Journal PDJ - 28.09.09

It's sunny today as the bright sunshine poured and reflected resplendently over the grass of Bryant Park. It's also a Yom Kippur Day as many stores in New York area are closed. So does one of the best coffee chain that this city offer, Aroma Espresso Bar. I believe the proprietor is Jewish since I've failed to see that they offer pork and its sib in their menu.

Yanneke, my character for PDJ, is also a Jewish descendant, from her mother side. Since, I'm dwelling to develop this character even more, I have to rethink and redraw totally for the character to be able to be the lead in the novel. Before, her father was a real father, but then, it would not give the Yanneke character a bleak past. Therefore, I intended that Herr Schmidt is her step father, a man that her mother marry after her first husband, Yanneke's real father, gone missing. But, I will stress out that both men are Bolsheviks or Anarchist, someone that can put Yanneke and her mother in the slum of European working class quarter.

So, we have the Bolshevik or Anarchist from the male side and the Jewish side for the female side that create Yanneke's early life. It should be noted as well that Yanneke has lost her real father when she was three. By the time, she was five, she had a new father, this Kurt Schmidt, a Bolshevik musician. I will iterate more in the characterization paper as I develop more for Yanneke's character.

All of a sudden, it's windy all over that I have to put my light jacket on. It's not enough. A bit about Bryant Park, beside those Chess Players, there are some tourists who usually have their refreshment drinks with the baggage beside them. However, there is one old lady, whom on the first day I came here, I thought that she was one of the tourist in waiting since there was her big luggage beside her. Her look and her attire are considered to be normal. Yet, as I come here often, this lady is always here with the same attire and luggage. I presumed that she is one of the park's bum. She just passed by in front of me.

Journal PDJ - 27.09.09 (a Gloomy Sunday)

Simply, there is no progress regarding writing characterization. Hamid's character is complete, while I have to doodling around for Yanneke's character. Yesterday, with the intention to dig more about Yanneke, I spent my time strolling at the Central Park from the 72nd St. Indeed, it was near the Strawberry Field.

One thing for sure, I have to pull Yanneke's character into the surface, becoming the main lead for the novel. She has to be an Aries, born on April 21st. Lastly, I have to find her real ambition by going to the Dutch East Indies with her mama and her Bolshevik musician step daddy.

Today, nothing from the sun. It has been raining since last night. As I look up from the see-through roof top window, I can see the splatter of the rainfall against the glass. It was a drizzle a minute ago, but gaining more quantity. What a gloomy Sunday.

I'm starved....:)

Journal PDJ - 24.09.09

Breakfast at the same place with the everyone else whom I don't even know their name but I can see what they wear and use. Ochi texted me a while ago, I replied with a simple message "at the office". By now, she used to having me gone already when she wakes up in the morning. The turf grass is now full but I haven't seen anyone stepping on it, let alone laying themselves down on it.

Back to PDJ, I still haven't finished Hamid's background story. I believe, since Hamid is going to be the narrator in the novel, I have to stress his character a little bit, setting up his goal etc. Despite his goal is not going to be solved at the end of the novel or the film (Hotel des Indes - HDI), I would have to put into a thinking that the main character of the novel is not Reksodirdjo who was a bit passive when I re-read his background story. Simply, Reksodirdjo's character is the character who is unsure with his own being, perhaps a representation of us all in Indonesia.

Indeed, the action evolves around Reksodirdjo but he utilizes those moment like he is a one directional pawn. The reader could have disowned him right away, throwing away the sympathy for him. Therefore, Reksodirdjo in PDJ cannot be the main character. So, who would I choose to lead the story, if Hamid is the narrator of the event? I would go for Yanneke to play role, how will she fit into the story.

However, Reksodirdjo in HDI leads the story because of the background he'd experienced in the novel PDJ. He would not be himself in HDI if the incident has never occured in his life.

It's hot in New York today. I'm not wearing any jacket but still get the perspiration all over. This is what we call an Indian Summer....no, we are in the Fall season now.

As of noon in New York, I just finished a background story for Hamid's characterization.

Journal PDJ - 23.09.09

It's a cloudy Manhattan morning. In front of me, the workers are already put half of the grass turf back on the middle part of Bryant Park. Yes, it was for the last week NY Fashion Week's tent that they have to sacrifice the turf. Not so much difference route I took from yesterday's morning. The subway was still people's subway no. 5, but the walking route was a bit different. Today, I walked along the William St. and made a turn at the Exchange Place (the street where they installed a big electronic blockade, preventing unwanted vehicle to scram through the NYSE) all the way to the Broadway. Yesterday, it was a right turn at the Broad Street, passing a massive United States flag on the NYSE building before turning left to the famous Wall Street.

Yesterday's writing was mixed with the euphoria of my buddy backhome in Jakarta, Joko Anwar. He promised in his tweets if he ever to get 3000 followers he would go naked in one of the Circle K minimart branch. Several hours after his tweet, his followers were exceeding 12000 followers. So, he had to keep his promise, and he proved to the rest of his followers (15000+ then), an act which most Indonesian politicians seldom or never did. Here's the local media link. It was the Indonesian frenzy that created a hype in the cyberworld, much more than the KPK and President SBY for the G-20 visit in New York. For Joko's action, I saluted him.

Despite the distraction, I was able to finish the characterization of one of the main character, Reksodirdjo Mangoenkoesomo. Today, I'm going to start with the voice of the novel, the character Hamid. But still, I haven't been able to express the grand idea for this novel as my friend asked me over the Yahoo Messenger. It was still a scattered ones. My defense was that I'm going to build each character, and their involvement against the history will speak itself for the grand idea. Still not sure, though.

By the way, someone with full attire of business suit smoking pot not far from my seat, and one guy is bitching about his losing a chess game to his opponent, mentioning about sacrifices. Losing is losing, dude.

Journal PDJ - 22.09.09

Just like yesterday when I started writing more of the characterization for my intended novel "Perempuan di Jagamonyet", I got up early around 7.44 (indicated by my alarm in iPhone) and without taking a shower, cleaning up myself and heading for the subway to the Grand Central from the Ochi's apartment in Financial District. I used express subway no. 4 or no. 5 from the Wall St. Station, a few paces from S. William St.

The sidewalks were already busy with people heading for their daily activities, a hustle and bustle of New York as I may called it. It's like in any movies depicting New York, this time, I experienced it alive and kicking. The subway itself, I can express it with the people's express. At 8 o'clock, the train to Grand Central is 90% packed with variety of people. They were engrossed with their newspapers, reading the latest news; magazines; iPod/iPhone, listening to their music and of course, a new phenomenon called Amazon Kindle.

In Grand Central Station, about 30% of the people inside exit at this station. The Grand Central at this time of hour, until several hours more, is the jungle of Triboro individuals. The shops are already in their daily activity, serving the suburbanites a coffee or pan to be consumed on the way. It's the vein of the city. Without this, New York would never be the same. I guess, I'm the newbie here, New York will always like this.

I think it's gonna be my daily routine for several days ahead, a latte from Starbucks and Chocolate Pan from Zaro, a vendor in the Grand Central. I deviated from my usual, caffe mocha, after I realized that the calorie intake of the caffe mocha is 110 more than the caramel machiato. I'd always think the other way around. Damn! No wonder, I picked the leftover in my bulging stomach nowadays.

Well, my morning intakes are my company for my hideaway in Bryant Park, a free wi-fi park behind the famous Public New York Library. The biggest green in the park is being tended at the moment because of the activities done in the past week to it. Some says, it was for the New York Fashion Week. I haven't confirmed it on the net, I guess I'm just lazy to browse this information...:)

Since I'm here, I will let myself engross with continuing of the writing of "Perempuan di Jagamonyet", leaving the chatting noise of someone playing a game chess, must be a regular, in front of me.

'til tomorrow.

Bryant Park, New York - 22.09.09