It's interesting reading everyone's replies and good to know that I wasn't the only one who felt like all of you. My situation is slightly different, in that after 10 months of mental torture, bouts of self doubt and jealousy I decided to call it quits. However, as I am about to embark on LDR 2, I feel I am better prepared and know a bit more about what to expect this time.
Like the rest of you, this forum has been a godsend to me, my only regret is that I didn't find it a few months earlier. I generally spend my evenings between here and Facebook, but really do need to motivate myself to find a hobby or other interest. Weekends are generally spent with my kids, doing the laundry, the groceries and jobs around the house or garden, watching the F1 (during the season) and visiting members of my family.
Despite the pain we put ourselves through, I would wager that we all think it is worth every minute of it because of the wonderful times we spend with our mahal's when we are with them. Despite LDR1 not working out for me, I have no regrets. It wasn't all bad, I had some truly great times and have memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. I've learned from my mistakes, I'm more experienced and am ready for LDR2.
If someone could figure out how to get the Philippines time in the same time zone as us, all of our problems would be solved as I guess we would all spend every evening on Yahoo or Skype