Colours

Yellow. ChuanKiat gingerly walked up to her. But at the last moment decided to walk past her instead. She was the most popular girl in school, the one everyone talks about while he was a mere bookworm, an obscure nerd whom no one talks to. An unknown. A nobody. She was clearly out of his league.

He had two tickets to a concert. And apparently, the star is a really popular singer. He knew nothing about music; but he did do his research. It was Cyan’s concert, the Most Popular Pop Sensation of the Year, as knighted by ‘Popculture’, an influential magazine. He had word that Regina adores her and figured this was his only shot at asking the most popular girl in school out.

ChuanKiat decided that it was now or never. It was time to step out of his comfort zone. He plucked up whatever courage he had, took the ticket out of his pocket and went up to her.

“Hi”, he mumbled shyly.

The girls around her giggled.

“Hi. Do I know you?” Regina replied.

“I sit behind you in class. And… and I was thinking maybe you would like to watch Cyan’s concert with me,” ChuanKiat stuttered, brandishing the concert tickets.

The girls giggled even more, some even rolled their eyes.

“Cyan? Cool. Why not?” Regina laughed.

ChuanKiat gave her the details and she walked off, with her group as usual.

That day, the weather was just so perfect for ChuanKiat. The sky was just so blue; the clouds were just so fluffy and white. It was his happiest day, even better than when he received his first chemistry set.

ChuanKiat skipped merrily all the way home, feeling good about himself. He felt just like bright, yellow sunshine – happy and delighted.

He asked his sunshine out today.

* * * *

Red. The day finally arrived. It was going to be ChuanKiat’s first date. He still could not believe that Regina actually accepted his invitation. It was a miracle. ChuanKiat could finally call himself a man, bringing the girl of his dreams out, never mind that he was clueless as to who Cyan was. It did not matter.

ChuanKiat put on his best clothes – red checkered shirt and a neatly pressed pair of trousers. He had read somewhere that red gives a lasting impression and he wanted so much to impress Regina.

Not wanting to make his girl wait, he was at the Max Pavilion an hour earlier. He stood at the entrance, patiently waiting for the object of his obsession.

He spent that hour visualising the moment his eyes would match hers. How lovingly would he gaze into her hazelnut eyes. He imagined how perfectly straight her jet-black locks would be and how sweet they would smell. He envisioned her in her usual casual outfit – a really loud t-shirt and jeans. He thought of the few brushes he had with her in school, insignificant yet memorable.

Soon, the hour had passed. Regina was nowhere in sight. “She must have taken the wrong bus,” ChuanKiat assured himself. The doors opened as throngs of teenagers streamed into the concert hall. The concert had started, and Regina still had not arrived.

ChuanKiat continued waiting outside, trying his best to escape from the possibility that she had stood him up. He was coming up with as many excuses for her absence as possible – maybe she forgot, maybe she fell sick, maybe she met with an accident.

But then realization hit. This was an impossible dream. It was just a lie. This entire thing was just a joke – a joke on him. Why could a princess like her go for a peasant like him? He felt hurt, betrayed and foolish.

The poor lad decided this was enough, and he dragged himself home. His glimmer of hope had vanished, like a flame extinguished.

On the way home, ChuanKiat decided to visit a convenient store to get a drink. However, what he saw shocked him. It was Regina, together with another guy. What he discovered next only angered him further. That guy was no ordinary guy. It was his friend Joshua, his best friend. He was the only person that was willing to talk to him. He trusted him, he was his confidant. He had shared all his darkest secrets and thoughts with him. Now, he was betrayed by that very same person.

Hate started to brew in him. They made him the butt of their jokes. They made a fool out of him. They humiliated him. He started to see red.

However, not only did he see red, he felt blue as well. He was going to lose a very close friend. Just as he was determined never to speak to Joshua again, he was sad that he was going to lose a friend. But he was not alone.

* * * *

Blue. A beautifully choreographed display of lights brought the three-thousand strong crowd to a high. It was a sold–out concert at the prestigious Max Pavilion at the Singapore Expo. She pranced around the stage, belting her most recognizable anthems, bringing the show to its climax.

The stadium was filled with hot-blooded youths, moving to the tunes of their idol. The girls emulate her, looking to her for latest trends and copying her every action, word and style. The guys do nothing but dream and fantasize about her. They are now jumping to every beat of the thirty piece ensemble; having the time of their lives.

The two hour display of her repertoire was finally drawing to a close. It was time now to present her signature piece. The crowd quietened, bracing themselves for the very moment they have paid three-digit sums for. Many broke down in tears as she crooned the first verse of “One Last Glance”. Soon after, the entire stadium was singing that song in one voice.

As the curtains fell, the fans screamed for Cyan; pleading for an encore. However, the “Cyanics” were to be disappointed for she was too tired. Too exhausted.

Backstage, Cyan swiftly changed out of her elaborate costume and was zipped back to her hotel room in a limousine.

Her manager escorted here to her room, with all praises for her high energy concert earlier. But Cyan was too tired; too exhausted to reply her manager’s repetitive and recycled praises. Sensing this, her manager left the prima dona’s room.

Emptiness embraced her; as loneliness engulfed. She glanced to her right, and spotted the latest issue of ‘Popculture’ – her only companion. The entertainment magazine crowned her the ‘Most Popular Pop Sensation of the Year’. She sat there, all alone in this huge presidential suite, feeling lonely, being the ‘Most Popular Pop Sensation of the Year’. She realized the irony.

She paid the ultimate price of being a Superstar. Being wanted by so many, yet not being able to be with anybody. Her status disallowed her to hangout with friends and prevented her from being with family. It has been a year since she met her family and friends, not even during the holiday seasons.

She started questioning herself: Is this all worth it? All this fame and money in return for emptiness and loneliness?

She was a prisoner of her own success.

Tears began to well up in her eyes, as a sudden surge of angst built up in her.

She screamed.

There was nothing else she could do.

* * * *

Colours. They are not just rays in the electromagnetic spectrum. They are not merely something physical. In fact, they portray some of the most complex and abstract ideas in the world – emotions. Just as seeing red means flying into a rage, having the blues tells of sadness and yellow, being the colour of su

I decided that to be safe, i'll not make this post visible until it gets rejected by Mr Ho. nshine, gives one a feeling of warmth and happiness. Colours are very much a part of our lives. There is no escaping it.