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NOTES ON THE VALLEY

It was my birthday this past weekend and my partner had an idea of throwing a small party. I’m normally not one to make a big deal out of birthdays, however my...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Sep. 28, 2022
Last comment by Lucy, on Sep 30, 2022 at 3:35 pm | 3 comments | 1080 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

The state of mental health care

On August 15th, the National Union of Healthcare Workers launched a strike with the principal goal of reducing the workload for the nearly 2,000 mental health clinicians...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Sep. 21, 2022
There are no comments yet. 1533 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

The Bay Area is a big place

When people ask me where I’m from, I instinctively tell them I’m from the Bay. I’ve always thought of myself as a Bay Area native. Someone who grew up here...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Sep. 14, 2022
There are no comments yet. 1179 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Beating the heat

Last week my wife flew out to Ohio to meet up with some close college friends at a lake house. Having this long weekend to myself, I had originally planned a camping...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Sep. 7, 2022
Last comment by John, on Sep 10, 2022 at 2:24 pm | 3 comments | 1187 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

There should be no barriers to getting an education

I’m one of the lucky ones in that I graduated college without any debt. I worked a few jobs throughout college, but the real reason I graduated without debt was...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 31, 2022
Last comment by Gary Ulrich, on Sep 7, 2022 at 7:15 am | 16 comments | 1769 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

We need more doctors

A few weeks ago I helped my brother move to Chicago where he started medical school. Amongst the things my brother and I talked about on the trip was the U.S. healthcare...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 24, 2022
Last comment by Raj Sri, on Aug 31, 2022 at 4:52 pm | 1 comment | 1861 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Finding ways to stay active

I recently went to go shoot some hoops at Fallon park with a few friends. Although none of us were ever on a high school or college basketball team, we had been...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 17, 2022
There are no comments yet. 1266 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Rekindling my love for Indian movies

I recently watched the uber popular Telegu film RRR and it was one of the most entertaining experiences I’ve had all year. Director S.S. Rajamouli’s...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 10, 2022
Last comment by Enrique, on Aug 11, 2022 at 11:26 am | 2 comments | 1694 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

What it takes to become a teacher

I recently hung out with a family friend that I’ve known forever. We both grew up together as kids in Fremont and our families would spend holidays together every...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 3, 2022
Last comment by anusree, on Aug 5, 2022 at 12:57 am | 1 comment | 1857 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Driving from St. Louis to Chicago with my brother

Last week I flew to St. Louis to help my brother move to Chicago. Earlier this year he got into medical school at Loyola which was quite unfortunate for me. It solidified...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jul. 27, 2022
Last comment by Joe V, on Jul 28, 2022 at 5:56 pm | 2 comments | 1677 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

A wedding to remember

Last Saturday I found myself having one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I was standing on the corner of Taylor and Sacramento street in San Francisco...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jul. 13, 2022
There are no comments yet. 2468 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Memories of July 4th

The first fireworks show I remember watching was on my parent’s Magnavox tube television. We huddled around the 27 inch screen on July 4th to witness our very...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jul. 6, 2022
Last comment by Cal Morton, on Jul 11, 2022 at 12:40 pm | 3 comments | 2121 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Return to office

When remote work first started, I remember I promised myself that I would never be one of those guys who showed up to a meeting in pajamas. Two years later I found...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jun. 29, 2022
Last comment by eledge, on Jul 3, 2022 at 6:27 pm | 1 comment | 2375 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Bored Games

I spend most of my waking hours in front of a screen. My job pushes me to be on a laptop all day either on video calls with fellow teammates or heads down getting...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jun. 23, 2022
There are no comments yet. 1976 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Gun controls won't solve everything, but we must start there

When I saw the very first news alert about a possible shooting in Uvalde I scrolled right past it. I have started feeling desensitized to the news around shootings....

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jun. 1, 2022
Last comment by JJ, on Jun 12, 2022 at 4:52 pm | 13 comments | 2782 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

A bike ride to Domenico's

Years ago I ate at this deli in Danville called Domenico's. It was one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in my life. However, because I don’t really have any reason...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on May. 25, 2022
There are no comments yet. 3681 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Why this district attorney race matters

There has never been an election like the one we are going to have on June 7th. Four candidates are running for Alameda County District Attorney, and none of them...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on May. 18, 2022
Last comment by Malcolm Hex, on May 21, 2022 at 3:49 pm | 4 comments | 2672 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Made in home

After my IKEA cutting board started splintering I was in the market for another cutting board. Every time I decide that I need to get something...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on May. 11, 2022
There are no comments yet. 2959 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

Searching for a way to live where you work

Over the past year of advocating for affordable housing I met Heather (I changed her name at her request for privacy protection). Heather has been a Pleasanton resident...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on May. 4, 2022
There are no comments yet. 3138 Views

NOTES ON THE VALLEY

When heroes organize

Throughout the COVID pandemic health care workers have been called heroes. There were stories written about them in the paper, there were signs posted in yards thanking...

Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Apr. 27, 2022
There are no comments yet. 3376 Views

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Local Blogs

It was my birthday this past weekend and my partner had an idea of throwing a small party. I’m normally not one to make a big deal out of birthdays, however my...

On August 15th, the National Union of Healthcare Workers launched a strike with the principal goal of reducing the workload for the nearly 2,000 mental health clinicians...

When people ask me where I’m from, I instinctively tell them I’m from the Bay. I’ve always thought of myself as a Bay Area native. Someone who grew up here...

Last week my wife flew out to Ohio to meet up with some close college friends at a lake house. Having this long weekend to myself, I had originally planned a camping...

I’m one of the lucky ones in that I graduated college without any debt. I worked a few jobs throughout college, but the real reason I graduated without debt was...

A few weeks ago I helped my brother move to Chicago where he started medical school. Amongst the things my brother and I talked about on the trip was the U.S. healthcare...

I recently went to go shoot some hoops at Fallon park with a few friends. Although none of us were ever on a high school or college basketball team, we had been...

I recently watched the uber popular Telegu film RRR and it was one of the most entertaining experiences I’ve had all year. Director S.S. Rajamouli’s...

I recently hung out with a family friend that I’ve known forever. We both grew up together as kids in Fremont and our families would spend holidays together every...

Last week I flew to St. Louis to help my brother move to Chicago. Earlier this year he got into medical school at Loyola which was quite unfortunate for me. It solidified...

Last Saturday I found myself having one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I was standing on the corner of Taylor and Sacramento street in San Francisco...

The first fireworks show I remember watching was on my parent’s Magnavox tube television. We huddled around the 27 inch screen on July 4th to witness our very...

When remote work first started, I remember I promised myself that I would never be one of those guys who showed up to a meeting in pajamas. Two years later I found...

I spend most of my waking hours in front of a screen. My job pushes me to be on a laptop all day either on video calls with fellow teammates or heads down getting...

When I saw the very first news alert about a possible shooting in Uvalde I scrolled right past it. I have started feeling desensitized to the news around shootings....

Years ago I ate at this deli in Danville called Domenico's. It was one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in my life. However, because I don’t really have any reason...

There has never been an election like the one we are going to have on June 7th. Four candidates are running for Alameda County District Attorney, and none of them...

After my IKEA cutting board started splintering I was in the market for another cutting board. Every time I decide that I need to get something...

Over the past year of advocating for affordable housing I met Heather (I changed her name at her request for privacy protection). Heather has been a Pleasanton resident...

Throughout the COVID pandemic health care workers have been called heroes. There were stories written about them in the paper, there were signs posted in yards thanking...

Stay informed.

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