19 months and changing daycare classes!

Oh, where should I even start? How about the fact that I am losing my mind just thinking about dropping Kavish off in daycare everyday or how I hate to see him cry when I drop him off or how about the fact that I feel like I consistently have to keep checking on him to make sure he is adjusting well. I thought having two cameras in every classroom at daycare would really put me to ease while I was at work; well, aren't I re-thinking the whole thing?

We went through the same transition change and battle when we first put him (Kavish) in daycare at 13 months; but I thought that these transitions would get easier as he got older. Well, I was WRONG! The more he understands, the harder it is getting. Now, he knows we are going to daycare as soon as I make a turn in the plaza where his daycare is. We have tried giving  him Zebra (or "Vebra", as he likes to call it). We have tried giving him his blanket (or "banket/bedsheet", as he likes to call it) and nothing seems to work so far. We have been at this transition phase for about a week and I don't see an end in sight!

The teachers at daycare have done nothing but help Kavish ease in their class. They have even given us some tips on how to do the same things at home which would ultimately help Kavish in the end. Teachers also post and provide pictures of Kavish in the middle of the day as well as the end of the day to show us how well he is doing his class. These pictures of him are basically him playing, paining, sleeping, doing everything else but crying (thank God)! I am also not saying that he is crying all the time but he definitely has been crying a lot more than he was in his previous class.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love my job and frankly I think I am a better mommy to Kavish because I am working. But because of these little moments/hiccups, I feel like I should become a SHM.

And just to add to the mix, we know Kavish will also be going through a big change at home in about 4 months when we bring his baby brother or sister home from the hospital. And I know that we are not the only family who have/will go through this. I know that other families have gone through this multiple times, so, I am asking those families to share some tips with us novice-parents-of-two!

I also know that this is just the beginning of Kavish's life and the changes he will have to go through in his life, the more he gets used to them now, the easier it will get for him moving forward. But I just wish I could make him understand that everything is/will be okay in the end and this is most definitely not the end of the world! I sometimes also wish that I could just fight his battles for him and give him everything he wants/needs but which parent doesn't feel that way?

Alright...enough of my rant!

Time for some cuteness! :)


     

How to test Mobile devices?

So, this blog comes from one of the events I had set up for CodeChix Seattle. This event took place on 02/02/2013. I, seriously, cannot believe that that was two years ago! Hope you learn a thing or two about testing mobile devices and please don't forget to leave me comments on what you thoughts are.

What is testing?
Well, this question is not as simple as it sounds!
There are three different but unique methods of testing. Let's take a look at them from basic method to complex method!

• Black Box Method
• White Box Method
• Grey Box Method

Now, we shall go into details for each and everyone one of them! 

Black Box Method

• Testing without having any knowledge of the interior workings of the application. 
• Also known as closed box testing, data driven testing and functional testing.
• The tester has no access to the source code.
• Only done by trial and error method.
• STE is one of the roles that requires the knowledge of black box testing.

White Box Method

• The detailed investigation of internal logic and structure of the code.
• It is also known as the clear box testing.
• In order to perform white box testing, the tester needs to the knowledge of programming languages (C#, Java, Python, SQL...)
• Normally done by the testers and developers
• SDE, SDET roles are usually require the knowledge of white box testing.

Grey Box Method

• Requires limited knowledge of the internal workings of an application being tested. 
• Also known as translucent box testing.
• Performed by end users and also by testers and developers.
• SDET, QA Engineer

Now that we know the different methods, we should know what different types of testing is required while testing any type of software. 

Unit testing: Testing of individual software components or modules.  Typically done by the programmer and not by testers, as it requires detailed knowledge of the internal program design and code. 

Functional testing: This type of testing ignores the internal parts and focus on the output is as per requirement or not. 

System testing: Entire system is tested as per the requirements. Black box testing that is based on overall requirements specifications, covers all combined parts of a system.

Recovery testing: Testing how well a system recovers from crashes, hardware failures, or other catastrophic problems.

Sanity testing: Testing to determine if a new software version is performing well enough to accept it for a major testing effort.

Regression testing: Testing the application as a whole for the modification in any module or functionality. Difficult to cover all the system in regression testing so typically automation tools are used for these testing types. 

Performance testing: Term often used interchangeably with 'stress' and 'load' testing. To check whether system meets performance requirements. Used different performance and load tools to do this.

Usability testing: User-friendliness check. Application flow is tested, can new user understand the application easily, proper help documented whenever user stuck at any point. Basically system navigation is checked in this testing. 

Compatibility testing: Testing how well software performs in a particular hardware/software/operating system/network environment and different combinations of above.

Alpha testing: In house virtual user environment can be created for this type of testing. Testing is done at the end of development. Still minor design changes may be made as a result of such testing.

Beta testing: Testing typically done by end-users or other. Final testing before releasing application for commercial purpose.

That is all I have for now, more to come later!

CodeChix Seattle and Yabbly

To start from the beginning, I have a Bachelors of Science in Biology. I went and got a Biology degree since that was the only thing I was surrounded by while growing up. Since moving from India at the age of 14, I lived my uncles and aunts who were all either doctors or pharmacists. 

After getting my BS in Biology, I started taking MCAT for medical school. Unfortunately, I could never get a high enough score to get into any of the U.S. Medical School. Still didn't want to give up my childhood dream and started working as a Medical Lab Technician at hospitals in Cleveland, OH. 

While working I got re-acquainted with my husband (this story deserves its own blog post). After moving to Seattle and learning about this vast arena of technology, I couldn't wait to make a jump into it. 

I started off with taking classes at Cascadia Community College for to become a web designer...didn't like it much. So, moved onto Bellevue College and started taking C# classes to become a developer...still wasn't my cup of tea. While still trying to figure out what I wanted to do I started my very first job in this tech world at TechMahindra as a Software Test Engineer. 

At the same time I also started another chapter of CodeChix here in Seattle. After getting 8 months of technical experience from TechMahindra and learning social skills at CodeChix Seattle, I was fortunate to receive an offer to come and work at Samsung.

So, that is my story til now and it keeps on getting better and better everyday. 

Just take a look at last night as an example....ever since more then 12+ hrs. ago, I have had a big smile across my face all due to Yabbly Inc (yabbly.com). They helped me out by hosting one of our CodeChix Seattle event at their office last night!

Tom Leung, the CEO, and Ian Shafer, tech savant, were very kind to answer all of our questions. Not only did they talk about what/how their journey has made them excellent at what they are doing at Yabbly, but they also told us how they made an idea turn into a company. 

For me this talk was an eye-opener in a lot of different ways. Personally coming from a Biology background sometimes it is really hard to understand the technical aspect of running a company. However, Tom and Ian did a fantastic job of keeping everyone engrossed and engaged.  

If you have any questions regarding what product you should order at any time...don't forget to YABBLY IT!!!