“Off-camera, I’m the opposite of Xiao Ming. I’m an introvert” – Adrian Ang, Co-Founder Of SGAG

“I think it is really adopting the mindset of “this too shall pass” whenever there are challenging moments” – SGAG Xiao Ming on expecting baby number two, his journey as a dad & who he is off-camera.

Tune into TikTok or scroll through Instagram and you may stumble across a guy with sunglasses known for cracking all-Singaporean jokes. Many know him as SGAG Xiao Ming while others may recognise him as Adrian Ang, the co-founder and chief creative officer of humour site SGAG’s parent company Hepmil Media Group.

If you’ve been following him, you would’ve noticed that his humour has evolved into many a dad joke since the arrival of his son Zachary (whom he calls Ploop Ploop) in 2022.

Adrian and his wife, Xin Lei, have previously been very open about their struggles with infertility, loss and grief. Today, the couple are excited to announce that they’re expecting their second child, and Adrian shares with us what the journey has so far been like. We get the lowdown on what he’s looking forward to, how becoming a father has affected his online persona, why he’s decided to ‘unmask’, and his notoriously out-of-control plant collection.

Read more Cool Dad features here.

Congrats on the announcement of baby number two! How did you find out and how did you and your wife take the news?

I was out in the living room playing with Ploop Ploop/Zachary when Xin Lei suddenly came out of the room saying, “Baby can you come here?” in a very unfamiliar tone. Because of how serious she said it, in those few seconds when I was walking towards her, I was like “Oh wait, don’t tell me she is pregnant?!”. When I walked into the room, Xin Lei showed me the positive pregnancy test kit, my eyes popped out and I went, “OMG WHAT?!” before giving her the biggest of hugs. Both of us were obviously extremely delighted with this pleasant surprise because our family planning journey has not been the easiest so we are just grateful to be blessed again with a little one in my wife’s tummy.

We understand that this was an unexpected surprise. Have you had to make any new adjustments so far?

In the first trimester, my wife’s evening nausea was pretty intense with this little one so I have been taking over the evening duties settling Zachary to bed. In terms of actual life adjustments, I have just been checking off the list of things like space planning at home because as it is, our place is already overflowing with all of Zachary’s items!

What are you most excited about as you prepare to welcome your second child?

I’m actually most excited about seeing how fatherhood for me will change now that I have not just one, but two precious kids to love and care for. I’m also excited to see what Zachary will be like as an older brother. We have been sharing with him that mummy has a baby in her tummy. I think he is starting to understand that because when we ask him what is in mummy’s tummy, he enthusiastically replies, “BABY!”

What are some things you learned from your first parenting experience that you plan to apply this time around?

For me, I think it is really adopting the mindset of “this too shall pass” whenever there are challenging moments while caring for a little one. Parenthood, especially in the early months can be extremely difficult emotionally, psychologically and physically, nights can seem long and problems feel like they can never be fixed, especially with a wailing baby who cannot express himself. But learning from our first parenting experience with Zachary, these moments, although challenging, are temporary and things will get better eventually if we can support each other in the process.

It’s well-known that Zachary was a rainbow baby – how has having him shaped your perspective on life and parenthood?

Having Zachary in my life has really reshaped my purpose and priorities in life. It has made me think a lot about how I can give him the best and healthiest family environment to grow up in. It has made me think how I can set a good example for him as a father, as a man or very simply as a human. What I have come to realise is that kids are so impressionable and they really emulate and adopt a lot of things that parents do. It has made me think about how I can reshape my life to be a present and involved dad because kids don’t lie, the more quality time you spend with them, the closer they are to you.

How has fatherhood influenced the way you create humorous content?

One thing for sure, I can finally put my dad jokes that I have been cracking for so many years to good use! My wife is probably relieved that now I have a new target aside from her! Jokes aside, I feel like with Zachary, my content has expanded to not just my signature lame jokes and pranks, but also capturing interesting and hilarious real life moments in my fatherhood journey with my little one. In a way, I kind of treat my social media account as an online diary now, capturing precious moments with my family for me to look back on when I become old and haggard!

Has Zachary inherited your knack for humour?

I’m not sure if Zachary has actually inherited my knack for humour but he definitely has his own cheeky character. Every bedtime is filled with so much laughter because he would be telling us the silliest things, hiding behind curtains to play peekaboo and inviting us to play with him in the most ridiculous of ways. We shall see if he grows up to pick up on the dad jokes that I have been telling him!

How would you describe your parenting style?

In the first two years of parenthood, I would say that my wife and I are quite the gentle parents ourselves because we genuinely believe in practising empathy, respect and understanding, all while setting healthy boundaries in the hopes that Zachary will grow up to be a confident, independent and happy kid. It is definitely not easy to adopt such a parenting style, especially when our little boy has been starting to throw his tantrums but that is where my wife and I have been supporting each other a lot through this parenthood journey.

What’s your favourite activity to do as a family?

I really love traveling with Xin Lei and Zachary, exploring new places and experiences together in foreign lands. When we travel as a family, being able to spend 24/7 with Zachary is really quite an amazing experience. Because we are spending so much quality time together, we observe and learn so much more things about Zachary and at times, it almost feels like there is a leap in his growth whenever we travel together. Although, I must say it is at times a struggle to get a 2-year-old toddler to sit in his car seat for too long on a road trip!

You recently officially unveiled yourself without your signature shades to show a more personal side to yourself. Was this a difficult decision and how has it felt since?

Removing my shades has been something that has been on my mind for awhile now and it honestly feels liberating to take off those signature shades. Xiao Ming has been a character that I created since the early days of SGAG. With me showing more of my personal life and real self on social media, I thought it was important for my community, and more importantly for myself to turn up as Adrian, knowing that Xiao Ming as a character, is just a small part of myself.

Many Singaporeans know you for your online persona, but how would you describe yourself off-camera?

Off-camera, I’m actually quite the opposite of Xiao Ming as a character. Many people are usually very surprised to know that I’m actually an introvert who only opens up when I’m in good company. Most people expect me to be all jokes and funny but when it comes to work, I can get quite serious. That said, I feel like I’m someone who needs to feel a sense of purpose in whatever I do while having vibrant and passionate inner lives.

You’ve been very open about your and your wife’s struggles with fertility in the past. What are some words of encouragement you could share for couples who are waiting for their little miracle?

Fertility treatment process can be a real emotional rollercoaster where many straddle between having hope and being disappointed so I totally empathise with couples out there who are going through the same thing. As much as it is very hard to do, I would say to couples who are waiting for their little miracle to keep the faith. As my fertility doctor said, “low probability doesn’t mean no probability”, so keep trying and I believe that one day the probability will be in your favour.

Do you have any adventures planned next?

I think parenthood with my second baby will be an adventure on its own. It is definitely going to be a different kind of fun having another little one in the family but I also can already see how challenging it might be to care for two kids, having our time and energy split between two little ones all while making sure that each of them still feel the unconditional love from my wife and I.

Lastly, between running a business and juggling life as an influencer, father and husband, how do you manage to upkeep such a flourishing plant collection?

To be honest, I’m struggling trying to maintain the mini-Gardens By The Bay I have at home. One thing I didn’t take into account when I bought all these plants is that they grow, and they grow really really fast. Maybe I have too green a finger but my plants are growing so tall and big that I have to cut them off. Because I can’t bear to throw the cuttings away, I end up putting them in pots, which means I have even more plants now. So if anyone is looking to adopt some plant babies, please reach out to me, my wife would be more than happy to give them away haha!

Need some humour in your life? Follow the life and adventures of Adrian, his wife Xin Lei and his son Zachary on SGAG Xiao Ming’s Instagram and TikTok, where there’s always a dad joke around the corner, as well as bonus plant giveaways by Xin Lei.

Read more Cool Dad features here.