Gutter

Gutter, originally uploaded by Nightwyrm X.

Gluten-Free Takaka Ginger Crunch

I'm not sure what the original source is for this fabulous biscuit slice so unfortunately cannot give credit.

This recipe was originally for normal (i.e. not gluten-free) ingredients, but we have adapted it for our own purposes. The amounts have not been altered soif you want to make a "normal" batch, substitute the gluten-free ingredients with standard ingredients.

The baking time is also for the original ingredients - the gluten-free ingredients may need a few more minutes.

Base

• 150g butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 1 & 1/2 cup rolled oats (not the instant kind)
• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour (we use the Plain Flour from Orgran)
• 1 & 1/2 cup gluten-free baking powder (ours has maize flour as the base)
• 1 & 1/2 cup ground ginger
• Pinch of salt

1. Place the coconut, oats, flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt in a bowl.
2. Melt the butter, sugar, and golden syrup together.
3. Pour the melted mix of ingredients into the bowl, and mix until combined.
4. Press into a greased slice tin, and bake at 190°C for 15-20 minutes (longer means crunchier).
5. Ice when cool.

Icing

• 75g butter
• 3/4 cup icing sugar (be careful here as some icing sugars contain gluten)
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 3 tablespoons ground ginger
• 3 tablespoons glace ginger, finely chopped (optional)

1. Over a very low heat, put all the ingredients in a pot (except the glace ginger).
2. Stir until smooth and lump-free.
3. Stir in the glace ginger.

Vietnamese-Style Lemongrass Chicken

This is adapted from Donna Hay's recipe from her magazine.

We did this on the barbeque, and found it a fantastic flavour - note that some charring is acceptable.  I've listed how we serve this chicken, but this chicken can be used in a variety of recipes.

Main

• 2 stalks of lemongrass, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 8x 120g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed

1. Place the lemongrass and garlic in a small food processor, and process until finely chopped.
2. Place in a bowl with the soy, sugar, fish sauce, and chicken.
3. Toss well to coat, then cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.
4. Heat a char grill or barbeque over high heat, and cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes each side (basting with the marinade) or until cooked through.
5. Slice and serve with the dipping sauce, a green salad, and steamed rice.

Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 small chillies, sliced
• 1/3 cup peanuts, roasted and chopped

1. Place the ingredients in a non-metallic bowl, and stir to combine.

Note: We spoon this sauce over the chicken, but can be used for dipping or as a condiment for other dishes.

The Sounds

Sunset over the water in the Marlborough Sounds.

Marlborough Sounds, originally uploaded by Nightwyrm X.

Depression

This is a story of a longtime sufferer of a depressive mood disorder: myself.  I've seen lots of commentary in both social media and the mainstream media about this mental illness.  Some of this commentary is correct and a good deal appears to be supposition or stereotyping.  In the end, as with any illness, there are a number of symptoms and this tends to make the experience of each sufferer of depression a little different to another sufferer.  I'd like to talk about the illness as it applies to me; not to fulfil any agenda or solicit sympathy, but to just have the facts out there.

My illness first manifested in my adolescence, I think when I was about 14.  This is partly a genetic inheritance from my family (as most of us suffer some form of depression) and was likely brought on by the chemical changes in my body at the time.  This illness most likely would have as remained some low-level mood issue; however, I was subjected to a lot of emotional (and sometimes physical) bullying through three of the five schools I attended from early childhood to my late teens.  This bullying built layer upon layer of issues on my illness until I had developed a full major depressive disorder.  I still suffer episodes of this disorder now into my mid-30s.

So what is major depressive disorder?  Wikipedia has it defined as "a mental disorder characterised by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities".  This is generally true, but I'd like to go deeper into what this illness is for me...

• First and foremost, this illness is episodic, which means I get the clusters of symptoms in irregular cycles.  I used to suffer this quite badly when I was younger, but (thankfully) I only suffer "attacks" every now and then.
• As a teenager (and stretching into my early 20s), I had very little self-esteem or self-worth... sometimes none.  This in turn meant that I had very little confidence in myself.  Going forward, I have slowly developed confidence in myself but still have lingering self-doubts (that little voice in your head that says, "you're not meant to be here!").  These self-doubts have led to an underlying paranoia in my dealings with people, as I often worry about being judged or found to be a phony.
• Probably the worst part of depression is the self-hatred.  This symptom and the low self-esteem seem to feed off of each other in some cyclical way, emotionally putting a sufferer through the wringer.  At some of the worst times, I felt exiting would be a good way to free loved ones of the burden I was putting on them.  At other times, there was some cutting - I still have scars down my forearms and on my ribs.  Nowadays, I seem to have gotten past this symptom for which  I am so thankful.
• During some episodes, I ended up taking medication; the rest of time, I skirted the edge of alcohol abuse.  The unfortunate thing about alcohol is that it in itself is a depressive, so you drink to make yourself either feel better in some way or to not feel at all, but you end up making the problem worse.  I ended up losing control in my mid-20s, and eventually had some sort of emotional breakdown.  That breakdown was like the snapping of a stretched rubber band, and I was able to bounce back quite quickly and self-impose some behaviour changes.  Go forward a decade and I can enjoy myself with a few drinks, and no fear of hitting that downward spiral again.
• I used to be a bit of a drifter.  I had a lot of mediocre jobs and failed attempts at university, because I had a lack of drive to succeed.  I also had relationship troubles where I'd only have either drunken one-nighters or short-term things.  I had very little motivation and that, combined with the drinking, did not make me particularly attractive to potential partners.  After the breakdown, I hit an upward curve of good things happening to me.  I had a couple of good relationships, and eventually ended up with my wife - we've now been together nine years and have two beautiful children.  I got a job with my current employer and quickly found my niche there, rapidly moving up the ladder to my current role.  I also successfully completed an extramural degree.

I was luckier than some in that I had a life-changing moment and subsequent good fortune, after which I was able to find some personal clarity and was able to move forward through my illness.  However, I also had really supportive family and friends who stood by me during the worst times.  This support, more than medical treatment, is critical for any sufferer of this and any other mental illness.  Without support and understanding, we are as alone as our illness makes us feel.

Inhale / Exhale

From the pen of Henry Rollins.

Rollins, originally uploaded by Nightwyrm X.

Pacman

Pacman, originally uploaded by Nightwyrm X.

The Otherside

"The Otherside" is the first single from Breaks Co-Op's second album, The Sound Inside, released in 2005.

Koru

The koru is the Māori name given to the new unfurling fern frond and symbolizes new life, growth, strength and peace.  It is an integral symbol in Māori carving and tattoos.

Koru, originally uploaded by Nightwyrm X.

Eye

Eye, originally uploaded by Nightwyrm X.

Free Art Alley

Behind the Left Bank complex off Cuba Mall in Wellington, there is an alleyway passing through to Ghuznee Street.  In this alleyway, street artists are encouraged to contribute without legal repercussions.

Here are some samples of the work down there…