3 Monkeys is a particularly apt name for their initial business venture in Hua Hin, given its location so close to “Monkey Mountain” and their joint desire to practice prudence and purity in their dealings with others: customers, friends and customers who become friends. Neeva has always loved creating happy life moments, and sharing events such as their wedding anniversary and the birthday of one of their treasured dogs with patrons of 3 Monkeys seems to be creating a real family-feel at the venue.

Neeva describes herself as strong, confident and funky.  She admits she is always changing and adapting, and is certainly not the overly sensitive girl who faced adversity when she lost her mother in her middle teens and struggled to provide ongoing strength and support to her brother, 11 years her junior and far too young to understand his mother’s death.  She was blessed to have a stalwart grandmother, a woman fiercely protective of her family, to nurture the pair, along with their cousin who Neeva regards as a third sibling, through what was a very difficult period.

Neeva was born in Bangkok, the first child of very young parents and has been holidaying in Hua Hin for as long as she can remember.  She was the result of an unplanned pregnancy, and her father was very fearful of her mother’s parents, and so the pair managed to avoid them for much of Neeva’s mother’s pregnancy.  Neeva’s grandfather was well known Thai and world champion boxer, Dejrit Ittianuchit and her grandmother was a parachutist with the Thai Army, so perhaps Neeva’s young father was right to be afraid of their wrath. Neeva was born in December almost 31 years ago, and presented by the young couple to her grandmother as a New Year’s gift.  Grandma fell totally in love with the young cherub instantly.

Her grandfather features in many of the happiest memories Neeva cherishes from her childhood.  She has particularly fond memories of how he would often arrive well before the end of the school day on a Friday and sign her and her cousin out of school, load them in the car and drive to a beach destination like Pattaya for the weekend. Neeva’s parents worked hard to support her, and she recalls how her mother would try to take her on an exciting and stimulating outing each weekend. Even visiting the local shopping mall, and taking forever to decide on the single toy she would be allowed to purchase, is a fond recollection for Neeva. Later holidays saw the lucky young woman spending time in Germany and Ibiza with her adoptive parents, German nationals.

At school, Neeva was a high achiever, a very academic student and a perfectionist who took extra weekend classes and held the highest expectations of herself.  Where others would delight in exam scores in the high 90s, Neeva would beat herself up, ruminating about how she had lost those vital few marks.  She was sometimes criticised by teachers for talking too much in class. She had no trouble comprehending the subject matter she was studying, but her friends needed to focus! As a teenager, Neeva was not above bullying her now best friend, and will acknowledge she was supersensitive to the point of fragility, displaying a much more rigid mindset than she now employs.  Given the opportunity, her single piece of advice to her 15-year-old self would be to chill.

After her secondary schooling, Neeva chose to study a Bachelor of International Business at Assumption University. She had no idea what she would make her life’s career but was sure she wanted to be involved in a work life where she could be her own boss. This has proved to be a great decision on Neeva’s part, as every day she is moving forward and building on the skill set she acquired at university.  While still studying, Neeva began working weekends selling herbal cosmetic products at the mall.  She doesn’t know exactly how she studied hard, worked hard and partied hard, all at the same time, while still setting aside adequate time to sleep. Neeva doubts she could manage that hectic schedule now. Later, she took on modelling jobs and her first full time job was in Marketing with Burberry.

Vision, innovation and strategic marketing are key factors in the current ongoing success of Neeva and Mark’s bar, 3 Monkeys in Khao Takiab. Many readers will be aware of the clever use of up-to-the-minute Artificial Intelligence used to create promotional images, but the proprietors of 3 Monkeys use AI par excellence, and are highly skilled at using social media to build their brand. Neeva claims Mark is the one with the business vision and acumen and she is a great promoter and executor of ideas, but probably closer to the truth is that they work collaboratively as a team and are able to give each other respite from the mental load when required.

Neeva recounted how she initially met her husband online, receiving a friend request from him, which she only accepted once she realised that they had mutual friends.  Seeing his good looks, she initially suspected him of being a “playa” who would flirt with her then toy with her affections, but that was not the case.  When she eventually took him to meet her grandmother, convinced he was “the one” some months into their relationship, she was amused to learn the family assumed he was gay because of his careful attention to personal grooming.  Neeva and Mark certainly make a stunning couple.

It was during the Covid pandemic that the pair realised they needed to escape from Bangkok for their ongoing physical and mental health, for “a reset” and because of Neeva’s lifelong association with Hua Hin, it was their first choice.  They also spent a year back in the United Kingdom, but quickly realised that Hua Hin was a better fit for them, with its beaches, cleaner air and slower pace of life. Neeva pondered what more she would could possibly want from a place to live, and could only come up with a few more funky restaurants suited to date-night for a young couple, “hidden gems” which she can find in Bangkok.  She acknowledged these might still be coming to Hua Hin, as our community continues to shake off its previous image as purely a sleepy seaside town for retired folk, and embraces a more cosmopolitan, youthful tourist clientele.

Neeva is a remarkably self-aware young woman, perhaps as a result of the challenges she has already faced in her life.  She sees her greatest achievement in her becoming the woman she is now: able to turn negativity around, self-assured, resilient, determined and with a strong drive to succeed at all she undertakes. She is honest, direct and comfortable talking about her feelings.  Neeva never judges others, realising her job is to hold a mirror up to herself.  She believes she can still be too kind and generous with her time, and sometimes experiences difficulty holding the line when she has already said “No”.

The sort of compliment that she finds heartwarming is a genuine one where people mention how successful she has been already, given her age and the storms she has weathered. She is confident that in keeping on working on herself and surrounding herself with positive energy, she will surely reach her ultimate goal for the future. This has been the first year of a fifteen-year plan to see the pair in a position to retire by the time Neeva is 45 years old: young enough to travel widely and enjoy the full fruits of their labours. Established businesses, passive income, and it will be a reality, though Neeva is not sure she will actually want to retire.  Rather, her aim is to know she is in the position to do so, should she desire. A young 45, and financially very secure, is where Neeva wants to be.

Helping other people, without the expectation of anything in return, is something that makes Neeva happy, because she can make other people happy.  What she does may not be philanthropy on a grand scale, but instead a simple meal for an aged bottle collector, or a medication purchased for someone who can’t afford it. One person Neeva holds in great esteem is Mrs Sanisa Sriarj (Khun Noi), the owner of Amara Resort on soi 94, who gives up her time generously to provide ongoing education to a group of disadvantaged children, amongst her many charitable deeds.

Neeva is a complex woman, open and giving of herself, yet still learning to fully lower the walls she built as a young woman to protect herself.  People might assume that she is a complete extrovert, but this is not actually the case, though she will admit to being a bit crazy at times.  A very family-oriented person, Neeva’s favourite place in the world is her home, and playing on the beach with her dogs Callisto,Dante and Duke is guaranteed to make her happy and clear away the cobwebs. Her phone is packed with many photos of her beloved dogs, but fewer and fewer selfies.  These days she is choosing to show her natural beauty without makeup and take a more relaxed approach to dressing.  Perhaps the rigours of her modelling days are behind her, though she still finds it annoying when people want to change plans at the last minute.

On her ideal lazy day off, you might find Neeva waking up slowly, indulging in a strong coffee and a cigarette (her guilty pleasure), going out somewhere nice for lunch with Mark, then walking the fur babies on the beach, wine, an easy meal of a raw prawn salad, an online game to wind down and still her roiling mind, and then bed. With all that is going on in her busy life now, she royally deserves it.