Last June, Nadine Lustre was spotted getting a fresh set of inks at her go-to tattoo studio, 55 Tinta. The actress-musician had the words “it is what it is” and “that’s it” written on her calves, and it’s one of her smallest tattoos to date.

As simple as the design is, however, they’re also some of Nadine’s most meaningful inks so far. She talked about them for the first time on Dr. Aivee Teo‘s vlog channel, and they might just make you want to get inked, too.

Here’s what Nadine Lustre’s new minimalist tattoos really mean:

According to Nadine, the “that’s it” tattoo on her right leg was inspired by a memorable trip to La Union with a close friend. The trip was also when she recorded her latest album Wait for Me.

She shares, “It was just the both of us, he’s like my brother. We just had a lot of realizations and eventually, you know, that trip really bonded us for life and he’s really my brother for life. And then we got the same tattoo. So ‘that’s it’ naman is just like to remind us of all the things that we learned on that trip.”

Meanwhile, her “it is what it is” ink is all about learning to accept the inevitable. “Bad things happen, it is what it is. It’s something to remind me na okay lang ‘yan,” she tells Dr. Aivee.

A quote from Nadine earlier in the video revealed a possible deeper meaning behind the passage.

When asked why she feels she’s at her best state, the actress explains, “It’s hard to accept things the way they are and understanding that there are things that are out of your control, and at the end of the day, all you have to do is let it be. I feel like that’s the secret of life. As long as you’re just going with the flow, riding the wave, you’re good.”

“As long as you’re kind. Be kind. Be a good human being. Just do everything with love.”

Watch Nadine talk about her life and Siargao, her music, and more below: