diff --git a/application.py b/application.py
index 779dac7..f161c89 100755
--- a/application.py
+++ b/application.py
@@ -49,39 +49,73 @@ class Application(object):
         self.error_timestamp    = None
         self.need_draw          = True
         self.input              = keyinput.Handler()
+        
+        # white is for delimiters, operators, numbers
+        default = ('default', 'default')
+        
+        # magenta is for keywords/builtins, translation, globs
+        lo_magenta = ('magenta202', 'default')
+        hi_magenta = ('magenta505', 'default')
+        
+        # red is for comments, pods, endblocks
+        lo_red = ('red300', 'default')
+        hi_red = ('red511', 'default')
+        
+        # orange are for arrays and hashes
+        hi_orange = ('yellow531', 'default')
+        lo_orange = ('yellow520', 'default')
+        
+        # yellow is for scalars and prototypes
+        hi_yellow = ('yellow551', 'default')
+        lo_yellow = ('yellow330', 'default')
+        
+        # green is for strings and hash keys
+        lo_green = ('green030', 'default')
+        hi_green = ('green050', 'default')
+        
+        # cyan is for quotes, evals, regexes, subs
+        lo_cyan = ('cyan033', 'default')
+        hi_cyan = ('cyan155', 'default')
+        
+        # blue is unused
+        lo_blue = ('blue113', 'default')
+        hi_blue = ('blue225', 'default')
 
         # let's prepopulate some default token colors
         self.cached_colors = {}
         self.token_colors       = {
-            'spaces':         ('default', 'default'),
-            'eol':            ('default', 'default'),
-            'comment':        ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'comment.start':  ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'comment.data':   ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'comment.null':   ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'comment.end':    ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'continuation':   ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'escaped':        ('magenta', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'string.start':   ('green', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'string.data':    ('green', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'string.null':    ('green', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'string.hex':     ('magenta', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'string.octal':   ('magenta', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'string.escaped': ('magenta', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'string.end':     ('green', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'char':           ('green', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'integer':        ('default', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'float':          ('default', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'number':         ('default', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'label':          ('magenta', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'keyword':        ('cyan', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'reserved':       ('cyan', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'function':       ('blue', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'builtin':        ('magenta', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'method':         ('cyan', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'bareword':       ('default', 'default', 'bold'),
-            'delimiter':      ('default', 'default'),
-            'operator':       ('default', 'default'),
+            'spaces':         default,
+            'eol':            default,
+            'comment':        hi_red,
+            'comment.start':  hi_red,
+            'comment.data':   hi_red,
+            'comment.null':   hi_red,
+            'comment.end':    hi_red,
+            'continuation':   hi_red,
+            'escaped':        hi_magenta,
+            'string.start':   lo_green,
+            'string.data':    hi_green,
+            'string.null':    hi_green,
+            'string.hex':     hi_magenta,
+            'string.octal':   hi_magenta,
+            'string.escaped': hi_magenta,
+            'string.end':     lo_green,
+            'char':           hi_green,
+            #'integer':        ('white533', 'default'),
+            #'float':          ('white533', 'default'),
+            #'number':         ('white533', 'default'),
+            'integer':        default,
+            'float':          default,
+            'number':         default,
+            'label':          hi_magenta,
+            'keyword':        hi_cyan,
+            'reserved':       hi_cyan,
+            'function':       hi_blue,
+            'builtin':        hi_magenta,
+            'method':         hi_cyan,
+            'bareword':       default,
+            'delimiter':      default,
+            'operator':       default,
         }
         self.default_color = ('default', 'default',)
 
diff --git a/color.py b/color.py
index 80609a2..c2b75a3 100644
--- a/color.py
+++ b/color.py
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ def iter256():
     for r in range(0, 6):
         for g in range(0, 6):
             for b in range(0, 6):
+                #if r >= 3 and g >= 3 and b >= 3: name = 'white'
+                #elif r >= g and g > b: name = 'yellow'
                 if r >= g and g > b: name = 'yellow'
                 elif r >= b and b - g > 1: name = 'magenta'
 
diff --git a/mode/c.py b/mode/c.py
index adcdde4..c4023a7 100644
--- a/mode/c.py
+++ b/mode/c.py
@@ -77,9 +77,12 @@ class CGrammar(Grammar):
         PatternRule("c.integer", r"(?:0(?![x0-9])|-?[1-9][0-9]*|0[0-7]+|0[xX][0-9a-fA-F]+)[lL]?"),
 
         PatternRule("c.operator", r"!(?!=)|\+=|-=|\*=|/=|//=|%=|&=\|\^=|>>=|<<=|\*\*="),
-        PatternRule('c.operator', r"\+|<>|<<|<=|<|-|>>|>=|>|\*\*|&|\*|\||/|\^|==|//|~|!=|%"),
+        PatternRule('c.operator', r"\+|<>|<<|<=|<|-|>>|>=|>|\*\*|&&|&|\*|\|\||\||/|\^|==|//|~|!=|%"),
         RegionRule('c.macrocomment', '#if +(?:0|NULL|FALSE)', Grammar, '#endif'),
-        PatternRule('c.char', r"'.'|'\\.'|'\\[0-7]{3}'"),
+        PatternMatchRule('', r"(')(.)(')", 'c.char.start', 'c.char.data', 'c.char.end'),
+        PatternMatchRule('', r"(')(\\.)(')", 'c.char.start', 'c.char.escaped', 'c.char.end'),
+        PatternMatchRule('', r"(')(\\[0-7]{3})(')", 'c.char.start', 'c.char.octal', 'c.char.end'),
+        #PatternRule('c.char', r"'.'|'\\.'|'\\[0-7]{3}'"),
         PatternMatchRule('x', r'(# *include)( +)(.+)(\n|$)',
                          'c.macro.start', 'spaces', 'c.header', 'c.macro.end'),
         PatternRule('c.identifier', word),
@@ -163,6 +166,37 @@ class CMake(Exec):
         else:
             self._doit(w, w.buffer.path, cmd, cmdname='c-make')
 
+# white is for delimiters, operators, numbers
+default = ('default', 'default')
+
+# magenta is for keywords/builtins
+lo_magenta = ('magenta202', 'default')
+hi_magenta = ('magenta505', 'default')
+
+# red is for comments
+lo_red = ('red300', 'default')
+hi_red = ('red511', 'default')
+
+# orange are for arrays and hashes
+hi_orange = ('yellow531', 'default')
+lo_orange = ('yellow520', 'default')
+
+# yellow is for scalars and prototypes
+hi_yellow = ('yellow551', 'default')
+lo_yellow = ('yellow330', 'default')
+
+# green is for strings and characters
+lo_green = ('green030', 'default')
+hi_green = ('green050', 'default')
+
+# cyan is for quotes, evals, regexes, subs
+lo_cyan = ('cyan033', 'default')
+hi_cyan = ('cyan155', 'default')
+
+# blue is unused
+lo_blue = ('blue113', 'default')
+hi_blue = ('blue225', 'default')
+
 class C(Fundamental):
     name        = 'C'
     extensions  = ['.c', '.h', '.cpp']
@@ -177,25 +211,34 @@ class C(Fundamental):
     commentc    = '//'
 
     colors      = {
-        #'c.identifier':       ('yellow', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macrocomment.start': ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macrocomment.null':  ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macrocomment.end':   ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macro':              ('blue', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macro.start':        ('blue', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macro.name':         ('yellow', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macro.null':         ('magenta', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macro.continued':    ('red', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macro.delimiter':    ('default', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macro.concat':       ('yellow', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'macro.quoted':       ('yellow', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'include':            ('blue', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'header':             ('green', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'type':               ('cyan', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'constant':           ('yellow', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'error.start':        ('blue', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'error.data':         ('green', 'default', 'bold'),
-        'error.null':         ('green', 'default', 'bold'),
+        'c.comment':            hi_red,
+        'c.comment.start':      hi_red,
+        'c.comment.data':       hi_red,
+        'c.comment.end':        hi_red,
+        'c.macrocomment.start': hi_red,
+        'c.macrocomment.null':  hi_red,
+        'c.macrocomment.end':   hi_red,
+
+        'c.macro':        hi_blue,
+        'c.macro.start':  hi_blue,
+        'c.macro.name':   hi_orange,
+        'c.macro.null':   hi_magenta,
+        'c.macro.concat': hi_yellow,
+        'c.macro.quoted': hi_green,
+        'c.error.start':  hi_blue,
+        'c.error.data':   hi_green,
+
+        'c.char.start':   lo_green,
+        'c.char.end':     lo_green,
+        'c.char.data':    hi_green,
+        'c.char.escaped': hi_magenta,
+        'c.char.octal':   hi_magenta,
+
+        'c.type':     hi_cyan,
+        'c.include':  hi_blue,
+        'c.header':   lo_orange,
+        'c.constant': hi_orange,
+
     }
     config = {
         'c.syntax-cmd':     "gcc -x c -fsyntax-only %(path)s",