. This is to ensure maximum absorption of the marinade.
• Thoroughly rub the marinade into the beef, ensuring that it gets spread evenly, including on the inside of the cuts made earlier.
• Place the beef in a dish, cover with plastic, and place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. (I prepared it on Saturday, took it out temporarily on Sunday to re-rub the marinade that had flowed off, and cooked it on Monday).
• Before cooking, take the meat out at least two hours earlier, to make sure that it reaches room temperature.
• Preheat oven by setting it at 450°F (230°C).
• Place the meat in a covered dish, suitable for baking. I used a roasting pan with a lid. Put it in the oven.
• After 30 minutes, take out the baking dish. Turn over the meat, and place it back inside the oven again.
• Total cooking time will vary based on cut and size of beef. I took out the meat every 20 minutes after the first 30, and checked "doneness" using a meat thermometer (according to mine, "well-done" is at 170°C - that is the internal temperature of the meat). When I finally took it out for the last time, the total cooking time was around 1 hour 20 minutes (and the meat thermometer registered slightly higher than "well-done" - I should have taken it out slightly earlier)
• After taking it out of the oven, remove the beef from baking dish, and cover it with a dishcloth. Allow it to cool before slicing.

Enjoy!

The other day, I picked up a couple of boxes of blueberries that were on sale at Zehrs. Since I don't normally get blueberries, I had no idea what to do with 'em - I wanted to do something interesting, and not just scarf them down! The french toast idea seemed quick and extremely appealing...

The Yummy-ness Oozing Out!

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/6-1/4 cup milk
• 2 slices bread
• Nutella
• Blueberries
• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 1-2 Tbsp Oil

Method:

• In a bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar and milk with a fork.
• Slather Nutella on both slices of bread and arrange blueberries on one of the slices. Sandwich the slices together.

Slathered in Nutella, Covered in Blueberries...

• Pour egg mixture over the sandwich. Ensure both sides of the sandwich are well coated.
• In a frying pan, heat butter and oil. Fry both sides of the sandwich until they are nicely golden brown (or browner, if that is how you like it!)

Looks like an ordinary French toast on the outside... until you cut it open!

Enjoy!

A fairly simple recipe, pretty much a variant of this recipe here, with a few modifications of my own, particularly the spice-to-chicken ratio.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken leg quarters
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/8 cup water

Method:

• Mix chili powder, Italian seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper with oil.
• Add minced garlic and mix under it takes the form of a "paste".
• Using a knife, add shallow cuts/slits to the chicken quarters to improve the marination process.
• Rub the marinade onto the chicken quarters (I marinated the chicken about 2-3 hours before cooking).
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Place the chicken quarters onto the tray.
• Mix the water and soy sauce and pour over the chicken quarters in the baking tray.
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes.

There are endless sides that could be chosen with the Garlic Roasted Chicken; for tonight's dinner, I chose baked potato, cherry tomatoes and assorted veggies.

Last weekend, I asked my Mom to share her recipe of Sweet & Sour Sauce, and decided to try my hand at it. The result was surprisingly similar to what I had in my memories...

I replaced the traditional fried chicken chunks in the original recipe with chicken chunks prepared in "Spicy Shake & Bake" - This was done in order to "parallelize" the cooking process...

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, chopped in chunks
• 1 pkg Spicy Shake & Bake (won't be using the entire pack, only enough for the amount of chicken used)
• 1 capsicum/green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 250-300g frozen vegetables (carrots, lima beans, cauliflower) (optional)
• 3-4 cloves pressed garlic
• 1 Cup ketchup
• 1 Cup water
• 1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp black pepper

Method:

• Boil the frozen vegetables for about 2-3 minutes (over-boiling will make the vegies too soft). Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok. Stir fry the vegetables for a few minutes. Remove from wok.
• Heat one tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add chopped onions and green peppers. Stir fry for a few minutes. Remove from wok.
• Mix ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, chili paste and black pepper in a bowl.
• Heat one tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add garlic and sauteed for a few minutes.
• Turn stove to medium heat, and add the ketchup mixture to the work. Mix thoroughly.
• After a few minutes of cooking, add a cup of water to the wok. Stir. Once bubbles appear, turn the heat to low, continue stirring every now and then.
• Prepare the chicken chunks by following instructions on the Shake & Bake package. For me, this involved coating the chicken in the Shake & Bake mixture, placing on an aluminum-foil-covered baking tray and baking for about 20-22 minutes.
• When the chicken is almost ready, turn up the heat on the wok with the sauce mixture. Add a tablespoon of cornflour to thicken it, and stir. Add the vegetables, onions and green peppers to the sauce.
• Remove chicken from oven and add to the sauce.

Voila! The Sweet & Sour Sauce is ready!

Serve with boiled or fried rice...

Chicken & Vegetables in Sweet & Sour Sauce with Boiled Brown Rice

Questions/Comments?

Nothing too fancy here, just a meat sauce I made today to have alongside pasta, although I believe it wouldn't be too bad with some form of bread or rice...

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (~ 500g) Ground Beef
• 500ml (about 2 cups) Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms
• 1 medium or large onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 bell peppers (I used about 2/3 of each, green and orange), diced
• 2-3 Tbsp Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
• 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder
• Dried parsley flakes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooking oil

Method:

• In a wok, add butter and a bit of cooking oil. Turn stove on medium heat. Add chopped onions. Remove onions from wok when they start to brown.
• With wok on medium heat, add the ground beef and allow to cook.
• Once the beef starts losing its reddish color, add salt, pepper (to taste), garlic, chili powder, coriander powder and Italian seasoning.
• Once the meat starts to brown, add 2 Tbsp sambal oelek and mix thoroughly.
• Add the onions back into the wok. Add the bell peppers and allow to cook on low-medium heat.
• After the meat has lost all of its pinkish color, stir in the pasta sauce. (Optional: Add 1 Tbsp of sambal oelek and mix, if you, like me, think that the pasta sauce is way too sweet and should be spicier.)
• Allow the sauce to rise to a simmer. I allowed the meat sauce to cook on low heat for about 20-25 minutes (could have been more, time flies when you're in the kitchen...).
• Sprinkle parsley flakes before serving.

Serve with spaghetti (just a suggestion!).



Questions/comments are welcome!

Notes: Possible addition of shredded cheese to make the sauce richer (and heavier, for the calorie conscious folks!).

Update: Leftover meat sauce folded inside an omelette makes for an awesome meal!