10 Reasons why my best friend is brilliant (and you should check out her new project)

I like to think that I’ve gained some wisdom in my 23 years on this planet. Not enough to tell you the meaning of life, or write a book, or start my own reality TV show, but enough to know that relationships are incredibly important. They (“they” being really smart scientists who have done RCTs on this) say that friendships are necessary for health, happiness and success, and I can honestly say, my best friend has been such a necessary inspiration, support and overall constant in my life for the last 18 years.

To think that we started in elementary school competing for “leadership” positions in traffic guard, to today, where the only thing we compete for is who can be the better friend, it’s been a long, sometimes bumpy, but overall amazing road.

Which brings me to my point.

My incredibly gifted, intelligent, funny and sassy friend, CJ McGillivray, has started the creative project –  Still Water: The Short Film, and is launching her funding campaign for the STORYHIVE Female Director’s Edition. Basically, her team is campaigning to be awared a $10,000 grant to make it happen. If you look at any of her past pieces, you’ll see the passion and dedication she puts into her work, and her love for what she does. We may have ended up on two completely different paths – medicine v. arts, but (as cheesy as it sounds), her artistic voice completes me in such an awesome way. This story is raw and personal, and delves into a variety of emotions – fear, excitement, happiness and grief, and is a “writing process that reflects her own struggles and understanding of sobriety.”

So please please please check out the page Still Water: The Short Film, and support her cause, or just check out all the amazing things she does. She inspires me everyday, and I hope she’ll inspire you too ❤

But I promised 10 reasons why my best friend is brilliant and here they are:

1. She watches really really crap movies with me even though she’s an amazing director, playwright, actor and musician (think bad “horror” cheerleader movies)
2. She really loves Japanese food (WE really love Japanese food)
3. Her family is like my family
4. She takes me to really cool festivals and shows because duh, who else would she take
5. She’s already been featured in a bunch of festivals (2012 Vancouver Amnesty International Film Festival, 2016 Vancouver Fringe Festival) and won a bunch of competitions (IGNITE! Playwriting Competition, Arts Club Theatre Scholarship)
6. She struggles, like everyone else, but she’s honest, open, brave and incredibly compassionate toward other people – she’s like a flame for all us moths
7. She’ll always be there when I need her – even when she’s dead tired at 10pm at night, she’ll come halfway across the city because I spend very little time in Vancouver nowadays
8. She wrote me a letter/poem once in high school that I still have tacked onto my wall, because she taught me the power of words
9. She’s really really smart but she never makes other people feel dumb – she shares the accomplishments of her friends and families and encourages them to be the best they can be
10. We already know we’re going to be each others’ Maid of Honours one day

I love you girl – I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished and I can’t wait to see your new film.

Author: Dr. Ada Gu

Graduated from University of California - Berkeley in May 2015 with a B.A Public Health. Completed medical school in 2018 at McMaster University and currently doing my family medicine residency at Western University. Still learning how to balance academics with extracurricular activities, research, a social life, sleep and life's limitless distractions. So excited to see what adventures lay ahead! Love traveling (I've been to 60 countries!), trying new things like sky diving and shark cage diving, most outdoor activities, trying new foods and restaurants, wine tasting and hot yoga. View all posts by Dr. Ada Gu