Well, thinking this through some more I think it would be best to establish a universal frame of reference.
Rather than left or right, get a compass and find due North. Have the back of your Mini facing North. Macbook: back of screen facing North. Now stand (or sit) at the back of your Mini. This puts you facing due South. Use the compass to verify this. If you're not facing due South, start over. Now choose the East port and you're done. Ta da! Macbook: Stand (or sit) facing East. This should put you at the port side of the Macbook. Again, use the compass to verify this. If you're not facing due East and at port side, start over. Once you're sure where you're at it's easy sailing from here - choose the South port. Done!
BTW, one person reported doing this in front of a mirror. He got everything all screwed up. Make sure there are no mirrors in your view as you do this procedure!
You know, how hard would it be for Apple, or any computer manufacturer, to put a North arrow on their stuff and then mark the ports East or West. Duh! An industry standard like this sure would make things easier.
