Where were you born? Sydney, Australia
Where else have you lived? I have only ever lived in Sydney and Hong Kong.
How long have you been in Hong Kong? 12 years
Which part of Hong Kong do you live in? Happy Valley
Children and ages? I have two beautiful children, age 7 and 10.
Are you working in Hong Kong and what do you do? Yes. I own and run Farmers Market, a premium online butcher company that delivers farm fresh, traceable products around Hong Kong, 5 days a week.
What work did you do in your past lives? Gosh, I don’t know where to start. I left school at the age of 15 and started my first company at 16, running a secretarial agency. Then I worked as a contractor in IT for Australia Post, implementing their helpdesk software across Australia. I mostly stayed in IT in network support and operations management after that. Moving to Hong Kong, I was a qualified squash coach so I coached at a few clubs (HKFC, American Club) for a little bit and played in professional tournaments until children came along. I then saw a need for web design/support in Hong Kong so I started up my website company Up N Go Design which ran for 8 years and is now closed. I love helping people especially in small businesses.
What brought you to Hong Kong and why have you stayed? My husband was offered a promotion and we had no kids and thought “why not!”. We would go for a couple of years and then move back to Sydney and start a family. AND 12 years later, we are still here and loving it. I love the fast pace life of Hong Kong, food, culture, everything except the humidity sometimes.
What time of day do you check Hong Kong Moms? I scan over it every morning when I wake up and evening before I go to bed, just to see if there is anything I can answer for others.
What posts do you comment on and why? Over the past 12 years I have a large network with the variety of work I’ve done and people I’ve met so, I normally comment on ones from people who are looking for a connection like a web designer or photographer etc.
What is the best thing you have learned from Hong Kong Moms? Don’t step out of line! The Hong Kong Moms network is massive and if you do put something a little bit silly up there expect some backlash because it’s made up of everyday people. It’s amazing for being a super fast live “Google” site. If I’m looking for something and have no idea where to go, I can post on Hong Kong Moms and I’ll get some information back generally within minutes and normally that information is genuine and from a reliable source.
What is your favorite Hong Kong Moms post? I love food so, I love it when people ask the question about “best private kitchens in HK” and you find so many new ones that you can then add to your list to try.
What do you ask Hong Kong Moms? Mostly where to buy things, best places for different things (mostly food or kids’ stuff). Now my kids are older there isn’t too much I don’t know about where to go in Hong Kong so, I don’t post as often now, but I love to scan through and read other people’s posts.
What is your biggest Hong Kong fave? So hard to pick between an experience and food! As an experience, when I first landed in HK I went to learn Cantonese everyday for 3 months and I LOVE going to places like Shek O or Lei Yue Mun and just talking to the locals who mostly just laugh at me. When it comes to food faves, I have to say my favorite all time restaurant is a small place in Soho called Monogamous! If you like spicy Northern Chinese food then you will love this place! Such a cute little restaurant with a lot of culture, great service and amazing food!
And frustration? Lack of common sense or compassion — especially when it comes to talking about helpers. I remember reading one post where someone said they have a 3-month old and they work but have a camera in the house to watch the helper, who was resting when the baby sleeps and the poster thought that wasn’t right, she should be working. This same post also said that the helper was the one getting up at night for the baby so, of course the poor lady was probably tired and needed a rest as any person would.
What is your craziest Hong Kong experience? Organizing a hens’ night for 10 girl friends coming over from Sydney! I organized drinks and pole dancing in Central at Pole Paradise Studio, then went on a junk to Lamma for dinner in a T3 heading towards a T8 typhoon without loosing anyone off the side of the boat — and managed to get them all back to their hotel in one piece.
Does anyone ever recognize you or your name from Hong Kong Moms? Yes, I think after being in HK for 12 years I’m a little bit known. True story: I was in the lanes in Central buying some dress up clothes for my kids and I had a lady come up to me saying “Oh, are you Emma Pike?” And I said, “yes” very suspiciously. And she said, “You don’t know me but I order from your website and love your products and it just feels like we know each other from your emails”.
What kind of friendships have you made through Hong Kong Moms? Because I often help out with connecting people on Hong Kong Moms I’ve made more business connections than friends. All of my friends are already on Hong Kong Moms along with half of Hong Kong, which is fantastic so, it’s very easy to talk on the chats.
Which Hong Kong Mom would you like you to see featured next? There are so many Hong Kong Moms doing so many new and wonderful things. You have Melissa Brewster who is supplying HK with Nuzest plant-based protein shakes; Mawgan Batt who is doing amazing work with small start up companies (a lot coming from Hong Kong Moms) with their PR and marketing; Laila Tapper who sells the most beautiful bags with Mary and Marie Bags. However, someone who I support because she supports the community, would be Suzanne Sadler, the founder of the charity Angels for Orphans.
