I love trance and techno music - particularly trance. Many people don't understand it and so here is an abbreviated explanation of why I enjoy this particular style.

1. Crisp and clean. Like the contours on a brand new Porsche, or the lines and curves of famous bridges. The precision of the music is artistic - and yet it doesn't come across as sterile or emotionless.

2. Layers. (I don't know music terminology at all so please forgive me) A lot of music has themes, a chorus, and stuff like that - not bad. The great trance and techno tunes I enjoy tend to have dozens of layers of sound that are faded in, sped up, slowed down, amplified, etc. I can listen for particular parts of a song and pick up on new things almost every time - or I can let all of the layers of music blend into a single piece that takes me on a journey...

3. Volume. The electronic nature of the sounds means that they still sound amazingly crisp at high volume. Most music sounds better played loud, but trance in particular seems to work best cranked up... Besides - I love bass!

4. Remixes. I have heard dozens of remixes of single songs I know. Some of them are great, some of them are mediocre, but the cool part is that each one brings a new flavour to an old familiar favourite.

5. Mixes. The true art of techno and trance music comes in the mixing of various tunes into a cohesive "mix". It takes a sharp mind and good taste to calculate what tunes will go together best, which order is most effective, the optimum timing and speed of the transitions... And the best part is that it is often done live and improvised!

6. Vocals. Some trance has vocals and some doesn't - it makes for great variety!

7. Energy. The strong beat of trance (and especially techno) makes for high energy music - the bass beat provides a steady strong backbone to the music. It's great for waking up, for running, exercising, and yes even studying.

8. Calmness. Trance music makes for some of the best relaxation music I've ever encountered. The songs are long (5-7 minutes instead of pop music's 3-4), the vocals are usually simple, and it tends to flow. This is fantastic for taking a nap, studying, or just relaxing.

9. Parties. I admit I've never been to a club. BUT, I've seen many pictures and videos and you would be very hard pressed to find a genre of music with more impressive live performances. The lighting, energy, fog, lasers, etc are truly astounding.

Most people still probably won't "get it", but this music is powerful for me. If I was going for poetic and profound stuff, I'd say something like "it touches my SOUL"!

For those interested, I've got a number of techno/trance links on this blog - for internet radio, forums, downloads, etc.

Late Friday night...
I write this late on a Friday night, one day after arriving in the beautiful city of Seatle, WA. Unlike the rumors of rain, fog, clouds, and general BAD weather that I hear about, the place is simply amazing! The sky is clear, the air is clean and crisp, the temperature is just right, and the nature is beautiful. There seems to be a very refined lifestyle here (a bit north of Seatle) - fancy dining, dressing, cars, houses, etc... I wonder if part of that is a reflection of the natural scenery around here which just seems to demand respect.

Today was very relaxed - sleeping in, walking a beautiful young German Shepherd, and flipping through my Aunt's wedding album (one of the few things I truly missed while I was in Australia). It only got better from there... I enjoyed a nice evening dining at PF Changs with Aunt Brenda, Uncle Jorge, and Trung - and then went stargazing with a pair of their friends. Jen (the wife) actually works as a programmer for Google, which was a pleasant surprise - perhaps I have a future working for Google someday. Also, in the spirit of trying new things, I enjoyed a Long Island Iced Tea and a Sidecar - both rather tasty I must say. Now it is almost midnight and we are planning on leaving for college at 6:30 am. Sounds too much like getting up for work, but oh well ;) Thus the adventure begins on a very high note!

**The next day...
The drive out to Walla Walla College was relatively uneventful, but the scenery was astounding... at first. We went through mountain passes with peaks, enormous pines, lakes, rivers, etc for many miles and I was beginning to think that I had found paradise! WWC was looking like a VERY good move at this point. As time went by though, the scenery turned into rolling hills and eventually flat land filled with tan, dead-looking grass. I was getting very concerned as we approached the college. Fortunately, WWC seems to be an oasis in the middle of a northwestern desert. The campus is lovely!

After eating at a small shop on main street (with excellent sandwiches), we got my luggage into my new room and I said my farewells and thank-yous to Brenda and Jorge. I didn't really know what to do for the rest of the day, so I wandered and stumbled across a large gathering of freshman that were about to leave on a hike. Well BY JOVE that sounded like something worth doing! This turned out to be quite good - I snapped the picture above and met several people including a girl that was at Avondale the same time as me (but somehow we managed not to meet). I also spent some time interrogating a 4th year mechanical engineer about activities and the like around WWC. I've discovered that there is a huge amount of "stuff" to do at WWC and I believe this is probably because there is nothing to do anywhere else. Seriously. Rockclimbing sounds like a grand opportunity, student leadership opportunities, and even a WWC radio station by students... Things are looking good.

After the hike, I stayed busy for the rest of the day - went to a concert with free haystacks (and met Tim, Eric, and Shane - friends from Union College), moved into my room for a while, and then played carnival games for a few hours at they gymnasium. It was one of those "freshmen-get-to-know-each-other" events and not too shabby. I managed to make out with Sprite and some candy bars - and all the fun of course. Now it is approaching midnight and I'm exhausted for some reason. OK, it's not really that surprising. But in afternoon I managed to get my room, unpack everything, and attend 3 great social events. Crikey! BRING IT ON!

Some people love the day and some love the night... The traditional view in religious literature, movies, etc has been that night (e.g. darkness/blackness) represents "evil" while lightness/whiteness represents "good". I happen to love the night, darkness, and blackness - and yet I don't really think of myself as evil. Why do I like the night? There are several good reasons...

The night is a time of peace. This explains the title of my blog "Nocturnal Serenity". After the sun goes down, life settles down as well. Animals go to sleep. Birds quiet down. People go to sleep. Traffic disappears (at least somewhat). The general buzz of life fades. For those who enjoy staying up and awake during these "dead" hours, there is a great peacefulness. The hurry of life disappears.

The lighting is awesome. Photographers would argue against me, but in my opinion, nighttime light is better. Looking at nature under the nighttime sky is truly majestic. Perhaps it is because the shape of the world around us becomes more apparent as the colours become less of a distraction. The shadows and outlines are strong, crisp, and beautiful. It is easier to see the "big picture" at night when the details (distracting by day) fade.

It is intimate. Perhaps this results from most people being asleep. Or maybe the darkness gives a sense of privacy. For whatever reason, the nighttime has always been a semi-magical time to enjoy time alone, time with God, and time with people. When you spend time with someone at night, you see less of what they look like and more of who they are...

The nighttime holds many great memories for me and I know many more will be had in the future... Here are just a few samples of some great nights in my past.

Sitting on a living room floor enjoying the company of Jason (another nightdweller). Sometimes watching bad sci-fi movies and sometimes discussing philosophy, ethics, etc. Never with an agenda but always with purpose and significance.

Sitting outside on the "hotplates" wearing a robe at Avondale college. Across from me sits Sharona and we share stories and advice with each other for hours.

Looking through a telescope at stars, constellations, and moon from behind Avondale's science building. Daniel Vokurka shares information and names with Daniel Iglesias, Sharona, and myself as we exam the moon in awe.

Walking barefoot completely alone for miles along a beautiful beach on the small Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia. The warm summer air and the cool offshore breeze swirl around as I listen to trance music and ponder deep thoughts about God, the future, and life.

Peacefully sitting on church pew with Michelle for hours in an empty majestic sanctuary. Talking without talking. Appreciating someone who... understands.

Eating fresh caught fish over rice in an empty dorm with Rey and Daniel - laughing about stories from the past.

Sitting on the swing bridge at Avondale over the lovely Dora Creek with my two mates Dieter and Sharona for hours - watching the water, stars, and an adventurous possum.

Countless late nights sitting alone at my computer and enjoying quality time with someone through phone calls, chats, or e-mails for hours. Barrie... Bonita... Sharona... Michelle... Jason... and many more names come to mind.

Enjoying a bonfire at Russel Harder's house for my 21st birthday with many many close friends who wanted to celebrate with me.

Playing a variety of games with my Kiwi roomy Ben - and sometimes even studying or writing papers...

Enthusiastically practicing guitar with Richie downstairs while mum and dad sleep.

Standing in a cave on the coast of Australia, watching the waves crash against rocks and glow bright blue/green as the microscopic phosphorescent creatures lit up.

The list could literally go on for pages. I have so many great memories from nights in my past!! There is a time and a place for everything and it just so happens that a lot of the good times in my life have been at night. I believe I'll always love the night.