Missing London From a Sunny Sydney Room

by Jasmine

Sydney is beautiful. The sun is bright, the coffee is good (especially Skittle !), and everyone looks like they just came back from yoga or is on the way to yoga.

But today, for no good reason, I’m missing London, really..

I know.. strange nostalgia choice. I am a Chinese girl from Shanghai, so you would think I should be used to big cities, busy streets, strange weather and people rushing around with serious faces. But London has a special kind of mood. Grey sky, cold wind, expensive food, and somehow still full of charm. Very annoying, actually.

I used to study in London, and later I worked with Orchid Massage agency near baker street. That time gave me many memories. Some sweet, some funny, some a little naughty, and some I should probably not write down unless my mum stops using the internet.

When I was living there, I complained all the time. Too cold. Too wet. Too much wind. The Tube was too packed. The rent was too rude. Even the sky looked like it had personal problems.

But now I am in Sydney, sitting in warm weather, and I suddenly miss those London days. I miss walking through Knightsbridge with frozen fingers. I miss meeting friends after work for “one quick drink,” which in London never means one drink. It means three drinks, gossip, bad decisions, and someone saying, “Let’s just order one more.”

I miss the girls at Orchid too. Getting ready together, fixing hair, laughing about everything, helping each other with little things. Massage work can look glamorous from outside, but behind the scenes it is towels, oil, laundry, sore feet, and trying to stay charming when you really want noodles and sleep.

Still, I loved it..

London taught me a lot about people. Especially men. A man may arrive looking confident, wearing a nice coat and pretending life is all under control. But after five minutes, you can feel the truth in his shoulders. Stress sits there. Loneliness too. Bad meetings. Long flights. Cold weather. Too much thinking.

That is why a good sensual massage is not just about pretty hands and soft music. It is about warmth. Real warmth. A calm room. A little humour. Clean towels. The right pressure. A woman who knows when to chat and when to let silence do the work.

At Orchid, I learned that sensuality does not need to be loud. It is in small details. The way you welcome someone. The way the room smells. The way you make a tired person feel human again. A little teasing helps too, of course. I am from Shanghai, not a wooden table.

Now Sydney gives me sunshine, space and a different rhythm. Life here feels easier in some ways. But London had atmosphere. London had stories. London had those cold evenings where a warm room felt like luxury.

So today I miss it.

I miss my friends. I miss the silly nights. I miss the cold streets after work. I even miss complaining about the weather, which is very dangerous because that means London has successfully brainwashed me.

But let me be clear: I do not miss the Tube at rush hour.

哈哈 I am nostalgic, not crazy.