Array in PHP and MySQL

I have a problem in retrieving array in php from MySQL database.


<?php

$host='localhost';
$database='npi';
$password='';
$username='root';

$connect=mysql_connect($host, $username, $password);

mysql_select_db($database);

$colors=serialize($_POST['colors']); //takes the data from a post operation...
$name=$_POST['name'];

//$query = "INSERT INTO colors VALUES('".$colors."','".$name."') ";
$size = sizeof($colors);
//$result=mysql_query($query, $connect) or die ("Cannot execute 1");



for($c = 0; $c < sizeof($colors); $c++) {

$query = "INSERT INTO colors VALUES('".$colors."','".$name."') ";
$result = mysql_query($query) or die(mysql_error());
}


$query2="SELECT Color FROM Colors WHERE Name = '$name' ";
$result2=mysql_query($query2, $connect) or die ("Cannot execute 2");

$numrows=mysql_num_rows($result2);

if($result2){
while($my_colors=mysql_fetch_array($result2))
{
$my_colors=unserialize($colors);
print "<table border=\"1\">";
foreach($my_colors as $shirt)
{
print "<tr><td>$shirt</td><tr>";
}
}
print " and $name";
}
else
{
print 'No colors in database.';
}



?>

I run the code successfully. But my problem is:

$my_colors=unserialize($colors); <<--- I can do this if $colors was in the same page where I can serialize and unserialize;

But if I want to retrieve from database where there is no $colors at the same page, how can I write the code?

More addition, how can I actually retrieve an array from MySQL database? Can u explain and give example how can i wrote the code?
Can u give me any useful links?

another question:

what should i do if i wrote this code(for instance):

$my_colors=unserialize($colors);

the output is array instead of
a:2:{i:0;s:3:"SPD";i:1;s:4:"SPD2";}

what should i do to ensure that i just display SPD and SPD2 instead of array or
a:2:{i:0;s:3:"SPD";i:1;s:4:"SPD2";}.

Help2!!