Macau

Hello again from beautiful Hong Kong. We had our third round argument today against Tsinghua University from Beijing. Tsinghua had won a Chinese national pre-moot, the CIETAC Cup, and was essentially the national champion in this year's Vis problem. Unfortunately, they drew the HUSL Samurai Wolves in the third round...

Kidding and exaggeration aside, we argued very well today, undoubtedly the most complete argument so far. We improved in the areas we wanted to improve in, and generally stayed on the ball throughout. The Tsinghua team was difficult and well-prepared, but we were equally so. I would venture to guess that we prevailed, but that's just me.

Anyways, after facing off against the Russian team yesterday, myself and my fellow travelers took the jet ferry over to Macau. Similar to Hong Kong, Macau is also a Special Administrative Region of China, and was for nearly 500 years a Portuguese outpost. Still, Chinese, Portuguese, and English are official languages. Macau, aside from being a strange little Mediterranean enclave in the South China Sea, is also the Vegas of the East. Mega-casinos as far as the eye could see. However, there also were very quaint, thoughtful touches. My favourite was the Portuguese style cobblestone sidewalks, done in fanciful patterns.

We shunned said casinos, and ended up wandering about the back streets of a gritty residential neighborhood for most of the daylight hours. It was extremely reminiscent of Brazil from my perspective - people jetting by on a navy of mopeds, tiny trucks delivering propane and supplies, having one's life flash before one's eyes as the aforementioned zip past. It was real, and it was glorious. I had this amazing street waffle, with nutella, coconut milk, peanut stuff, and some sort of sweet condensed milk.

Anyways, we finally got dinner in a Portuguese restaurant, and it was probably the best food I've had so far on the trip. We ordered this stupendous Portuguese fried rice with pork and shrimp. However, the pinnacle came with the galinha à Africana - this fantastic chicken stewed with garlic, coconut milk, and chiles.

It was a short trip, but a worthwhile one. For those of you who haven't been on a high-speed catamaran, one would be amazed how fast you can move across water. I would go back in an instant.

Tomorrow, our last general round against Bond University of Australia. We will do our best, and then hope our scores are good enough to advance on Saturday. Here's hoping...

Round 1

Hello again from Hong Kong. Today, the Hamline cobras faced off against Hanyang University from Seoul, South Korea. Aside from a few easily remedied things, it was a fantastic first round. Nowhere to go but forward.

Tonight, we ate dinner at a two Michelin starred restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, and then proceeded to "invite" ourselves into an arbitrator cocktail hour on Hong Kong Island. After that, we took the tram up to the top of the peak overlooking Hong Kong, and walked around for a bit. Then, we caught a double decker bus down to the harbour, took the Star Ferry back to Kowloon, and then finally took a metro train back to our hotel. Long, yet successful day.

Tomorrow, we face the Mari State team from Russia. Once that is done around lunchtime, the plan is to catch a ferry over to Macau, which similar to Hong Kong, was a colony up until 1999, albeit a Portuguese one. Apparently there is good food, and other stuff to do.

For those folks (if any) from Hamline reading, you can rest assured that we are representing the school to the best of our abilities, and talking up both our Vis program and the DRI as much as we can. I think we're making plenty of really great contacts, and both of us feel very confident as we enter the second round tomorrow. So, wish us luck!

Hong Kong Dispatch

I'm here in Hong Kong, and life is good. It feels somewhat akin to New York or London - closer to those cities than to Beijing, at least when I was there. My only quibble thus far is the apparent local taste in super smooth bossa nova. I mean, I love the girl from ipanema too, but every time I walk into our hotel...

My teammate is off to fetch his wife at the airport, so I'm left to represent America/respect the moot at the moot alumni welcome reception. Tomorrow features an arbitration convention at a swanky downtown law firm, followed by the actual moot welcome thing at a swanky hotel in Kowloon. Tuesday, the mooting begins in earnest, where a world of hurt awaits four unsuspecting teams...

Internet is somewhat dodgy at our hotel and far overpriced, so this update is courtesy of a coffeehouse in central hk. So far, so good. This may or may not go on the "cities I could live in" list.

Okay, time to head out. Wish us luck!

Sent from my iPhone

Aaron Nyquist
Hamline University School of Law

Week

Hi folks. It's hard to believe, in the midst of the wildness of work, school, and competition, that in just a titch over a week, I'll be jetting off to Hong Kong for the Vis international commercial arbitration moot. After six months of devoting my life to this competition, to becoming best friends with Alan Redfern and Martin Hunter, to making Room 303 of the Hamline Law Library my second home, it's go time.



Truly, I am absurdly excited. For the longest time, I've felt a bit of an itch to get off of this continent, to go elsewhere, to go somewhere unfamiliar. Furthermore, despite the percentage of my life consumed, I think this international arbitration business is wildly interesting, and this competition personally and professionally fulfilling. My participation in Vis has (essentially) led me to new employment, where I have had the pleasure of writing a substantial portion of an actual international arbitration claimant's brief. Maybe more importantly, it has made me incredibly close with three other individuals I probably never would have met, people I would now probably count amongst my closest friends.

In any event, we're ready. I'm ready to fly 20 hours, I'm ready to eat rhinocerous horn or whatever else, I'm ready to argue the finer points of Milan Rules Art. 20(4), I'm ready to have that confused, stupid American look. Hamline might not be ranked in the US, but we're sure as hell going to be ranked in Hong Kong...

Oh Minnesota...

This only reaffirms my fervent belief that the rest of the world, in reality, wishes they were Minnesotans.

2011 Minneapolis Trombone Choir PERFORMANCE

Folks,

This Sunday, YES THIS SUNDAY MARCH 20, 2011 AT 7:00 PM, is the 38th annual Minneapolis Trombone Choir Concert. Your lifelong desire to see 40ish super-awkward trombones playing nearly 3 hours of music is on the cusp of fulfillment. The performance not only includes me on tenor trombone, but also a pleasing assortment of bass trombones, sackbuts, euphoniums, tubas, and bass trumpets. Truly a sight to behold, truly the ideal way to start your week, truly the best thing ever.

In any event, further information can be found here. The concert is at Judson Memorial Baptist Church in Minneapolis, which is quite conveniently located on the corner of 41st and Harriet. Should be a fun time, and actually should be a good concert too - I think improved over last year. I think our guest artist this year, the Westside Trombone Quartet, is playing "Hey Jude," and we're going to play, among many pieces, "Malaguena" and the march from "El Cid."

Done deal, right? Hope to see some of you there!

Spring Break - Iowa/Illinois Gone Wild!

Hello there folks, welcome back to my blog. I know everyone has been waiting with bated breath for another post; indeed, I've been confronted in a mock angry tone for my lack of recent blogging. I would say that I've been busy, but I've also been confronted on account of my latest posts being far too self-congratulatory. Therefore, no excuse will be given. Just deal folks, just deal.

Anyway, I once again had the pleasure last weekend of traveling through America's heartland, all the way down to Iowa City, and then skittering eastward to beautiful Champaign, Illinois. "Beautiful" may be a rare term when describing Champaign, but beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. Given that, I may not be the beholder. However, that doesn't eliminate the fact that good friends live there, and in particular, a good friend giving a masters trombone recital. Plus, the promise of free bagels and coffee. Never, ever, give up free bagels and coffee.

The dulcet, velvety tone of the trombone is a topic long familiar with regular readers, so I'll spare you the sermon. We all know it's the cello of the brass family anyway. Given that, it is always quite the experience to witness someone you know do something extremely well, and it is particularly special when a very important friend is the someone you know. That, of course, was the focus of the weekend, and it did not disappoint. Champaign is quite a skip away from Minnesota (did I mention 9 hours?), but this was a trip far worthwhile.



The recital was given in an absolutely stunning old recital hall on the University of Illinois - the kind of place that makes one think, "this is where Music is played." The music itself was jolting in its excellence - I had heard said friend play before, but I don't think I quite grasped the depth of the mastery he had achieved on the trombone. It was fantastic from a programmatic standpoint, from a technical standpoint, and most importantly, from a musical standpoint. Absolutely superlative - I found myself transfixed during the final piece, mesmerized by a combination of pride, happiness, and sheer entertainment. After all, in the end, what is music if it doesn't engage the listener? Probably a string concert (ba dum ching).



Look at that tie bar! I bet some fancy-schmancy Twin Cities pseudo-sartorialist gave the Master the idea to wear that! Definitely completes the ensemble.

Anyways, in all seriousness, for whatever it's worth, and for whatever capacity I have, I was very proud, and I can only hope I can do some pithy legal activity with the same level of skill.

Far from being an excuse to listen to trombone music, the trip was a long-overdue reason to escape the noise and bustle of the Twin Cities for a weekend, and see old and important friends. I needed to forget about arbitration for a while, to not have Redfern/Hunter in my backseat. I just needed to get away, and if I wasn't going to Fort Myers to see my Twins play, this was the next best thing. All things considered, and all pride swallowed, maybe it was even the best thing. I think the Twins understand - they know as well as anyone that loyalty is the most important thing.

I'm sure I'm leaving tales and conversations out, but that's what happens when it's 11:30 at night and you're falling asleep. In a nutshell, I learned where not to eat in Iowa City, why a glam/emo-bass/drum rock duo is possibly the worst idea ever, and why functional humans don't make a habit out of eating an entire bag of Haribo gummy bears in 10 minutes. I learned that people are good at the trombone, but even if you aren't quite so good, you can still enjoy playing it as best you can. I learned to never underestimate the entertainment value of a giant squid knitted out of old sweaters. And of course, sometimes (oftentimes?) the best vacation is just to see good friends, even given approximately $100k in diesel gasoline expences.

Although gratis fajitas and tiny Coronas do help...