ambikagangesgal

Ambika Rajyagor

Special Needs Advocate, Feminist, Nature-Lover, and Garlic Bread Enthusiast.

On here, you’ll see the culmination of all of my creative projects— from my personal writings and blogs, to my travel guides, health and self -care tips, and my Community Service Club, Do Good Things Club.

Ganges Gal is more than just me— it’s also a platform for my fellow friends and inspirations to use their voice! Check out my “Featured Writing” page to see their awesome work.

If you’d like to collaborate on a project, check out my small business, Ganges Gal Creative!

I hope you enjoy your visit! There’s really something for everyone on here.

January 2019

January 2019

Ambika Rajyagor

Hello Friends! Welcome to this month’s “On My Radar,” where I feature the songs i’m listening to, the movies and shows I’m watching, and more!

I’m owning up to it— I totally lagged this month. But that’s only because it’s been crazy busy in a bunch of different parts of my life. I know it’s no excuse, but still, I felt like an explanation was necessary.

Anyways, this month was pretty cool— I road tripped with my mom and sisters to Yosemite, SF, and Carmel-by-the-Sea, I went to the Women’s March with a bunch of my super cool gal pals, and random— but maybe the most enlightening thing was that I kind of just started to realize I haven’t accomplished as much as I wanted to yet. I’m 23 now, and I feel so behind. There’s so much work still to do.

But you’re not here for that or any of my other basic introspections— you’re here to see what’s on my radar. Please see below:

This Month’s Mixtape:


https://open.spotify.com/user/ten0yc6zr072qtedigq9bafkx/playlist/3eSYFFd7sdJJA6xzIZ0sow?si=rBOrVVaoQTW0W3aPAYtw9Q

Notes:
Thank you to everyone who submitted songs to me on Instagram! I listened to all of them, and a few made it into this month’s rotation! I’ll probably sprinkle some throughout the next three months so I have an even distribution. My favorite songs on this month’s tape include: Harmony Hall by my favorite band Vampire Weekend, Lost in the Fire w/the Weeknd, and Favorite Thing by Tim Legend and Sophie Rose.
I also threw in Pretty Boy Swag/7 Rings just so ya’ll can laugh with me on how Soulja Boy truly seems to be the “most influential artist” of our time, lmaoo.

ALSO!! I usually recommend y’all to listen to this on shuffle— but THIS TIME I really want y’all to listen to them in order. You don’t have to, but if you do— know I picked and placed these songs with more intention than I usually do.

AND— this month’s playlist feature is by one of my favorite friends, Ellie. She’s a badass beautiful ‘binch’ with the world as her oyster, and this playlist she made is full of empowering bops. I present to you, her "BINCH” playlist, “for da girls, by da girls”

https://open.spotify.com/user/c0htvbqbaievdqds323mgu2c7/playlist/6DYpeKtqvForss6qO9jP2d?si=Da6NF1uOQ2CZphcgz9Jf6Q

Podcast episodes I’m really into right now (in no particular order) + BONUS AUDIOBOOK RECS:

  • Joe Rogan + Matthew Walker on SLEEP

  • JVN on the Mueller Investigation

  • JVN on SKINCARE

  • Oprah’s Master Class w/Shaq

  • Oprah’s Master Class w/Steve Harvey

    • Wow.. Steve Harvey’s come-up story is insane. I started crying in the bathroom scene. I loved this episode and wanted to put it in this month’s mix because I really liked his message of never giving up on your dreams— no matter what. It seems like he definitely burned some bridges along the way with his family, but he talks about how he’s doing his best now to repair those relationships. It’s no excuse, but it’s still cool to me that he acknowledged how messed up it was.
      https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/oprahs-master-class-the-podcast/id1401057414?mt=2&i=1000418347676

  • AUDIOBOOK: Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

    • 10/10 would recommend. Also, to Meera— sorry for doubting this recommendation, but you know me! I’m always wary about how I use my audible credits, and I was scared this one was going to be a super conservative mess— BUT OOOH WAS I WRONG. It’s got nothing to do with politics, and it’s all about how to build a better you. This dude is a straight BEAST, and I don’t even want to talk more about it because I’d be spoiling how crazy of a story it is. It’s about his life, his messed up childhood, his time in the Armed Forces, and how he overcame every challenge and failure he’s ever faced. I found it incredibly motivational— especially his AAR (after action reports) that I’ve started implementing into each of my own personal failures.

Quotes that had me thinking:

“The past was always there, lived inside of you, and it helped to make you who you were. But it had to be placed in perspective. The past could not dominate the future.”

-Barbara Taylor Bradford

“The real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself.”

- Maya Angelou 

“I knew it wasn’t too important, but it made me sad anyway.”

- J.D. Salinger

“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.”

—Nelson Mandela

“But sleep? On a night like this? What an idea! Just think of how many thoughts a blanket smothers while one lies alone in bed, and how many unhappy dreams it keeps warm.”

—Franz Kafka

“She was a compulsive pessimist, always looking for the soft brown spot in the fruit, pressing so hard she created it.”

—Amy Waldman

“You think you are the greatest sufferer in the world?”

—Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

“I like the stars. It’s the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they’re always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend… I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don’t last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend…”

— Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 8: Worlds’ End

Movies/Shows I’m Watching:

I consumed so much media in the past month that I’m actually pretty embarrassed about this list.

  • The entire new season of Grace & Frankie on Netflix

    • because it’s honestly this generation’s version of the Golden Girls (another show I love)

  • Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

    • watch this if you want your mind to be messed with also comment on this post with what ending you got because I went 3.5 hours in and I STILL did not get all the endings.

  • The entire season of YOU, on Netflix:

    • Wow this really fed into my low-key true-crime obsession. This whole show was “Nice-Guy” syndrome in overdrive, and it TERRIFIED ME. 10/10 would recommend.

  • Game of Thrones Rewatch:

    • The entire last season of GoT, which just reminded me how insane and amazing this show is

    • The entire first season of Got, because I fell into a conspiracy rabbit hole on it and have all these theories on what’s going to happen when the new season comes out

    • Please share your theories with me in the comments!!

Closing Arguments:

This month was pretty cool as far as the last few months go— and I’m grateful for it. It weirdly feels like the calm before the storm of this coming year, but I’m ready for whatever’s next. I’ve got a few exciting things coming up that I’m excited about sharing with you guys, but for now, I’m just going to link you to the most recent posts I’ve made here on GangesGal.com. It’s in what I like to call my true writing form, which is not in the style of how I write these posts, haha— so please check them out and let me know what you think in the comments.

I’m signing off now— as always, if you have any rec’s for me, drop a comment below and I’ll be sure to check it out.

Sending good vibes your way,

Ganges Gal

February 2019

February 2019
December 2018

December 2018