WhatsApp – Connecting People
I have a confession to make – my name is Vera and I'm an addict. No, not a drug or alcohol one, I'm actually a WhatsApp addict. If there are any of you with the same problem, feel free to stand up and say 'Hello, Vera', like they do in all the American films.
This overwhelming passion of mine started only a month ago. Before that I was happily unaware of WhatsApp existence. It was my new English friend, who first suggested the idea. Not being a smarty when it comes to technology, I struggled for a whole day to get it on my funky Nokia. By the end of that day I wasn't really sure if it was worth my time. Finally, with the application installed, I got my first message. No, not some words of welcome from the creators of WhatsApp, but a text from the abovementioned friend, who was mocking me and the time it took to deal with the application.
So, with my pride a bit shaken, I 'joined the club'. Firstly, I was shocked to discover how many of my contacts were already using the application. It reminded me of the time I finally got on Facebook, only to realize that I was one of the last among my friends. Nevertheless, I was determined to make the best of it.
I have never been that much into social networks, using Facebook only to chat with foreign friends, which I do from time to time. Thus, the idea of being able to communicate with them at any given time didn't sound that special to me. Yet, I couldn't have imagined how addictive it can be to live through a day with a friend from another country, even virtually. I mean, you go past a funny advert on the street, take a picture, send it, and laugh about it together while you're on a bus. Then you receive a comment on a new film that's out in the UK, and so it goes on. Before I knew it, I was sending so many messages that my phone battery went flat in a day.
Oh well, I will not try to hide it, I'm hooked, and what's more, am not planning to get off it. I hope my story will be a warning to all those, thinking of getting this application. And now, as in all those American films, let's give me a supportive round of applause 
Vocabulary:
a confession – a statements about your wrong or illegal actions – признание
an addict – someone who can't stop doing something – зависимый
feel free to – feel like you are allowed to do something – прошу, не стесняйтесь
overwhelming passion – powerful attraction to someone or something – всепоглощающая страсть
a smarty – someone who tries to look smarter than everyone else – умник
struggled – tried to do something difficult – боролась
funky – not traditional, unusual – креативный, необычный
installed – placed on a computer or other device, ready to be used – установленная
abovementioned – talked about before – вышеупомянутый
joined the club – joined a group of people who were in the same situation – присоединилась (к группе)
make the best of it – to accept a bad situation without complaining and try to deal with it as well as you can – найти позитивные аспекты в чем-то и не падать духом
have never been that much into – have never really liked – никогда особо не любила
that special – so special – настолько особенный
advert – shorten for advertisement; a short film on television or short article on radio that is intended to persuade people to buy something – реклама
that's out – that can be watched in the cinema at that point of time – который сейчас показывают на экранах кинотеатров
went flat – ran out of electricity or energy – разрядилась
I'm hooked – I'm dependent on – я подсела на
get off – stop doing something that makes you addicted – слезать с
round of applause – a period of time during which people are applauding – взрыв аплодисментов
