Something I just thought of: If the slits are thin, you need a second, stationary IR blocking plate with just a slit in it that sits in front of the candle to prevent any spillover into the next or previous slit of the wheel due to the width of the candle flame.
Candle + IR opaque strip. Cut notches in strip according to desired pattern. Run strip in front of candle sufficiently quickly (remote signals can have very high bitrates so in practical terms it may not be possible).
3% annual raise isn't a raise. When someone gets a 3% raise after a year they are literally making exactly what they started at if inflation is 3% annually.
Two years minus one day, so one year plus 364 days