I would like to thank...

Take 25 overworked & overstressed guys, bundle them into a bus, fill em up with booze, take them for 3 days to a remote place...no communication with the outside world...no work..enough..burp...food...more booze.. repeat. That's what our 8th anniversary was..

With enough of stories, incidents, episodes, photos and videos, that will regale us and future ddw-ites for years (really they deserve to be sold to a reality TV show)..the ddw anniversary picnic is unforgettable.. Every single member of TeamDDW made this offsite worthwhile and i would like to thank those who made it what it was.


Thanks, Ragz n Ivan, for making us popular in Amboli. Your idea of gunny hopping to the bus, in middle of the road, made us the cynosure of ALL eyes, the gaalis from the traffic that we held up for half an hour notwithstanding. To my delight, ever so often these days, while walking up to the office, i cross paths with someone who looks at me and nods sagely..(shes the one-who-almost-fell-on her-face)

And not just amboli, thanks to them, we also have a fan following amongst the locals in murud.. after all, free entertainment is always appreciated.. their brainwave of a treasure hunt, had everyone, (wearing DDW tshirts no less) climb water tanks & trees...running,jumping, cycling, riding, jogging, walking, screaming like possessed lunatics all over murud , asking tangawalas, perfect strangers in fish markets and hotels for clues... fortunately no arrests for disturbing the peace...

But what i most thankful for (im serious) is the "I have a dream" idea... The most valuable thing 1 got out of this offsite...
Ragz, Ivan.. you guys rocked the picnic :)

Jags, thanks, for starting the ride with an impromptu dig on everyone.. :) that really set the mood for the next couple of days

Anisha... a million namaskarams and a trillion thanks to your mom. It's no mean task to feed a hungry batallion like ours. And those ultra-delicious, seemingly never-ending sandwiches just kept us going all the way to murud!!! She is officially a part of the DDW family now :)

Ruthi madam... hats off to the FANTASTIC organizing...everything went off the way it was supposed to .. no hurdles.. no problems... evry single paisa spent accoutned for.. kudos! (how the hell do u do it?) Your toothpick and polo game helped some of us (especially Melvin n Richie) discover sides to our personalities that we never knew existed... see pics on in.photos.yahoo.com/ddw.share to know more

richard...umm..no..let me save the best for last..

mel...great sport... your proficiency in bharatanatyam is amazing!

And doyel... if we ever start DDWD.. no not DDW direct ..DDW DANCING..we know whom to contact.. Ladies n gentlemen, Doyel Twinkle Toes has the most amazing database of dance moves and "steps" ever ...she swings a mean bat in cricket as well.. ask the guy whose skull she almost cracked.. not to mention her antakshari skillsets...fantastic.

Vikas...wine is so NOT for you :) but an AMAZING sport...not everyone who gets woken up with a jug of cold water has good things to say...cheers!

Amol, DDW's Tendulkar no less... we should have some of your witty one liners more often in office ..

VeeJay... dude.. you were the most active, the MOST sporting guy there... Your impromptu commentary on the way back with jags n amol.. too bloody cool...and congrats on the ROCKSTAR :) oh and rock on videos boss..

Sandeep...hats off to your enthusiasm.. this guy was the first to hop into a gunny bag( when the rest of us were going..umm..no yaar..not me) and hip hop all the way to and into the bus!

Santy... when this guy loosens up..he is a riot.. god bless you..

Shrini... the happy-appy musuem is going to be a global case study ... I salute ur passion ..you are not called the big mac for nothing... your passion for cards is commendable too... especially since it helped fatten hitesh and vikas' wallets a lot :)

Sachin.. wish u didnt have to leave early ..you missed the best parts!!! :)

Hitesh... i thought you were a silent-strong types :) it was great seeing you shake a leg and exercise those vocal chords here

Anil...thank you making me look like an emotional mumbling fool during the dreams bit :)

naresh... chota boyz ..you like always were our Gibraltar.. now you are our rockstar too :) he was with us till the last minute ...unloading stuff off the bus...loading them up to the office (with a lot of help from VJ & Vikas)... thanks!

ash... you are a miserable cricket player ( LOL) , a fantastic sportsman ... and the most lovable of the DDW directors... stay. remain. dont change. Espceially that goofy grin you had most of the time ...no actually that comes only when you are high... oh yeah..right..that WAS most of the time..

ricky... thanks for letting us all have a BLAST.. at a time when finances were tight.. you still agreed to go all out and make this truly memorable.. thanks...( hell guys...this is the side of the bread where the butter needs to be piled on real high :D)

richard... dear richard.. where does one start? words fail me ... will let the videos do the talking ...hehehehehehehehehehehe (devilsh laughter)

Watch this space for "The Antics of Dr. Lo on the sands of Murud"

PS: DDW has always had a soft corner for the environment. And as a small gesture towards the SMML (Save Murud Marine Life) movement, we hereby declare that Richard Lopez will not be allowed anywhere near the Murud waters henceforth.