The effort is totally wasted.

Hi. Too many people has been affected by the recent floods in Australia and the flooding is continuing in Victoria. It is heartbreaking to see. I am lucky not to have any damage. But I am suffering in a spiritual way. The meditation centre that I go went under. Completely. I stopped by the centre yesterday and it was devastating. The walls, inside out, were stripped away for reconstruction. Basically only the frames and the roof were there.ㅠ.ㅠ Including the summer break of the centre, I am out of practice for about a month now. And it is taking its toll. The most noticeable thing is the return of my aggressiveness. :( There was a very reckless driver on a motorway yesterday. He almost gave me an accident. I got angry and heard my ego saying "I am going to see that asshole's face!". Usually my higher self would say something like "The moment has passed. Nobody's hurt. Let it go.". But it was silent yesterday. That means "Go, girl!", right!! I stepped on the gas and started chasing the car. Soon I realized that there was so much anger in me! I was really ashamed of it. Despite all my effort for the last five months, it feels like I am back to square one. :(


The effort is totally wasted.
노력이 말짱 도루묵이 되었어요.


노력이, noryogi, effort + suffix
말짱, maljjang, every bit of it
도루묵이, dorumoogi, name of fish(sandfish) + suffix
되었어요, deotsoyo, has become


노력이 말짱 도루묵이 되었어요.
noryogi maljjang dorumoogi deotsoyo.


말짱 도루묵. I have been using this expression but didn't really know the origin. So I did some googling. :) The story goes, there was a king, 선조 who had to take refuge to another city during a war. There wasn't enough meat to eat even for the king. One day, a fisher man caught 도루묵 and offered it to the king. It was the first time that the king tried this fish and he loved the taste of it. He said he would eat it again when he goes back to the palace. After the war ended and back in the palace, 도루묵 was again served to the king. But despite all the efforts of his people, he didn't like it any more. Their effort was wasted.

Do you have a new year's resolution? It is 말짱 도루묵 if you don't stick to it. Did you have a small dinner to loose weight? It is 말짱 도루묵 if you eat a bowl of ramen at 11 PM. Are you attached to the temporary things? It is 말짱 도루묵 when they disappear. Do you want to be happy by having materials? It is 말짱 도루묵 if you are alone. Do you want the world to be a better place? It is 말짱 도루묵 if you don't chip in. :)

Cheers!

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