Quality time

It has been quite a while since I had the former with close family. The past two weeks just breezed by thanks to the company of my brother and Sister in Law. This was the first time I saw them after a timely two years since their wedding. As I was working at my co-op assignment during their wedding, I could but make a hassled week-long trip encompassing two days in an aeroplane; numerous events and parties which made it quite impossible to share but a few words with either of them.

I guess we were all satisfied at the end of two weeks of fun, tours, food and laughter. Normally known as a "quiet" person, I was surprised at the easy flow of conversation.

I think this is actually the first time that I got to spend time alone with my brother. When I was at school and he in Med school, we would meet a few weekends, yet we couldn't talk much thanks to the wide differences between us. We were quite the typical brother and sister, who had different kinds of friends and did very different things. Now that the gap has narrowed, it is easy to communicate.

The weather has been pretty good for this time of the year. Summer has officially begun. I do love the summertime for its icy frappes, cotton skirts and crowded streets. New York City somehow becomes a different place in the summertime. Suddenly there are more smiles. The subway station scorches and the relief on boarding the air conditioned trains is simply unbelievable. Then there's Sunday brunch and the cool museums.

I also love the beaches and the heat. Some of our most memorable vacations were at Cape cod and Maine. You can taste the salt in the crisp sea air, and hear the waves hit the beach as you walk down the sweet roads lined with beautiful cottages. You tend to enjoy something more only when you get very little of it. If anything, I always complained about the heat in India. The monsoon season is the best in the tropics, when you can smell the musty scent of the sand as the first rains hit the dry soil. On such days I would watch the rain from the veranda upstairs as I munched hot potato chips, freshly made by a loving mom. Oh those were simply the days.