When you force yourself out of your comfort zone to try something new and uncomfortable, you hope to get a few lifelong lessons.

Yesterday (May 30), AsiaOne spoke to local actor Nick Teo, 33, about his recent trip to Vietnam.

"Since I was 21, I have wanted to go on a solo backpacking trip. However, I kept putting it off… I had this long break after filming Shero, so I felt that it was time to do it. I looked at air ticket prices and Hong Ling suggested that I should do it now rather than when I'm 70 or 80."

Local actress Hong Ling and Nick have been engaged since August 2022 after dating for seven years. He was speaking to reporters at the press conference for the new Mediacorp drama Shero.

Like any adventure, there was no lack of mishap and discomfort.

There were times when he trekked 10km to 20km to get to a cafe or shop, only to find out that it was closed for the day.

"As I had no other choices, I just sat by the roadside and researched on the next place to go to. I wasn't sure where else to go either."

If you thought that he could at least rest well at night, you are wrong.

"One day I felt adventurous and searched for 'the highest mountain', and I spent the night there. That night, in the hostel bunks, I was shivering as I was only in a T-shirt and shorts. It felt like autumn and I did not expect it!" he shared.

He elaborated that he could not sleep well as there were too many people snoring around him and children in the next room were making noises deep into the night. He woke up almost every hour. As there was no pillow, he used his backpack as a makeshift one and that was uncomfortable.

All these things not going according to his plans eventually led to his enlightenment of "living in the moment".

"I have always planned ahead for trips (when I went with others) and wanted to go to many places. However, this time, I didn't have to think about what other people wanted and I cared more about my own feelings in that moment."

Nick also learnt to be less critical of himself.

"For example, when I reached the shop and it was closed, there was no point blaming myself. I just accepted it and looked for my next destination.

"I am usually hard on myself. During filming, I could blame myself afterwards for not doing my best. But now when I really think about it, many times I have done my best and there is no need to blame myself."

Hong Ling's encouragement played no small role. Not only did the 28-year-old actress give him a backpack as a farewell gift, the story behind it might make you swoon.

Nick shared that they were shopping and he saw a backpack he really liked, and then they moved on to other shops, and by the time they returned to the first store, it was already closed.

Little did he know that Hong Ling would return to the shop on her own and buy it for him.

One day, Nick returned home only to see her smirking, so he knew something was up. It turned out that she hid the backpack under his blankets as a surprise for him.

He added that Hong Ling felt more excited about backpacking after his experience and is considering doing the same at Myanmar and Thailand with him.

Shero is a action-thriller drama centred around female bodyguard company Shero run by Zhang Yinxi (Carrie Wong). When she goes missing, her sister Yinchen (Joanne Peh) joins Shero as a bodyguard to continue Yinxi's legacy and look for her.

Nick plays Guan Junsheng, a trusted employee of Yue Ruixiang (Romeo Tan), the CEO of a ship-building company who gets close to Yinchen with unknown motives. Aileen Tan, Rayson Tan, Brandon Wong, Priscelia Chan, Cheryl Chou, Grace Teo and Tay Ying also star in this drama.

Shero will be shown on meWATCH and Channel 8 from June 12.

jolynn.chia@asiaone.com

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